Taika Wants Villain Stronger Than Hela in Thor 5; Problem Is, He Had One Already

Screaming goats. At the mere mention of that phrase, a lot of people will have a pretty good idea of what movie we're talking about. Yes, despite all the pre-release teasing and intrigue, Taika Waititi's 2022 film Thor: Love and Thunder is now mostly remembered for that (rather exhausting) running joke.

But the Asgardian saga doesn't seem to end there, as Waititi has already revealed his plans for a sequel. According to the director, he is set to create even more dangerous adversaries for Thor Odinson in the story's upcoming chapters.

However, fans of Thor don't share Waititi's enthusiasm. Many say the director already had a chance to surprise them with a powerful villain, but unfortunately failed to use the opportunity to the fullest.

In Thor: Love and Thunder The Official Movie Special Book, which is set to come out on September 19, Waititi shared his excitement for what's in store for the fan-favorite Asgardian god.

'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,' the director said. '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.'

While fans welcome the power-scaling scenario, some note that Love and Thunder already featured a villain who was potentially stronger than Hela herself, but Waititi never managed to properly explore his potential.

'Brother, you had Gorr the effing God Butcher played by Christian effing Bale in your movie and you had him cracking jokes,' a fan pointed out on Reddit.

In the comics, the God Butcher is not just another 'obstacle' in Thor's path, but one of his archenemies. Created by the even more powerful elven deity Knull, Gorr has been a great danger to Thor throughout his life, forever changing the character's view on gods.

Unfortunately, the muddled tone of Waititi's movie didn't allow Gorr to really come into his own as a villain. Fans say Love and Thunder failed to balance serious themes and humor, which is why the main villain did not feel as menacing as his comic book counterpart.

'I can't in good conscience not say that jokes like that are outright worse than any joke told in something like Thor Ragnarock or the Guardians or Iron Man etc,' a fan noted.

As much as we like Taika Waititi's signature humor, we hope that the filmmaker will find a way to deliver the jokes in a more subtle way in the future movie. If this one expectation is met, a more serious tone and greater adversaries for Thor will surely improve the story and make it more compelling for the audience.

Source: Reddit, ScreenRant.