Thor: Love and Thunder has been flooded with mixed reviews - demonstrated by its below-average B+ CinemaScore and 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans have a number of reasons to justify their distaste for the film: some were hoping for more MCU connections, others didn't like the handling of certain characters, and many found the extreme humor a bit too much.
After reinventing the character of Thor in a more comedic way with Ragnarok, director Taika Waititi returned for Love and Thunder and brought much of that same energy with him. However, this time around, fans haven't fallen quite as much in love with the director's style, as many were hoping for a more serious Thor in the wake of his dark depression in Avengers: Endgame.
Now, as fans await the next appearance of Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder, Waititi has reacted to one particular set of criticism.
Thor 4 Director Reacted to Hate
Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi reacted to one fan's intense criticism of the movie and its interpretation of Thor compared to the comics.
Twitter user @cubichy criticized the director for "[making] Thor into a moron" and wasting Gorr the God Butcher, Jane Foster, and Valkyrie, going as far as calling the film "dogs**t:"
"I am sad, #ThorLoveAndThunder is dogshit, and @TaikaWaititi made Thor into a moron, a bafoon, and wasted a great villain, Jane, and Valkyrie. So yep, I won't accept trash and the movie will fall off a cliff this weekend. #MarvelStudios #firetaika"
In response to another user who defended Love and Thunder, @cubichy reinforced his point that Thor "wouldn't joke," while noting some differences to the original comic arc:
"Have you ever read Thor, he is over 1000 years old god, he wouldn't joke. Men are ants to him, both comic book Thor and Norse Thor. Gorr butchered 1000s of gods, he was a badass, we never see that, because Thor is joking. Thor cuts Gorr's head off, Jane doesn't die, no story. Dogs***."
@HwjwhJeh, who previously defended the movie, then noted one particularly hilarious moment of Thor's comic history in which he had a dance-off with Luke Cage:
"Dawg he had a dance-off with Luke Cage. Stop acting like Thor can only be one thing."
Waititi retweeted the hilarious comic panel of Thor and Cage dancing, simply saying "Lol YES."
Does Thor: Love and Thunder Deserve the Hate?
Regarding Ragnarok, fans adored Waititi's style of humor and how he balanced them with the darker moments. Unfortunately, Love and Thunder leans far more heavily into that humor and even has a tendency to make its way into those more serious moments that it probably shouldn't have.
So, if a hilarious interpretation of Thor isn't what one is looking for, then Love and Thunder certainly isn't the movie for them. However, it's debatable whether Thor cracking jokes is, in itself, one of the movie's flaws, as the God of Thunder has had his fair share of lighter moments across comic history. As established with the Luke Cage-Thor crossover, the Asgardian hero is known to get a bit goofy on the graphic page every now and then, which Waititi seems to believe justifies his version of Thor not being as serious as other incarnations.
That's not to say the humor itself can't be criticized, it just means that Thor doesn't always have to be a serious character, as is the case with most heroes. But perhaps the reactions to Love and Thunder will push Marvel Studios to take Thor in a darker, more Norse direction in his next adventure, possibly without Waititi.
Of course, the humor was far from the only criticism the latest MCU flick has faced. Many have also shared their issues with the CGI, pacing, storyline, and usage of Jane, Valkyrie, and Zeus, on top of a consensus that Christian Bale's Gorr went under-utilized.
For those who have yet to see the latest Asgardian adventure and are looking to form their own opinion, Thor: Love and Thunder is playing now in theaters worldwide.
