MCU’s Thor has been one of the most successful franchises from the studio starring charming Chris Hemsworth as the Norse God. The Asgardian Avenger first appeared in the 2011 movie Thor and has been consistent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since.
The most recent installment of the franchise Thor: Love and Thunder came out in the summer of 2022 and was one of the highly anticipated summer releases that year. Also, the movie has collected a whopping $760 million worldwide against a budget of $250 million. However, the box office success of the movie was enough to declare the success of the movie. Many consider Thor: Love and Thunder as an epic failure due to the second-lowest audience score in MCU history. But there are some good that the movie has to offer, in fact, better than its previous installment. Here are five things Thor: Love and Thunder did better than Thor: Ragnarok.
Also read: Everything We Learned From Thor: Love and Thunder’s Bad Reviews
Tapped into Other Mythologies and Major Worldbuilding
Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder went beyond Norse mythology from which the primary character originated. Remarkably enough, Waititi tapping into another world of different mythology was a brave and bold move. Especially, when representing the supreme God of Greek mythology tend to bring some interesting questions including the role of the character in the movie. Certainly, Russel Crowe’s Zeus in the movie is one of the antagonists that came in between Thor’s mission against Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher.
Establishing Zeus and his world in MCU provided a glimpse and the potential future of the supreme Greek God. Despite the intriguing battle between Thor and his allies and Zeus, the Greek God survived and opened the window to the Olympian character’s potential return.
An Apt and Way Better Soundtrack
Thor: Love and Thunder soundtrack is engrossing. Originally composed by Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad, the movie featured a duration of 59:03 minutes soundtrack comprising 28 titles. Further, the director went on to feature Sweet Child o’ Mine, Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, and November Rain by Guns N’ Roses. Waititi also featured Only Time by Enya; Fighting by Michael Raphael; Our Last Summer by ABBA; Family Affair by Mary J. Blige; Goodies by Ciara featuring Petey Pablo; and Rainbow in the Dark by Dio. Beyond that Ginger Johnson’s Old Spice Sea Chanty and an original song performed by the director himself Hey Ninny-Nonny was featured. The Love and Thunder soundtrack was crisp and integrated into the cinematic depth of the storytelling. The featured songs have provided a nostalgic essence to the audience and of course, the use of Led Zepplin’s Immigrant Song has been played at a perfect time in the narrative.
Gave Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster the Farewell Arc She Deserved
Among the celebrated couples of MCU, Jane Foster and Thor Odinson’s relationship has been a pretty significant talk of the town. Fans loved to see the duo’s chemistry. Natalie Portman’s Jane was absent from MCU projects after the 2013 Thor: The Dark World although her character was mentioned in these later projects, the actor and the studio had caught up in creative differences and she was completely absent in Ragnerock. MCU justified Foster’s absence by just mentioning that she dumped the mighty Thor. However, Waititi altered the narrative and brought back the fan-favorite character, and gave her the ultimate superpower she could enjoy with an astounding farewell.
Also read: Will Thor Be Done After Love and Thunder?
Explored Political Ramifications of New Asgard
Following Odin’s Exile and Hela’s attack on the home of Asgardian prompted Loki and Thor to unleash Ragnarök to kill their super powerful sister Hela. However, it had a ripple effect as it killed 9,719 Asgardians. The survivors had to relocate to Earth and settle transforming the town of Tønsberg, Norway as the New Asgard. Also, following the great snap, the new Asgard was in further trouble. However, the balance was somewhat restored after Valkyrie’s Rule but the attack by Gorr was there on the picture. Love and Thunder has carefully depicted the political ramification of New Asgard. The fans got to see the beginning of a nation and the serious attack by Gorr and the superheroes fighting to protect the last of it.
Showed the True Nature of Marvel Gods Everyone Suspected All Along
Gorr the God Butcher’s rebel against the Gods in the movie has addressed the most significant conundrum of MCU’s Godly character’s attitude towards the mortals. Mortals are the intelligent inhabitants of Earth. In MCU, the races of the Nine Realms refer to humans as Mortals. The Gods of the Universe have always been busy with their luxurious lifestyle and entertainment. The mortals have defended Planet Earth on numerous occasions from the eminent threats from the world and beyond. No god ever came to rescue Thanos’ invasion even though it altered the very timeline of the universe, except, of course, Thor. Even Gorr’s deadly threat never really shook Zeus as he was drunk by his power and courtship. Gorr’s rebellion was also the direct result of the ignorance of the Gods as they have never answered his prayer at the darkest time of his life. Gorr was a product of Gods against the Gods and his quest for revenge showed the true nature of the Godly beings.
Broke Tradition Curse By Not Letting Ending Affect MCU Continuity
Thor: Love and Thunder has also been a trendsetter. The ending of the movie did not affect the entirety of the Marvel Universe rather it has an elegant stand of its own. Reportedly, the studio will follow the tradition in future projects as well. Putting a halt to the direct ripple on the entire universe, the new movies are set to follow Waititi’s narrative ending style in the movie as it provided the characters with a brief space to breathe.
Also read: Love And Thunder: Ending Explained
