Summary

• Thor: Love and Thunder fell short of fan expectations, unable to match or improve upon the success of Thor: Ragnarok and other previous MCU films.
• The film failed to deliver on its promise of queer representation, with minimal LGBTQ+ content that left audiences dissatisfied.
• The excessive humor in the film, often falling flat, cheapened the serious dynamics between the villain, Gorr the God Butcher, and Thor, detracting from the overall impact of the story.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe had a problem when it came to Thor. They had this great character, built him up, created his world, cast a talented actor in Chris Hemsworth, and then had no clue what to do with him. So, in a last-ditch effort, they hired the hilarious Taika Waititi to spearhead the next Thor movie and gave him full creative reign to do as he pleased in the hopes of revitalizing the genre, and he sure did. Waititi created one of the most beloved Marvel films with Thor: Ragnarok and won many new fans over. The newfound humor, exciting new characters, and excellent use of classic rock music were just what the character and the fandom needed at the time, and it was an altogether fun affair.

So, the golden question then becomes: how come Waititi's follow-up, 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder, flopped so badly, leaving fans once again upset and dissatisfied with the Thor series? Was it because there was a built-up expectation from the previous film? Or a disconnect with directing? Or could it be that MCU fans are getting a bit tired of the childish humor that seems to be at the root of every MCU project nowadays? Perhaps the answer is all of the above.

To help make sense of things, here is a breakdown of everything that went wrong with Thor: Love and Thunder.

Updated November 21st, 2023: This article has been updated with more information on why fans were disappointed by Taika Waititi's work on Thor: Love and Thunder​​​​​​.

Thor: Ragnarok Created High Expectations

Now, it is understandable that sometimes follow-ups to fantastic movies may fall short of fan expectations. We've seen it happen with many films before, particularly in the modern age of cinema, where Hollywood is dominated by sequels, prequels, reboots, and remakes. However, does that make the blow of Thor: Love and Thunder any less harsh?

After all, it only makes sense that moviegoers who enjoyed Ragnarok would expect to find the same level of storytelling and humor in its sequel. Waititi's MCU debut was an unmitigated success, earning $865 million at the box office and garnering a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%, no mean feat for any movie. So, perhaps, it was just too unrealistic to assume Thor's third outing could match or improve upon Ragnarok's success.

However, Thor: Love and Thunder didn't just have to live up to Ragnarok's legacy, but to the standard set by all the MCU films that came out in the years before its release. This highlights a problem in the franchise that has been apparent ever since Avengers: Endgame brought the Infinity saga to a close; Marvel's Phase Four and Five films haven't succeeded, on the whole, especially when compared to what came before them. It's possible that, in some multiverse where Ragnarok had never been made or where the MCU as a whole hadn't been as high in quality, Thor: Love and Thunder might've been looked at more favorably. As things are, however, it pales in comparison to many of its predecessors.

Queer-Baiting Allegations

Another expectation it did not live up to: the promise of the film being visibly and unapologetically queer. With the original announcement that Valkyrie, the beer-drinking badass first introduced in Ragnarok, would become the King of New Asgard, actress Tessa Thompson made remarks that she would need to find her Queen. Indeed, as far back as 2019, Thompson and Kevin Feige assured fans that Valkyrie would be the MCU's first openly LGBTQ+ hero in Thor: Love and Thunder. What's more, remarks from Waititi also seemed to cement this promise. When asked "how gay is the movie," he responded, according to Them, "Super gay."

When the film hit theaters, and the only truly queer parts were Korg — a collection of rocks — finding a lover named Dwayne, and Valkyrie kissing the hand of another woman, it's no wonder that audiences were left dissatisfied.

Gorr the God Butcher Versus Thor the Comedian

With the defeat of Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU finally had a chance to explore some new and exciting villains. Actor Christian Bale did a decent job of portraying the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder, especially considering he didn't have much to work with. With a pale, skeleton-like appearance, yellow eyes, and the ability to move through shadows, Gorr should've been the stuff of nightmares. Furthermore, with an interesting motivation that involved him being angry at the gods for not saving his daughter, despite his devotion to them, Gorr seemed like the ideal follow-up to Ragnarok's Hela.

But he wasn't, and it's all to do with the film's treatment of the character. While Bale was putting his all into being a dark and twisted creature of the shadows — playing him like a serious villain — Hemsworth's Thor, on the other hand, was preoccupied with sarcastic jabs and obnoxious gags. It downplayed Gorr's severity, and the juxtaposition between a super serious villain and a hero who didn't take himself seriously enough ultimately cheapened the dynamics between the two.

A Few Laughs Too Many

So, it's clear that the amount of humor is a problem. It's been talked about a lot since Disney bought Marvel, that MCU films have increasingly become more catered toward a younger audience. That also seems to be the case with the humor, especially in Thor: Love and Thunder. There is a whole bit (which lasts much longer than it needs to) that centers around a pair of giant goats, and the only thing about them that is deemed funny is that they scream. Clearly intended to be a reference to the internet meme from several years ago that saw screaming goats replacing Taylor Swift's vocals on her 2012 hit, "I Knew You Were Trouble," the joke not only feels dated, but it just doesn't even land.

This is just one example of the kind of embarrassing comedy that makes up the majority of the film's script. While Ragnarok and other MCU outings have certainly had their fair share of laughs, no other film has had them on this level, with the sheer quantity of gags only serving to undercut dramatic moments. Moreover, when a movie is 90% jokes, but less than half of them actually land, there's something seriously wrong. Even Hemsworth thought the silliness went too far.

On top of this, the film suffers from major tonal inconsistencies, with the silly and jovial nature of some scenes jarring with the very serious nature of others. The most notable example of this is in a subplot involving Jane Foster discovering she has cancer. Going from this to scenes involving screaming goats is whiplash-inducing at best.

Pacing Problems Aplenty

At 119 minutes in total, Thor: Love and Thunder is certainly on the short side of MCU films. Now, there's nothing wrong with directors opting to make their movies concise, and there has definitely been a trend in recent years that has seen films go on for longer than they need to. Nevertheless, a film should be as long as the story needs it to be and, in the case of Thor: Love and Thunder, it's simply too short.

What this means is that there are many points in the film that feel rushed, brushed over, or like they aren't given the time to breathe. This is especially noticeable in Jane Foster's subplot. Her transformation into Mighty Thor is yadda-yadda-ed away so much that it comes off as laughably contrived. This is a recurring problem for the film; when important plot points are rushed, it becomes difficult for audiences to buy into or engage with what they are seeing onscreen.

Sub-Standard CGI

Again, this is not an issue limited to Love and Thunder, it's a common problem that many MCU films and, indeed, blockbusters generally, have been experiencing in recent years. However, Love and Thunder might just be the worst and most high-profile example of shoddy CGI. The most likely explanation for this is that the VFX artists were overworked and being pushed to meet unrealistically tight deadlines, which is, sadly, understandable. Whatever the case, though, there's not really any excuse for a film with a massive $250 million budget to look as bad as this.

There are many instances throughout the film where the CGI is noticeably sub-par, from the overuse of green screen backgrounds, which Christian Bale himself criticized, to the aforementioned screaming goats. The part that has received the most mockery from fans, though, is the floating head of Heimdall's son. The effect is laughably bad and looks like something a teenager could've whipped up in their bedroom after half an hour on Photoshop. Again, this is not the fault of the artists themselves, but the pressure they are put under.

Even though it was released in the summer and played in theaters up until its Disney+ release, Thor: Love and Thunder left fans displeased and dissatisfied, angry about not living up to expectations, its use (or, more correctly, misuse) of characters, and humor that didn't land. We now know Taika Watiti won't be returning for Thor 5, so it'll be interesting to see who takes over the reins and what direction they choose to go in.

Stream Thor: Love and Thunder on Disney+