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

In 2017, six years after Chris Hemsworth debuted as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, filmmaker Taika Waititi delivered Thor: Ragnarok, which leaned more into comedy than the previous two Thor movies. The end result was a success across the board, leading to Waititi being brought back for Thor: Love and Thunder, which went even harder on the humorous moments. That movie failed to achieve the same success as its predecessor, but Waititi has no regrets with how he handled his version of Thor. He said as much while discussing the character’s return in the upcoming Marvel movies Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

While attending the Sundance Film Festival to help promote the upcoming family movie Fing!, where he voices the main villain, Taika Waititi spent some time sharing an update on what he has planned for his Star Wars movie, as well as his thoughts on Thor forthcoming MCU appearances. On the latter subject, he’s looking forward to seeing what directors Joe and Anthony Russo do with the character this time around after previously handling him on the third and fourth Avengers movies, saying to Variety:

In addition to Taika Waititi and the Russo Brothers, directors Kenneth Branagh, Alan Taylor and Joss Whedon have all delivered takes on Chris Hemsworth’s Thor in the decade and a half since we first met him. So Waititi is perfectly fine with the God of Thunder falling into the Russos Bros’ hands again, having enjoyed what they delivered in Infinity War and Endgame. Doomsday will mark the first time we’ve seen Hemsworth reprise Thor since Love and Thunder, although footage of him from The Dark World was repurposed for 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine.

At the same time, Taika Waititi is still proud of the work that he and Chris Hemsworth did by taking what was a mostly-serious superhero, capitalizing on the actor’s comedic sensibilities and kicking that up a few notches for Thor: Ragnarok, followed by Thor: Love and Thunder. In Ragnarok’s case, that paid off big time, as it still ranks as one of the most critically acclaimed MCU movies and making $855 million worldwide. However, Love and Thunder didn’t fare as well, being the most low-rated Thor movie and pulling in nearly $100 million less at the global box office than Ragnarok did. Even Hemsworth admitted he didn’t “stick the landing” with his performance.

Judging by the Thor-focused Avengers: Doomsday teaser, it looks like Marvel is taking Chris Hemsworth’s version of the Asgardian in a more serious direction again, as he’s on a quest to find Love, his adoptive daughter (played by Hemsworth’s real-life daughter India Rose Hemsworth). Taika Waititi may have preferred handling the character with a lighter touch, but that’s not going to stop him from seeing what awaits Thor towards the end of the 2026 movies schedule. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Waititi at the Doomsday world premiere either.

Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on December 18, and Avengers: Secret Wars will follow on December 17, 2027. Make sure to stream Thor’s previous MCU appearances with your Disney+ subscription to ensure you’re caught up on his story. Taika Waititi’s next directorial effort, the Jenna Ortega-led Klara and the Sun, is expected to be released in 2026 as well.