Comedy has always been an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe formula, but one regular criticism of the relentless one-liners is that they often undercut any narrative or dramatic tension, with the franchise seemingly desperate to lighten the mood as quickly as possible, so we’re very curious to see how Thor: Love and Thunder walks the tightrope.
After all, predecessor Ragnarok was a zany intergalactic buddy comedy, but Taika Waititi’s second stab at the Odinson is going to be an altogether different affair. Sure, Chris Hemsworth’s title hero, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and many of the other supporting players are going to be dropping quips left, right, and center, but it’s clear that Christian Bale is taking things very seriously as the villainous Gorr the God Butcher.
There’s also the cancer storyline involving Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, which will need to be handled delicately and sensitively. While that’ll no doubt be the case, the returning MCU star did admit to D23 Magazine that Love and Thunder will be embracing the silliness first and foremost.
“Taika brings such a sense of fun, mischief, and spontaneity to the set. It was a really joyful environment and we embraced the silly.”
Hemsworth also detailed how much the cast were enjoying their sense of “improvisation, comedy, and fun” until Bale stepped onto set as the movie’s big bad, which instantly brought everyone back down to earth. It’s going to be an interesting tonal tightrope, but we’ve got no reason to believe that Thor: Love and Thunder won’t be able to pull it off.
