Few solo Marvel Cinematic Universe movies had the universal praise that Thor: Ragnarok did. Despite the first two Thor films being widely considered weaker films inside the Marvel universe, Ragnarok was a massive hit financially and critically. Director and writer Taika Waititi was a massive reason for this.
Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, recently rekindled fan hype surrounding the next movie by posting a humorous picture of Waititi sleeping during the first script meeting.
Thor was among the first MCU movies to truly explore the outer realms of the universe. While Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and to a lesser degree, Captain America remained on earth, Thor took audiences to a galaxy far away on the planet of Asgard. However, fans didn’t like how little the film explored this concept.
Thor spent time on his planet, but the bulk of the movie took place in a small American town.
Even the love interest, Jane, played by Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, felt wasted as the franchise failed to figure out whether it was an intergalactic fantasy movie or a standard superhero one. None of this was fixed when Thor: Dark World came out years later.
However, Hemsworth’s charisma, combined with memorable characters like Loki, made Thor ripe for new interpretations.
When Waititi took over, the film took a different turn. Most of the film did not take place on earth but on Asgard and several other planets. Furthermore, the film was filled with just as much great comedy, with performances by Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, and Waititi himself adding some fun to the mix as Thor fought Cate Blanchett’s Hela.