Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi thinks Odinson will need to contend with his most powerful foe yet if he returns for a fifth solo movie.
The filmmaker speculated on the character’s future in Thor: Love and Thunder The Official Movie Special book. “What is left to do to him? It’s got to be something that feels like it’s carrying on with the evolution of the character, but still in a very fun way and still giving him things to come up against that feel like they’re building on the obstacles that he has to overcome,” Waititi said (via Screen Rant). “I don’t think we can have a villain that’s weaker than Hela. I feel like we need to step up from there and add a villain that’s somehow more formidable.”
A Hela Bad Time
Played by Cate Blanchett, Hela joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Thor: Ragnarok. She is introduced as the imprisoned daughter of Odin, who sought revenge on the Asgardian king and his offspring. She is responsible for destroying Mjolnir and, by extension, Thor’s confidence in himself and his abilities. She is ultimately defeated will the full might of Surtur and the titular world-ended event of Ragnarok is unleashed upon her.
While Hela was widely praised by many, her villainous successor wasn’t as popular. Thor: Love and Thunder pitted the Avenger against Gorr the God Butcher, a character that many felt wasn’t faithfully represented by the MCU. Despite Christian Bale‘s performance earning plenty of praise, Gorr is regarded as a disappointing follow-up to Hela for his weak impact on the heroes and his lackluster presence in the story.
Whether a Thor 5 ever sees the light of day remains to be seen, but Marvel Studios has promised that Chris Hemsworth‘s Asgardian will return in some for another. All of Thor’s previous appearances in the MCU can be found on Disney+.
