That journey is a big reason why the forthcoming Thor: Love and Thunder (also directed by Waititi) is such a tantalising prospect: we just don’t know where the film-maker is going to take the superhero next. It has certainly given Chris Hemsworth a gargantuan sandpit to play in, especially since director Taika Waititi spotted the obvious comic potential and began to play up his lovable buffoon persona in 2017’s brilliant Thor: Ragnarok. It’s also the ultimate rebuff to the naysayers who declare that superhero movies are lazy money-making vehicles that simply repeat the same storylines over and over again. T hor’s journey from sullen princeling to selfless hero and down to beer-swilling layabout (then once again to hero) has perhaps been the most radical of any main player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
