Is It Time To Make Thor Serious Again?

Marvel

Mar 23

Though it’s hard to believe, Thor started out as one of the most serious characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thor and Thor: The Dark World were some of the heaviest storylines. But as the MCU leaned more into the humor, their version of Thor turned from serious noble warrior to loveable goofball. This worked well in Thor: Ragnarok but immediately afterward, Marvel segued into their darkest storyline yet. Avengers: Infinity War saw half the world disappear in what characters call the Blip, and Thor entered a deep depression. While Endgame solved a lot of the problems, the MCU would never be the same. As such, Thor’s last outing in Thor: Love & Thunder came off as too silly, too irrelevant, and too out of touch with the aftermath of the Blip.

With the MCU being shaken up by the Blip and the introduction of the multiverse, Thor’s signature humor might be too much. While many of Marvel’s films have successfully blended humor with action, there are certainly moments where it seems forced, particularly when the Avengers fight Thanos in space.

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For a young hero like Spider-Man, the out-of-place humor makes sense as a defense mechanism to hide his terror. However, Thor being an ancient god, had plenty of time to mature and find the right time and place for his humor.

As such, it may be time for Thor to return to being a serious warrior. While it would be unwise for him to abandon every trace of humor, pulling back may show him to be a more competent hero. Marvel’s best movies are when the humor is counterbalanced by believable stakes. Spouting off witty one-liners when faced with near certain death.

It’s worth noting here that in the most successful Thor, the title character was drastically changed form a noble warrior to a funny goofball, yet this same film saw him lose an eye, his homeland, and leads directly into the first stand against Thanos.

Throughout the remainder of the Infinity saga, Thor’s humor came from innocent misunderstandings and witty banter with his roommates. This was also a more serious plotline about Thor developing depression and neglecting his health. This depression was a result of his failure to stop Thanos which only healed after seeing his mother. The Ragnarok version of Thor was able to strike this balance and present a believable and compelling character arc.

The Love & Thunder version of Thor didn’t have a serious bone in his body. As such his angst about where to go next fell flat. Even the confrontation with Zeus, which should have been a climatic moment, had all the drama drowned out with absurdist comedy.

Finding the sweet spot is a challenge. While test audiences can help, it’s still a gamble to release the film to a wider audience. However, given the positive response to Thor in Ragnarok, Infinity War, and Endgame, Marvel Studios can write to this version of Thor. This is a version who is dynamic and open to learning. The Love & Thunder Thor was entirely static and even the addition of a daughter did very little to change him.

In order for a main character to be compelling in a superhero movie, they need to be able to respond to their circumstances, not just react. A character who reacts merely translates their standard response to the given circumstance. A character who responds, rather than changing their reactions to suit the scene, is affected by their circumstances and changes themselves. Thor’s depression was a response to his conflict with Thanos.

Thor’s quips to Zeus in Love & Thunder were reactions that he could have recited to anyone in any circumstance. If the writers can find a version of Thor that responds with both humor and heart in equal measure and according to the circumstances, they will have found a truly worthy hero that audiences will love.

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