Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi admits he gets some amusement out of trolling MCU fans over their theories about the Thor franchise.
Taika Waititi says he enjoys trolling Marvel Cinematic Universe fans over their Thor theories. After helming 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi is back at the helm for Thor: Love and Thunder, which is out in July. Anticipation is high for the movie, as Waititi is widely credited with revitalizing the Thor franchise through the third film. Ragnarok offered a more irreverent take on the hero’s story and based on the trailers and other footage from Love and Thunder, the new movie is set to do the same.
However, Waititi and the film’s stars have been careful to avoid revealing major plot points. For his part, Waititi has hyped Thor: Love and Thunder‘s romance, saying the film doesn’t shy away from the genre. He’s also talked a lot about Natalie Portman’s role as Jane Foster/Mighty Thor and wanting to give her more to do after the first two Thor movies. Additionally, Waititi has teased Thor’s state of mind in Love and Thunder, explaining he’s essentially going through a mid-life crisis.
All told, it’s clear Waititi is excited for audiences to see the upcoming movie. Still, it seems he can’t help but troll them a little. In an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Waititi was asked if he ever indulges in fan theories, of which there are plenty in the MCU. Read Waititi’s response below:
I like to listen to the fans, and then I like to troll the fans back a bit because it just brings me some little bit of joy, just a little bit. I don’t have many joys in my life—I’ve got my kids and trolling fans. When I did Ragnarok, there were a few people who didn’t know what I did and what I had done before, and they said ‘He’s going to ruin Thor,’ and I would write back, ‘Oh, I’m going to ruin it all right. Oh 100%, I’m going to ruin it for you.’ And then I’d say things like, ‘You don’t know what you want until I give it to you’ and stuff like that. I know it’s rude, it’s rude. But it’s true.
Though it sounds like Waititi is at least partially joking, he does have a history of goofing around with Thor fans online. While superhero movie audiences are a passionate bunch who occasionally take things too seriously, Waititi has always excelled at teasing them without crossing the line into mockery. This sensibility comes across in Thor: Ragnarok, where the title hero is often the butt of the joke but becomes more endearing as a result rather than looking foolish.
Considering the popularity of that film, largely thought of as one of the strongest MCU offerings to date, it’s amusing to hear some fans thought Waititi was going to “ruin” the franchise with it. Instead, the exact opposite happened, with Thor: Ragnarok‘s success directly leading to Thor becoming the first Avenger to receive four solo films. With Thor: Love and Thunder‘s release date fast approaching, new fan theories are at an all-time high. It will be interesting to see which ones come to fruition when the movie debuts in July.
Source: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
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