MCU fans unsure about our new Thor as they pine for the OG

It’s hard to believe that we’re almost 16 years into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it was way back in 2008 that Iron Man debuted, kickstarting this legendary pop culture behemoth.

Of course, plenty has changed since that film was released.

We’ve transitioned from The Infinity Saga to The Multiverse Saga, villains have been defeated, heroes have perished … you know the deal. There’s never a dull moment to be had in the MCU.

The MCU’s comings and goings aside though, those 16 years have allowed for many of the franchise’s characters to undergo pretty fundamental personal changes.

Thor is perhaps one of the best examples.

Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder started out as somewhat of an arrogant narcissist under director Kenneth Branagh’s leadership.

When Taika Waititi then took the helm with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, fans were introduced to a fresh take on the character.

Dropping some of the narcissism, this renewed version of Thor exhibited a lot of frivolity and humour, with the change being majorly welcomed by fans.

As they say though, all good things must come to an end as so too is it now seemingly time for this Thor to move on.

ICYMI: Take a look at the trailer for Thunderbolts* below.

What Waititi has contributed to the MCU is wonderful, but the widespread consensus is that the time for ‘jokester’ Thor is over.

I can back that. It’s more exciting when we see characters undergo change and development as opposed to stagnate, but whereas I’d like to see Thor mature and take on more of a leadership role, many fans want him to go … back to the way he was?

“Anyone else miss classic Thor?” asked Reddit user misteranderson71. “There's still a big part of me that wishes he still mostly spoke like he did in Thor 1 and the first Avengers film.”

“Taika Waititi made Thor too much of a dumb surfer bro to the detriment of the character. I can’t see him as a centuries old warrior alien anymore because he acts like some dude from contemporary Earth these days,” added Peer_turtles.

Bubbly-Celery-2334 also agreed, writing, “Hemsworth is super funny, but also great when serious. I agree, maybe some of that Asgardian rage?”

User justinptherpeterson didn’t quite feel the same way, countering with, “I miss Ragnarok Thor. Love and Thunder turned the silly scale up to 11.”

As I said, I don’t think we need to devolve back to the way things were. Instead, why not look to what’s next?

There’s got to be a version of this character that blends the silly with the serious. Marvel just needs to find the right director who can deliver such a concoction.