‘That Was For The Greater Good’: Thor’s Taika Waititi Reflects On His Version Of The Character And His Return In Latest Avengers Movies

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After Chris Hemsworth first played Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2011, director Taika Waititi revitalized the character with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, which was much funnier than the earlier films. The movie was a hit, and Waititi was asked to direct Thor: Love and Thunder, which doubled down on the comedy. While Love and Thunder wasn’t as successful as Ragnarok, Waititi stands by his approach to the character, as he recently shared while talking about Thor’s future in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars movies.

At the Sundance Film Festival, where he was promoting his new family film Fing! (in which he voices the villain), Taika Waititi gave an update on his upcoming Star Wars project and discussed what he expects to see from Thor in future Marvel Cinematic Universe films. He told Variety he’s excited to see how directors Joe and Anthony Russo will handle the character, having previously directed him in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

You know, Thor existed long before I came along. What Chris Hemsworth and I did with the character – how we evolved him – it was all about serving the bigger picture, making the entire franchise stronger. I’m a huge ‘Avengers’ fan, honestly. I just rewatched ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’ a couple of weeks ago, and they still hold up so well. I’m also really close with the Russo brothers and I’m excited to see what they do next.

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  • I Wondered Why Chris Hemsworth Posted That Viral Thor Tribute Video That Had Fans Talking, And I’m Glad He Finally Commented On It

Over the past fifteen years, several directors – including Taika Waititi, the Russo Brothers, Kenneth Branagh, Alan Taylor, and Joss Whedon – have directed Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Waititi is happy for the Russo Brothers to direct him again, as he liked their work on Infinity War and Endgame. Doomsday will be Hemsworth’s first new role as Thor since Love and Thunder, though a clip of him from The Dark World was used in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine movie.

Taika Waititi remains proud of the comedic direction he and Chris Hemsworth took with Thor, starting with Thor: Ragnarok and continuing with Thor: Love and Thunder. Ragnarok was a huge success, receiving strong reviews and earning $855 million worldwide. However, Love and Thunder wasn’t as well-received, becoming the lowest-rated Thor film and earning almost $100 million less globally than Ragnarok. Even Hemsworth acknowledged his performance wasn’t quite right for that film.

The recent teaser for Avengers: Doomsday suggests Marvel is giving Chris Hemsworth’s Thor a more dramatic storyline. He’s on a mission to find Love, his adopted daughter, who is played by Hemsworth’s actual daughter, India Rose Hemsworth. While director Taika Waititi previously favored a comedic approach to the character, he’s still involved in seeing how Thor’s story unfolds in the 2026 film. It’s likely we’ll even see Waititi at the movie’s premiere.

The new movie Avengers: Doomsday comes out December 18th, and Avengers: Secret Wars will be released on December 17, 2027. If you want to get ready, you can watch all of Thor’s past movies and shows on Disney+. Also, director Taika Waititi’s next film, Klara and the Sun, starring Jenna Ortega, is planned for release in 2026.

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2026-01-29 05:08