'Thor: Love and Thunder' should reverse changes made to Odinson's arc in 'Avengers: Endgame' and make him king again
In 'Thor: Ragnarok', Taika Waititi took the titular hero on an intense journey that saw him learn some important lessons about kingship, nationhood and what it truly means to be a god. Unfortunately, almost all of that development was quickly thrown out the window the next time we saw Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) in 'Avengers: Infinity War', to the point where even the loss of his eye was reversed by his getting a prosthetic one from Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper).
Thankfully, with 'Thor: Love and Thunder', the Odinson once again has a chance to find his way back to being the king he was born to be, especially considering the director has confirmed Thor is still the lead character of the upcoming movie, not Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). "It’s Chris [Hemsworth]," Waititi told MTV News. "It’s a Thor film. He is Thor, it’s a Thor film. She's in it."
Hopefully, this means Thor's story can get back on track after being severely derailed by 'Infinity War' and 'Avengers: Endgame'. It's not that the movies were terrible for the Odinson, they did after all give us some very touching moments, especially the scene where Thor meets his mother Freyja again. However, they sorely failed to do justice to Waititi's work in 'Ragnarok'.
In 'Ragnarok', Thor lost everything to learn it is his bravery, heroism and the belief of his people that make him the god he is, not his physical prowess or his magical possessions. The loss of his hammer, Mjolnir, for example, was an important moment in Thor's life -- the moment he finally realized he does not need a weapon to make him the god of thunder.
'Infinity War' reversed all of this development by sending him off on a quest to make a brand new weapon, completely disregarding the lessons learned in 'Ragnarok'. The ending of 'Ragnarok', when the surviving Asgardians and the former gladiators from Sakaar came together to crown the Odinson King of Asgard was the culmination of a journey that started even before the first 'Thor' movie and for all the good that 'Endgame' did, this was one thing it shouldn't have messed around with.
Sure, it was a bold step having Thor pass the throne to Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) but it was not a step that made much sense considering the character's growth. After losing so much to earn his place as king, it was more than a little disappointing to see the Odinson throw it all away and leave with his new space buddies to hop around the galaxy, the MCU equivalent of running away from home and joining the circus.
When 'Thor: Love and Thunder' arrives in theaters, things can hopefully go back to the way they were supposed to be and the son of Odin can get another shot at fulfilling his destiny to become the one true All-Father of Asgard.
'Thor: Love and Thunder' will be arriving on November 5, 2021.
