A god burdened by wars, traumatized by the demise of his family, Thor's goofiness was unexpected. Thor: Ragnarok introduced a new tonal direction in 2017, surprising both fans and critics with its combination of wild humor, vibrant visual elements, and unconventional character interactions. The movie revitalized the Thor series and became one of Marvel's most highly debated films for combining silly elements with superhero action while maintaining serious threats.

With the dust having long settled on the box office numbers of the movie, Waititi finally addresses his bold move and defends his vision for Thor.

Director Taika Waititi has said that humor was essential to Thor: Ragnarok because it served both the purpose of generating laughter and advancing the plot through character development. Despite being a complete turn from the previous movies in the franchise, Waititi defended his vision of bringing out the wackiness of Chris Hemsworth's Thor.

"Thor was around before me. The stuff that Chris and I did and how we shaped him into that new version...that was for the greater good of the franchise as a whole. I can’t wait to see these 'Avengers’ movies," Waititi noted, per Comic Book Movie.

Waititi also explained in several interviews that using humor allowed viewers to drop their guard and engage with deeper emotional beats like Thor’s identity crisis and personal growth in ways that a purely serious tone might not achieve. He brought his signature comedic sensibilities from indie films to create spontaneous comic scenes matching the story's requirements. 

This method enabled Thor to transform from a serious mythological character into a hero with human qualities who delivered an entertaining story. Waititi used comedy as a tool to let Thor face his battles with grief, search for purpose, and find his future path and the betterment of the franchise, as he told Variety The combination of multiple tonal elements established a new identity for Thor within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, yielding a commercially successful blockbuster. However, with Avengers: Doomsday nigh here, Thor might return to his original dark form.

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Curious what new direction the MCU intends for Odinson this time around? The thunder god is set for another reinvention, and the storm clouds are already gathering.

In the Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer, the Russo brothers' intention to add a new spin on Thor is amply clear. Meanwhile, Taika Waititi is not returning for Thor 5, which has reportedly been planned by Marvel already.

"I don't know. We'll see where [Avengers: Doomsday] goes. We're sort of unpacking all of that as we speak and figuring out where each of these characters goes," Chris Hemsworth told BBC on the future of his character in his usual tight-lipped manner. 

One thing however, is certain: following the Thor: Love and Thunder blunder, where even Hemsworth admitted to becoming a parody of himself and not sticking the landing, the MCU will not offer another comedic Thor. Meanwhile, the next time fans get to see Thor will be in Avengers: Doomsday in 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027.

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What are your thoughts on Taika Waititi's comedic Thor? Leave a comment below.