I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the critical and financial success of Thor: Ragnarok pretty much saved Thor’s life in Avengers: Endgame. Prior to Ragnarok, both Thor and Thor: The Dark World received middling reviews (77% and 66% on Rotten Tomatoes respectively, both with an average critic score of 6++/10). And while those movies did OK at the global box office, the general consensus was that despite Chris Hemsworth’s best efforts, Thor was a bland character in terribly bland solo movies and easily the most disposable of the original Avengers. Then came Taika Waititi and boy did he shake things up with Thor: Ragnarok.
Waititi, known for beloved indie comedy films like Hunt For the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows gave Thor a massive makeover. Suddenly, Chris Hemsworth found himself in a super comic book-y comedy bursting with colour and personality. The film garnered rave reviews (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a rabid following. Some critics even consider it to be one of the best comic book movies ever made. Thor: Ragnarok was received very well by the masses too, raking over $US 853.9 million at the global box office.
Great news is, Taika Waititi is set to write and direct the currently untitled Thor 4 as well. This news comes courtesy of Collider.com which reports that Waititi will be returning to direct the fourth Thor movie after a successful collaboration with stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson.
It’ll be interesting to see what exactly Taika Waititi does with this fourth Thor movie. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, we see Thor pass on his responsibilities as King of Asgard to Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie before boarding a spaceship with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Over the past couple of months, we’ve been hearing rumblings across the internet that Thor will play a part in James Gunn’s upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. So, where does that leave Thor 4? Will we be seeing some members of GOTG in the film? Possibly. Well, whatever the case, you know you can trust Taika Waititi to come up with something utterly exciting.
Thor 4 is set to hit the big screens on 21 May 2021.
