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Thor : Ragnarokis not only the best receive and most successful of all the Thor films , it ’s also the movie that saved Marvel ’s Thor franchise . It ’s easy to dismiss Taika Waititi ’s film as comedic fun , but his voiced - reboot of Asgard was a lot smarter than that .
BeforeRagnarok , Thor was an ill - define if likable meathead of a character , used chiefly for punching and from time to time angle - out - of - water jokes made at his disbursal . But now ? Thor ’s become one of theMarvel Cinematic Universe ’s most bankable stars , withRagnarokbreaking into the top ten highest earning MCU movies . It ’s the thirdbest reviewed MCU picture show , with much of the congratulations going to Chris Hemsworth ’s sky-high fun portraying and Taika Waititi ’s stlylish direction .
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Thor is now poise to become the shared creation ’s lead entering Marvel ’s Phase Four , taking up the mantle from his fellow Avengers , Iron Man / Tony Stark and Captain America / Steve Rogers . But without the oeuvre made to improve the character and rehabilitate his enfranchisement withRagnarokand laterAvengers : Infinity War , none of this would have been possible .
Thor Was Marvel’s Least-Necessary Franchise Before Ragnarok
phase angle One of the MCU was a testing undercoat for ideas , establishing the characters who would form The Avengers and result Marvel ’s shared universe . Iron Man , Captain America , and Thor became franchise superstars , but by Phase Two , Thor began lagging behind . BothIron Man 3andCaptain America : The Winter Soldierwere improvement on the previous accounting entry , moving their lead characters into new and interesting soil , whileGuardians of the GalaxyandAnt - Manexpanded the MCU with new kinky lineament and unlike stake . Thor : The Dark World , however , was an utter pickle .
BeforeThe Dark World , Kenneth Branagh’sThorhad given the fibre a substantial foundation in his origination , but when Marvel sought Branagh for the followup , he defy , citing " creative differences . " wonder then secured Patty Jenkins to direct , but she too left after collide with Marvel ( going on to directWonder Womanto great winner ) . finally , Alan Taylor ofGame of Thronesfame was brought on to helm Thor ’s 2nd picture but his experience on the undertaking was " peculiarly wrenching , " claiming that during post - production , " it turned into a different movie . " Marvel had no idea what to do with the franchise , resulting inThe Dark Worldhaving a lustreless story , forgettable villain , misfortunate purpose of the Asgardian factor , and absolutely zero development or maturation for its primary character .
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How Ragnarok Rehabilitated Thor
After two solo motion-picture show and two other MCU appearances , Thor remained a stagnant character , changing very trivial from one film to the next . Thor ’s supporting cast was largely forgettable and his close sleeper to Earth , while important early on , were now restrictive and determine . Most of all , theThorfilms were n’t as fun as they should be , neither give rise astral activity or unfeignedly memorable moments to make them bear apart from the remainder of the MCU .
Thor : Ragnaroktook aim at these issues , jettison what was n’t working and keep what did . In hiring indie director Taika Waititi , Marvel committed to a vision for the part and the franchise where the smell was silly but the wager still matter . Ragnarokstripped Thor of his comfortable position quo , send him on an adventure to an other - worldly stead , alongside novel and interesting characters , and without his hammer - ram Thor to recognize thatheand not his cock was the source of his power - Mjolnir had just aid him rivet it . The result was a film that was transformative for the fibre , impregnate theThorfranchise with an attitude and visual style it never had before .
Ragnarokwent on to earn more at the box officethan either of the previousThorfilms , thanks in enceinte part to the Modern elements and variety in tone . The merchandising , too , leaned intemperately on the film ’s playfulness , which made it more appealing to a wider audience . Thorwas now a highly bankable property for Marvel , and comeAvengers : Infinity War , Odinson would have a role to go along with his elevated status .
Page 2:Thor’s Infinity War Arc & The Future
Thor’s Awesome Infinity War Arc Started In Ragnarok
Avengers : eternity Warpicks up Thor ’s story straight off from whereThor : Ragnarokleft off . Thor has taken his lawful place as big businessman , reconciled with his brother , and now seeks to give a young Asgard for his people . Then Thanos happen , and after already losing so much , Thor has everything need away again . When he ’s discovered float in space by the Guardians of the Galaxy , Thor knows he must seek out and kill Thanos - not for revenge , but to forbid others from have as he has . It ’s a eminence earned inRagnarok , where Thor began his quest to kill Hela out of revenge before ultimately agnise that , as big businessman , the fate of his people is what ’s most important .
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From there , Thor travels to Nidavellir , accompany by Rocket and Groot , where he shape a newfangled weapon adequate to of killing Thanos - a mighty and knock-down axe , Stormbreaker . All three reappearance to Earth , coming to the Avengers ' aide in their battle with Thanos ' military unit in Wakanda . But when Thor get his chance to land the kill blow , he only wounds Thanos , wanting Thanos to acknowledge who killed him rather than just polish off the chore . It ’s a moment of weakness in which Thor lets his pride get the good of him , and it chip in Thanos the triumph . But Thor’sInfinity Wararc is far from over , and though he ’s faltered here , Ragnarokalready testify Thor ’s capable of learning from his error - and not killing Thanos is certain to be misapprehension he wo n’t make again .
Chris Hemsworth Finally Got What He Wanted From Thor
The role of Thor is what made Chris Hemsworth a star , but after play the theatrical role in four films , Hemsworth begin to get " a minute bored . " Thor ’s fictitious character had n’t evolved much over those four movies , and comeAge of Ultron , it was clean Hemsworth no longer had the enthusiasm for act him as he once did and he seemed ready to leave - corresponding other MCU stars- as soon as his contract was up . Thor needing shaking up - not just for the dealership ’s sake , but for Hemsworth ’s .
Already invest to a thirdThorfilm , Hemsworth talk over with producer Kevin Feige what he require most from the experience . It get down to was this - he want Thor to be mirthful . BothGuardians of the GalaxyandAnt - Man had bear witness there was a grocery for superhero activeness - comedies , and thanks to his roles inVacationandGhostbusters , Hemsworth had prove he had the comedic talent to carry his own . SoRagnaroklet Thor be peculiar , and the result is a movie in which Hemsworth has more fun toy the God of Thunder than ever before .
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Ragnarokalso filmed in Hemsworth ’s native Australia , which along with allowing Hemsworth to play a shady Thor , made the whole experience a more electropositive one . Now , Hemsworth’senthusiasm for the character is reincarnate , and though his contract bridge with Marvel ends afterAvengers 4 , it ’d be easy now than before to convert the player to re - sign for more movies .
This makes Thor a better character , but it also gave Hemsworth a box government agency strike where his endowment were a key constituent . His non - Marvel efforts -Red Dawn , Blackhat , Huntsman , In the Heart of the Sea- have been mix at good , making it unclear if his power really did come from the malleus . Thor : Ragnarokdisputed that , and now his future looks emphatically smart , with a newspaper headline function inBad Times at the El Royaleand theMen in Blackreboot currently shooting .
The Thor Franchise Now Has The Best Future
AfterAvengers 4 , the future of the MCU is undecipherable . OnlySpider - Man : Far From HomeandGuardians of the Galaxy Vol . 3have been announce for Phase 4 , but one remains a deal property with Sony ( and therefore beholden to more than just Marvel ’s whims ) while the other is in crisis follow writer - directorJames Gunn ’s firing . Elsewhere in the MCU , neither Iron Man nor Captain America are expected to have major role afterAvengers 4as both Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evan ’s contract are up and both have expressed interest in proceed on . Mark Ruffalo , Scarlett Johansson , and Jeremy Renner are all opine to have more picture on their contract beyondAvengers 4 , but only Johansson’sBlack Widowhas received any serious discussion of receiving a solo movie .
This depart Thor as the only bequest role allow to guide the MCU into Phase 4 and beyond . There are n’t yet any prescribed plan for aThor 4 , butRagnarokandInfinity Warhave certainly renewed stake in the character and made it all the more potential another Thor film will happen . to boot , the newfangled theatrical role inThor’sfranchise like Valkyrie and Korg quickly became sports fan favorites , and having flesh out the cosmic side of the MCU inRagnarok , Thor 4couldexplore even more of the cosmos(especially given Asgard ’s destruction ) . Hemsworth has saidhe ’s game forThor 4were it to happen , and evenWaititi has press out interest in returning- a first for any Thor manager ( and he ’s already had coming together with Marvel about another project ) .
And while it ’s safe to sham that many of the MCU ’s fledgeling - Black Panther , Captain Marvel , Doctor Strange , etc . - will consist the center Avengers sound forward , Thor is the most potential to return and press alongside them . Prior toRagnarokandInfinity War , it would have been unthinkable to place the future of the divvy up universe on his shoulders , but Thor ’s franchise now halt the most potential , making him an obvious pick to be at the nitty-gritty of Marvel ’s Phase 4 .
Next:How Loki Could Return To a Bigger Role in Thor 4
