Thor: Love & Thunder was undeniably a disaster, but Marvel Studios can avoid its biggest mistakes in 10 ways to make Thor 5 a massive success.
The fourth Thor solo outing faced massive criticism from audiences and critics, but its box office success and the lingering popularity of Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder has fans convinced Thor 5 is still on the cards.
There have been many rumors claiming Thor 5 will release after Love & Thunder teased a battle between Hemsworth's hero and Brett Goldstein's Hercules.
Prepare for Thor’s Farewell
By the time Avengers: Secret Wars rolls around in May 2027, Chris Hemsworth will have been playing Thor for 16 years across six ensemble blockbusters and potentially five solo outings. As such, the Australian star may be nearing ready to put down Mjolnir for good and move on from his MCU era.
If Hemsworth were to eye a Secret Wars exit akin to Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson in Endgame, Thor 5 must lay the groundwork for his end. Then again, Thor 5 could also release in the next saga and serve as his send-off the way Black Widow did for Johansson after Endgame.
This could involve closing out his relationships with the major players from his solo franchise, teasing his spiritual successor, and telling a tale with a more mature Thor, especially as he serves as a father figure to Gorr's daughter Love.
Fans Fall for Brett Goldstein’s Hercules
On the topic of a spiritual successor to Thor, Love & Thunder may have teased just that as it introduced Brett Goldstein as Hercules, the son of Russell Crowe's Zeus from Greek Mythology who is now pursuing the Norse god.
After five Thor movies exploring the Norse corner of the MCU, Hercules may be the perfect vehicle to dive into the Greek realm next with a movie, series, or even a whole franchise that puts Goldstein in the driver's seat.
But for that to work, and even for fans to look forward to seeing Hercules as an Avengers, Thor 5 must show him off as a likable and interesting badass who could conceivably lead his own projects.
See more about Thor: Love and Thunder's Hercules scene.
Have Thor and Hercules Face Off
That said, the MCU has some work to do before Hercules can go off to become the Avenging hero that comic fans know him to be, as Love & Thunder teased he will soon fight Thor at the behest of his father Zeus.
The MCU has left many dangling threads over the years, especially in recent post-credits scenes, and Thor 5 needs to deliver on Love & Thunder's tease of a face-off between the Norse and Greek gods.
Granted, that may end up being for a smaller portion of the tale before Thor and Hercules unite against a bigger threat, perhaps one that threatens both, setting him up to be a hero and possibly join the Avengers one day.
Introduce Beta Ray Bill
While Hercules may offer one path to succeed Thor in the MCU, Marvel Comics does hold another with a character fans have spent years asking for - Beta Ray Bill.
For those unaware, Beta Ray Bill is a Korbinite alien with a goat-like appearance who was one of the first outside Thor to wield Mjolnir. It was after this rivalry for possession of Mjolnir that Beta Ray Bill got a weapon of his own with Stormbreaker, which Thor obtained in the MCU with Endgame.
The MCU already teased his existence in Ragnarok as one of the Grandmaster's champions and prisoners on Sakaar, but he has yet to appear properly.
Cut Down on the Humor
One of the biggest criticisms against Love & Thunder was its humor. Director Taika Waititi brought that humor to the Thor franchise with Ragnarok to great applause, but it largely fell flat in its second go-round.
Jokes such as the screaming goats, the Thor/Stormbreaker/Mjolnir love triangle, and much of the other humor failed to land with audiences.
As such, Thor 5 should greatly cut back on the humor in favor of a tone closer to the God of Thunder's earlier movies. This more serious and grounded tone could open the doors to deeper character exploration and help repair Thor's image to become the badass Norse hero he once was.
Bye, Bye Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi may have struck gold with Ragnarok as he took Thor in a new direction with a different tone, characters, and more comedy, but most had grown tired of that shtick with Love & Thunder, leading to massive backlash.
As such, most seem to agree that Waititi ought to leave his Asgardian days behind to give way to a new director for Thor 5 (something even Chris Hemsworth seems to want). This would allow a different filmmaker to come in with a fresh perspective, style, and tone to reinvent Thor once more.
The likes of Mad Max's George Miller, The Northman's Robert Eggers, and Hellboy's Guillermo Del Toro have all been thrown around by fans as filmmakers who could take on Thor 5 and bring something unique to the table.
A Mythological Focus
As the fifth entry in the Asgardian franchise will seemingly pit Thor and Hercules and thus send the MCU's Norse and Greek heroes to war, the movie undeniably needs a focus on both grand mythologies.
While the MCU's Greek gods were briefly introduced in Love & Thunder through Zeus and Hercules, Thor 5 has the opportunity to offer some massive world-building to expand on that corner of the pantheon.
Thor 5 could even explore the history of these gods in the MCU, showing their past with flashbacks to Odin's days and his dynamic with Zeus.
Reunite Thor with Loki
Love & Thunder was the first Thor movie to forgo Tom Hiddleston's Loki after he was killed by Thanos in Infinity War. As the brotherly dynamic between the pair was such a focus for the Thor franchise, many agree he needs to come back in the next installment, especially with Loki being such a fan-favorite character.
Marvel Studios Production & Development executive Kevin Wright previously confirmed to Variety that reuniting Thor and Loki is a "priority of the story," suggesting there is a plan to bring the Asgardian brothers back together.
While Earth-616's Loki may be dead, the God of Stories version featured in the Disney+ series is still around watching over the Multiverse, or perhaps the original God of Mischief could return via Valhalla.
Bringing Back Jane Foster (Properly This Time)
Natalie Portman's Jane Foster may have succumbed to cancer and died at the climax of Love & Thunder, but the post-credits scene left things on an interesting note as she was greeted by Heimdall in Valhalla, perhaps hinting at her future.
Among the biggest criticisms for Thor 4 were many saying Foster was wasted and given little to do in Love & Thunder. So, it would only truly be worth bringing her back once more if it came with a meaningful arc and important role.
That said, Jane Foster's Love & Thunder post-credits scene has been interpreted in various ways. While some speculated Marvel Studios was teasing her return in Thor 5, others suggested Taika Waititi may have instead been signifying her cancer death amounted to dying in battle, landing her a place in Valhalla.
Avoiding Recent Marvel Mistakes
Around the time Love & Thunder was released, many MCU movies and series were, unfortunately, facing the same criticisms. Dim-witted humor, rushed storytelling, short runtimes, lack of direction, and questionable CGI became recurring issues, all of which plagued Thor 4 greatly.
Some recent flicks such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine largely swerved these issues, but they persist in certain projects.
While these issues certainly need to be resolved across the board at Marvel Studios, they must be avoided for Thor 5 especially to avoid going back-to-back with two disasters for the MCU's God of Thunder.
Thor 5 has yet to be officially announced by Marvel Studios, but all of Chris Hemsworth's appearances as Thor so far are streaming now on Disney+.
