Thor is one of the strongest characters in the MCU, having singlehandedly fought cosmic threats and defeated them. However, the post-Infinity War Thor is yet to live up to the expectations that the third Avengers film set for the character, a shortcoming that is largely blamed on the director of the third Thor film, Taika Waititi.
While it seems like Waititi had his fun in Ragnarok, the director needed more guidance from the studio, rather than being able to go off on his own. Not only has that hurt the Thor brand, but it has also made the character somewhat of a clown. Here are 5 instances from Love and Thunder that would have been better left on the cutting room floor rather than on screen with the final cut.
Eating Children
Before embarking on the adventure with Sif, Valkyrie and Korg to rescue the Asgardian children kidnapped by Gorr, Thor gives a speech about how they would rescue the children. Thor highlights a dark time in the history of the Asgaridans when they had resorted to eating their children.
Given that the previous Thor film was a scathing indictment of Asgard’s colonial history, such a line flies in the face of that criticism, while also diminishing all the majesty that was set up for the place in previous films. In the name of comedy, Taika Waititi managed to butcher one of Thor’s defining features, taking away all the seriousness from the situation.
Lady Sif
When Thor receives a signal from Sif, he and Korg make their way to her, where they find her unconscious, minus one arm. Thor makes light of the matter again, telling her that her arm might be in Valhalla.
This scene is supposed to be our first introduction to what Gorr is capable of, and it is undercut by a humorous moment that only diminishes its value but makes it impossible to take the pain Sif is going through seriously. However, the upside to the scene lies in the fact that we get Sif in her iconic comic book costume, which is also difficult to enjoy given how botched Thor makes the scene with his humour.
One Upping Jane Foster
One of the many reasons Thor: Love and Thunder was criticised was the fact that the costume design of this film was way off the beaten path. In the scene where Jane Foster is introduced as the Mighty Thor, Thor feels threatened by the fact that there is another like him, quickly changing his costume’s appearance to match her, and commenting that his weapon is bigger than hers.
This Thor is not in line with the character that we saw in Infinity War, which fans have labelled as the best interaction of the character in the MCU. Even the Thor in Endgame has received his fair share of criticisms but is far from the train wreck that we see in Thor: Love and Thunder
Nude Thor
Yet another joke that might have ruined the characterisation of not just one, but two characters. While infiltrating Omnipotent City, there is an incident when Thor is revealed to the gods by Zeus, but using his magic a little too violently, the Greek God causes Thor to become completely nude, causing a barrage of reactions from those around the character, once again diminishing the importance of the quest for a few bits of humour.
Using Strom Breaker as a ride
The wildest way that Stormbreaker could have been used was put to screen in the opening minutes of Thor: Love and Thunder. After planting Stormbreaker into the ground, Thor sits to meditate. Upon being approached by the Guardians, Thor rides the weapon down to the battlefield like a broom, which ends up being more cringy than funny.
This is further proof that the amount of free reign that Waititi was given in the film might have been more than a little ill-advised. This was a film that would have done well with a little more studio meddling, rather than letting it be a wackier take on character.
