Taika Waititi took iconic Marvel superhero Thor, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth in the MCU and turned him into a laughing stock. That fact is not even up for discussion. All anyone has to do is take a look at the 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok and the disastrous 2022 follow-up Thor: Love and Thunder to witness the departure from the more grounded storytelling that endeared Thor to fans in the first place. But the director doesn’t see it that way. 6j4w3j

“That really propelled me into the nerdosphere, if you will,” Waititi told Entertainment Weekly while reflecting on Ragnarok. He then launched into a sarcasm-drenched tirade about fans, who, at the time, expressed concern about how the source material would be handled. “I was living a really lovely, peaceful life, and as soon as I did this [movie], well boy, did the nerds come for me. They said, ‘This guy’s gonna ruin this. He’s gonna ruin Thor!'” he said.

“It’s like, ‘What, you mean again?'” Waititi continued. “And they were like, ‘He’s gonna ruin this for everyone, Thor’s so cool!’ And I said to them on Twitter – before I left Twitter – I said, ‘You don’t know what you want until I give it to you.'” That’s a pretty arrogant way to approach concerns about a film that turned out to be completely accurate. While the earlier Thor films portrayed the God of Thunder with gravitas and occasional humor, Waititi leaned heavily into comedy, which destroyed it.

While Ragnarok may have received some praise for its vibrant aesthetic and lighthearted tone, by the time Love and Thunder rolled around, the formula had quickly worn thin. That’s probably why the New Zealand-born filmmaker didn’t have much of an opinion about the 2022 movie. “Look how jacked Chris got,” Waititi said, referring to the poster. “One of my favorite things about this is that I so love Natalie [Portman], also Christian Bale. I mean, it’s Christian Bale.”

But Waititi wasn’t done insulting the very people who buy the movie tickets that pay his bills. He went on to talk about Star Wars and his work on the popular Disney Plus series, The Mandalorian. “Speaking of angry nerds, Star Wars, Mandalorian,” he said. “This is what brought the nerds back. They were like, ‘Okay, you get a on this one.'” Thankfully, he only directed one episode and voiced the droid assassin IG-11. Who knows what would have happened if he stayed on for an extended time?

It’s easy to see why Waititi might be defensive about his Thor movies. The guy was dragged all over the internet after Love and Thunder was released. The social media hostility became so intense that Hemsworth attempted to take the heat off the director by blaming himself for getting “caught up in the improv and the wackiness,” which led to becoming “a parody of myself.” According to the actor, he embraced the shift toward comedy because he felt stuck in the role of Thor. The biggest takeaway from both films is, don’t try to fix something that’s not broken.

Loki has been finished for an entire year, but we’re only now getting a new deleted scene, which has us punching the air wishing for what could have been.

Season 2 of the Disney Plus Marvel Studios show started airing in October of 2023 and concluded later that year, giving fans the final chapter for one of the MCU’s most loved characters. Not to mention one of the best MCU spinoff shows that we’ve had yet.

Now, Variety has revealed a scene that was cut from the finished product of Loki season 2 where the titular character is having a conversation with Mobius and name-drops several Marvel characters, including one that looks to factor massively into the next Thor movie.

During his time recalling encounters that Loki has had with other characters, he mentions Hercules, the God of Strength teased to appear at the end of Thor: Love and Thunder. Of course, given this scene was cut, it would suggest that Loki and Hercules never met up inside of the MCU, so don’t expect any callbacks during the next Thor movie.

Other characters that Loki recalls encountering include Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Jane Foster, Amora, and Donald Blake — the moniker that Thor takes on when disguising himself on Earth.

In the post-credits scene for Thor: Love and Thunder we see Hercules called upon to find and kill Thor after the God of Thunder took down Zeus. That’s the only time we’ve ever seen Hercules, who is played by Brett Goldstein in the MCU, but it suggests he will be coming back to stop Thor in whatever he does next.

Of course, we all would have loved to see Loki and Hercules come face-to-face on screen, but the likelihood of that doesn’t seem promising. Even with this mention during the show, it wouldn’t have been likely that we’d ever actually get to see it.

The deleted scene shared by Variety comes from the 4K UHD Steelbook release of Loki, which is set to arrive on Dec. 2, 2024.

It’s important to note that there’s no real news on Thor 5 right now or whether it would bring back Hercules after teasing him at the conclusion of the last film, though we speculate that if they do another movie for the Marvel hero, then it will more than likely pick up from there. If they don’t give Thor a fifth film, then fans will have to settle for knowing that when he came to face-to-face with Loki the God of Mischief was “a big problem for him.”

Taika Waititi left his Marvel days in the past after 2022’s disastrous Thor: Love and Thunder, but with his most recent streaming reboot failing to gain traction on the charts, could the acclaimed director turn back the clock and return to helm another superhero flick?

I know what you’re thinking, “Taika Waititi has a new series on streaming?” I had the exact same thought. The series, which premiered on Apple TV Plus, is actually a reboot of the classic ’80s film Time Bandits. It’s a classic piece of ’80s nostalgia, but that only makes it all the more perplexing that the 2024 reboot somehow flew under the radar.

The show premiered in July 2024, and yet it seems most people were only made aware of it after the announcement of its cancellation in September. It had generally positive reviews and a talented team behind it, including Waititi, Jermaine Clement, and Iain Morris. Yet after just a single season, the show is out of time.

To be fair to Waititi, the blame can’t really be placed on him here, or anyone who worked on the show for that matter. It seems the issue came down to a pretty lackluster marketing campaign that led many to just straight-up miss the release. Responses on X to the show’s cancellation included many stating they weren’t even aware the show existed.

I honestly never heard of it.. poor marketing?

— Box Office Forecast (@BoxOfficeFcst) September 17, 2024

Literally the first time hearing of this show

— Sean Finnegan (@_seanfinnegan) September 17, 2024

Apple TV does a horrible job of promoting shows.

— Tim Ennis (@ThatsmeTim) September 17, 2024

Could Taika Waititi return to Marvel? l502b

Back in 2023, the director told Variety that he would most likely not return to direct another Thor movie because his slate was booked for the next six or seven years. Now that any prospects for future seasons of Time Bandits have been lost, Waititi could have a gap in his calendar that needs filling. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity for him to return to Marvel.

I know for some MCU fans that idea will send a shiver down their spine, but perhaps it could be a chance for Taika to redeem himself. There’s no doubt the man is capable of making great films and shows when he wants to. It would be great to see him return and prove to fans he still has his mojo.

But could it really happen, though? 4p1d2s

While speaking to Variety, Waititi made it clear that there is no bad blood between him and the superhero studio. “I love Marvel, I love working with them. I love Chris.” Despite the fan backlash to Thor: Love and Thunder, he clearly enjoyed working on the film and has left the door open for a possible return in the future.

Marvel is celebrating its 85th anniversary, and all Chris Hemsworth had to do was say the most incorrect phrase ever to be forgiven for the mess that was Thor: Love and Thunder.

The cringe puns, the lame jokes, the meandering plotline, the wasted comeback of Natalie Portman as Jane, the inability of Christian Bale to salvage this massive disappointment, and whatnot. Thor 4 was not destined to go down in cinematic history as one of Marvel’s worst films — it set the bar. But Hemsworth gets all gooey-eyed for a second and just like that, people are ready to forgive and forget the three hours of their life they are never getting back, not to forget the gazillion brain cells Taika Waititi fried with his disastrous attempt at what can only be called a poor parody.

How did he do that? By unknowingly reminding the fandom that his contribution and presence in the franchise goes beyond the failure of a mediocre film.

Hemsworth is known for portraying Thor, the God of Thunder, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). As one of the founding Avengers of Marvel Studios’ ambitious interconnected storyline, Thor has been a central part of the MCU for its entire existence. So, if Marvel is turning 85, it’s also thanks to the performers who play the House of Ideas heroes on the silver screen, turning everyone into a comic book geek. However, Hemsworth is a humble god, claiming he only plays a “small part” in Marvel’s success.

MCU fans know that Hemsworth did much more than playing a “small part” in the universe. His portrayal of Thor has been a cornerstone of the MCU since his debut in 2011. Over the course of four solo films and four Avengers movies, Hemsworth has expertly navigated the character’s evolution from a brash and arrogant prince to a wise and worthy hero. Furthermore, Hemsworth’s ability to balance humor and gravitas has been vital to Thor’s popularity, particularly after the character’s revitalization in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.

And his fans are here to make him realize his worth, even if it comes at the cost of self-brainwashing ourselves of the horror that was Thor 4.

It’s no wonder the Thor franchise has been a consistent performer at the box office, hauling $1,944.2 million worldwide with four movies. That’s quite an achievement in Hollywood, even though the God of Thunder falls behind trilogies such as Iron Man, Captain America, and Deadpool. Reducing these fantastic results to a “small part” is a mistake, to say the least. Then again, Hemsworth is still haunted by the mixed reception of Thor: Love and Thunder, which might explain why he doesn’t want to take his due credit.

There’s no sugarcoating it. Thor: Love and Thunder is a mess. For starters, the film struggles with tonal inconsistency, often undercutting emotional moments with ill-timed jokes. Plus, Love and Thunder wastes Bale’s portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher, with the script reducing the villain to a unidimensional and undeveloped threat. Above everything else, though, is that writer and director Taika Waititi decided the best way to give Natalie Portman’s Mighty Thor her time to shine was to turn the OG Thor into a buffoon.

Critics were disappointed, fans were enraged, and Hemsworth took part of the blame for Love and Thunder, even hinting he won’t be back in the MCU as the God of Thunder. But evidently, his humble proclamation and down-to-Earth outlook has managed to turn back time to the point that fans are once again excited about a potential Thor 5.

Even if Love and Thunder might be a stinker, Hemsworth dedication to the role is nothing short of commendable. With a different direction, Thor can return for a new movie and avenge fans, erasing the errors of Love and Thunder and giving Odison more time to shine. Unfortunately, there is no official news for Thor 5, and Hemsworth hasn’t been officially cast for the Avengers movie. So, for the time being, the forecast remains cloudy. Fingers crossed, we’ll get some lightning.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the most in-depth and successful franchise of all time during its 16-year run at the box office. While it began with Iron Man in 2008, for fans following the narrative, that’s not where the story actually begins.

There are currently 34 movies in the MCU — soon to be 35 with Captain America: Brave New World — released in five phases. Phases One through Three, known as the Infinity Saga, collectively bring viewers closer to the arrival of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and its epic follow-up, Avengers: Endgame. Meanwhile, phases Four through Six, known as the Multiverse Saga, began in 2021 and will eventually bring viewers closer to Robert Downey Jr.’s ultimate MCU comeback as Doctor Doom in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and its subsequent multiversal showdown in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. : Kang is a thing of the past.

Phase Four began in 2021 with the Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and continued into 2022 with three major franchise sequels: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Phase Five began in 2023 and also included four franchise sequels, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, and most recently Deadpool & Wolverine.

Following the success of Marvel’s Disney Plus streaming hits like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, we’ve received fresh entries like Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Loki season 2, and soon Agatha All Along. They aim to continue the budding tradition of bringing focused character studies to the small screen, but in light of criticism over reduced quality, Marvel has scaled back these productions a bit. Nevertheless, these shows tie into the larger Marvel universe, which is actually more of a multiverse now. However, those shows won’t be mentioned on this list, as this list pertains to feature films only.

There are numerous ways to enjoy Marvel films, including the order in which they were released, or drawn out of a hat at random, although that last option isn’t recommended for first-time viewers. However, in this article, we’ll be breaking down the chronological timeline of all films in the MCU so you can watch them in the correct narrative order. An at-a-glance lineup of Phases One through Three can be found below:

Below is a breakdown of every MCU film in narrative-timeline order, all of which, save Deadpool & Wolverine, are available to stream now on Disney Plus. Thanks to Marvel’s official The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, we now have a clearer picture of not only what is and isn’t MCU canon, but also whether the nuggets of information we’ve compiled over the years do, indeed, fit into the slots we’ve given them. Spoiler alert: they do.

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Taking place first in the timeline, Captain America: The First Avenger provides the origin story for one of Marvel’s most popular heroes, Steve Rogers, played by the dynamite Chris Evans. This film mostly takes place in 1942 and showcases Rogers’ journey from a scrawny infantry soldier to full-blown Captain America who faces off against Red Skull.

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Next up is Captain Marvel, which is set in 1995, much closer to modern times. This movie is the first in the timeline to explore space travel and intergalactic threats. As we are introduced to both Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and soon-to-be S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the pair gets involved in the conflict between the Kree and the Skrulls, with surprising results.

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The third film in the timeline was the very first Marvel film to be released: Iron Man. The billionaire philanthropist-turned-superhero Tony Stark has his origin story told in this fan-favorite film. Thanks to its box office success and fans’ adoration of Robert Downey Jr.’s performance, the film ultimately kicked off the entire MCU franchise.

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Picking up shortly after the events of the first Iron Man, Iron Man 2 continues the story of the suited superhero now with his identity known to the public. Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the son of a scientist who previously worked at Stark Industries, is back with a grudge and creates his own weaponry with the goal of taking revenge for his fallen father. The film also introduces a soon-to-be Avenger in Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

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While many fans may choose to forego 2008’s The Incredible Hulk in their MCU binge given that it features Ed Norton in the role instead of Mark Ruffalo (who later became the official Banner), it’s still technically a part of the MCU timeline. This movie gives fans a unique take on the Hulk’s origin story and hints at more things to come in the closing credits.

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Thor’s initial big-screen debut took place in 2011 and gave fans their first look at Asgard and other realms via the Bifrost. This one finds the titular god traveling to Earth to defend the world from Loki and a Frost Giant threat. For many moviegoers, this was their introduction to the beloved character, played by Chris Hemsworth, and for many it solidly delivered.

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The first crossover film in the timeline came with The Avengers, which was set at the conclusion of Marvel’s Phase One. The Avengers brought together Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, the Hulk, and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to protect the Earth from Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and the Chitauri invasion. The movie also played a key role in introducing the Tesseract as the first of the Infinity Stones. These stones were ultimately the key to all future plans in the MCU.

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The second Thor film in the MCU, Thor: The Dark World, gives us a closer look at Asgard, its inner workings, and the relationship between Thor, his brother Loki, and their father, Odin. The film also gives us insight into the second Infinity Stone, the Aether, which was wielded by the movie’s antagonists, the Dark Elves. Though it’s largely considered one of the less-impressive Marvel films, it serves its purpose and thankfully paves the way for a wonderful Thor threequel.

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In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark deals with anxiety after experiencing the intergalactic invasion of the Chitauri. After diving into full damage control mode and assembling an army of suits, he’s forced to choose between being Iron Man and protecting those he loves. Meanwhile, he must also deal with the looming threat of “The Mandarin.”

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Hailed as one of the best films in the entire MCU franchise, Captain America: The Winter Soldier introduces viewers to more of Captain America’s past and throws Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier, back into the fray. The movie also reveals the hidden HYDRA threat still present among the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D that ultimately leads to its demise.

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When it was announced that Disney was going to bring the Guardians to the big screen, many were skeptical, but Guardians of the Galaxy turned out to be one of the best space films ever, let alone one in the MCU. It introduced us to Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel), an unlikely team that attempts to stop the plot of Ronan the Acc (Lee Pace) from using the Power Stone to destroy Xandar.

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Taking place shortly after the first film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 gives us a closer look at Peter Quill’s backstory and heritage while also introducing a new member to the squad in the form of Mantis (Pom Klementieff). The story also dives deeper into the sibling rivalry between Gamora and Nebula (Karen Gillan) and shines a light on their relationship with their adoptive father, Thanos, which would pay off in just a few short films.

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Crossing over once again, the cast of the original Avengers film s forces to defend the Earth from the threat of Ultron (James Spader), a supercomputer developed to be a peacekeeping program by Tony Stark, which overrides its programming and now seeks to eliminate all mankind. In the latter half of the film, the Avengers get a few new additions in the form of Vision (Paul Bettany) and the Maximoff twins, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

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Ant-Man tells the story of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a thief who is recruited by Dr. Hank Pym to assist him with stopping the plot of his former protège, who cast him away from his own company. During the film, Lang becomes Ant-Man after being gifted a suit and trained to use Pym Particles to shrink his size, giving him superhuman strength and the ability to control ants.

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While not an Avengers film by name, Captain America: Civil War brings most of the superhero cast together for a face-off over a disagreement on the Sokovia Accords following the events of Age of Ultron. Civil War was also used to introduce a few new characters to the Avengers’ roster, including Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland).

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Finally getting her own origin film after being part of the MCU for over a decade, Natasha Romanoff heads back to her roots in Black Widow, which launched earlier this year. The film introduced us to Natasha’s sister, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), who fans got to see again in Hawkeye and who will undoubtedly be appearing again, possibly in a villainous team-up compliments of a certain character who appears in the post-credits scene.

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Despite what the movie may have led you to believe, it does not take place eight years after The Avengers. Marvel finally addressed the snafu after years of sweeping it under the rug in the official Marvel Studios: The MCU — An Official Timeline book, confirming it was indeed only four years after the Battle of New York. Taking place right after the events of Civil War, Spider-Man’s MCU debut chose not to retell the hero’s origin story, instead giving us a coming-of-age film that finds Peter Parker juggling his duties as Spider-Man with the demands of high school. There are plenty of comic book Spidey villains teased throughout the film, but his biggest threat is the Vulture, menacingly played by Michael Keaton, who is apparently bad with math.

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Instead of an origin story, when we pick up in Black Panther, T’Challa has already taken on the mantle as the titular hero after the ing of his father in Civil War. This film gives viewers their first look at the inner workings of the afrofuturistic Wakanda, as well as an epic tale of personal and ideological rivalry between T’Challa and Killmonger (Michael B Jordan).

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The first time we are treated to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in the MCU is in his self-titled film. The story explores the origins of Stephen Strange’s character and teases the ideas of multiple dimensions, cosmic beings, and time-traveling threats. As you’d expect, the Time Stone is also a crucial element of the film and only becomes more important from here on out. Other standout characters in the film include Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), Wong (Benedict Wong), Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton).

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Directed by Taika Waititi and taking on a different style and tone than the previous Thor films, Ragnarok has a more comical personality while maintaining high-quality action sequences. The film addresses many of the loose ends following Age of Ultron and follows Thor and Loki as they attempt to stop their half-sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett) from taking over Asgard. The ending of this film offers a jaw-dropping lead-in to what quickly becomes the beginning of the end of the Infinity Saga.

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The first part of the epic culmination of all the previous MCU films, Avengers: Infinity War finally gives us our first major introduction to Thanos (Josh Brolin), who has been working behind the scenes to gather the Infinity Stones with the goal of wiping out half of all life in the universe with a snap of his fingers. The movie takes place in 2018 and ultimately, leaves fans with a stunning cliffhanger that segues directly into Avengers: Endgame.

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The sequel to Ant-Man, this film takes place at the same time as the events of Infinity War in 2018 and does a great job of telling its own story within the Ant-Man comic book canon. This one digs deeper into the relationship between Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her mother (Michelle Pfeiffer), and also introduces a mysterious new villain, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). Just like Infinity War, the final moments of this film leave viewers breathless for answers in anticipation of the impending Endgame.

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The epic conclusion to over a decade of storytelling, Avengers: Endgame has everything fans could ever want in a Marvel film. It takes place in October 2023, five years after the events of Infinity War, and sees the remaining Avengers attempt to regain hope of defeating Thanos and restore what was lost after his infamous “Snap,” which was later renamed “The Blip.” In the closing act, Endgame boasts one of the most epic action sequences in all of cinema, blasting expectations wide open and forever changing the MCU as we know it.

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Shang-Chi is one of the latest heroes to the MCU, and in this first film exploring his character’s origin, we learn more about his role amidst the greater events playing out within the franchise. Alongside his friend Katy (Awkwafina), Shang-Chi is drawn back into the life he used to know and must face the father (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) he thought he left behind. During the iconic bus fight scene between Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings operative Gao Lei, we’re shown the dates July 21 to 28 in a Jazz Blues Festival ment. Since Katy’s grandma also mentions the “Day of the Dead,” a festival resembling the Chinese Qingming Festival — which takes place in April — and the film itself spans two weeks, we can assume the movie takes place in April 2024. This would put it before Far From Home.

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Picking up right after Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home addresses the events that took place during the previous film while also introducing some new faces and returning characters from the past. It takes place during the summer of 2024, eight months after The Blip. This is the perfect bridging point to close out Phase Three and enter Phase Four of the MCU — after watching Shang-Chi, of course.

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With its many flashbacks telling the story not only of the Eternals themselves but also the history of the universe, it can be difficult to give this film a true place in the MCU timeline. That said, its present-day moments take place around the same time as Far From Home in 2024, likely just afterward given that the events of the film were not mentioned in the Spider-Man sequel. Fans and critics were largely split on the film (to put it mildly), except in regard to that colorful cameo by Harry Styles in the post-credits scene. Whether Styles will actually return to the MCU is another matter entirely.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Logan took place in 2029, so Deadpool & Wolverine must also take place during or after that, meaning it should be at the bottom of this list. Well, no. The Merc with the Mouth’s first foray into the MCU actually occurs in 2024. We know this because after Happy Hogan rejects Wade’s request to the Avengers (on March 14, 2018, on Earth-616) the time stamp on the screen tells us we jump six years into the future — back on Earth-1005 — which would place the film in 2024. And because we see Wade celebrating his birthday and he’s said in the comics that he’s a Scorpio (on the cusp of a Libra, thank you very much) — and because Deadpool & Wolverine showcases a decent amount of fall foliage — we can safely assume the film occurs in October 2024. As for why Earth-10005’s Wolverine is already dead at the beginning of Deadpool & Wolverine when Logan’s death shouldn’t have occurred for another five years — well, it’s likely that Wade jumped forward in time using the TVA’s TemPad. That, or we’re just going to file the mistake away with all of Marvel’s other embarrassing timeline errors.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home takes place immediately after its predecessor, Far From Home around Nov. 2024. The film brings Peter Parker on the most mind-blowing adventure of his life ⏤ which, unfortunately, no one but he will . The film saw him grapple with everything from losing his Aunt May, to facing off against villains from completely different universes. It also led to Peter finding an unexpected brotherhood with alternate versions of himself, perfectly brought to life by Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in tear-inducing appearances that will stand the test of time.

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Benedict Cumberbatch’s return as the title character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness picked up after the events of No Way Home. It saw Strange deal with the implications of multiversal travel while facing new friends and foes, some of whom created serious trouble for him (ahem – Wanda). Wanda’s future was thrown into flux after she was presumably killed off in the movie’s final moments, but she is rumored to return in a Disney Plus spin-off series, which may or may not happen since Marvel subtly announced that the Earth-616 version of the character is canonically dead. Strange, too, received a cliffhanger ending, something we hope will be addressed in the rumored Doctor Strange 3.

In the meantime, you can rest assured that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes place after Spider-Man: No Way Home, which takes place right around the events of Hawkeye, which takes place around Christmas 2024.

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Thanks to Disney Plus, we now know that — in the eyes of Marvel Studios — this film takes place after Doctor Strange 2. It also takes place after Ms. Marvel, which is believed to take place around Sept. 2025 because of the school’s homecoming dance. However, in Love and Thunder Jane Foster’s eppendorf vial’s tag includes the date April 30, suggesting it takes place in the beginning of 2025. Unfortunately, since we don’t know exactly when Thor and Jane broke up, the God of Thunder’s comments about their breakup happening 8 years 7 months and 6 days before the movie doesn’t exactly paint a clear picture either. Our best bet is to just assume Love and Thunder takes place in April 2025, especially when looking at the next MCU installments on the timeline.

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According to Black Panther Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore, we have a place in the timeline to slot Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Moore says that this film takes place alongside the events of Thor: Love and Thunder, around the start of 2025, so for all rewatching purposes you should be able to enjoy either film first. This placement would make a lot of sense, since neither film directly affects the events of the other. Secret Invasion, on the other hand, almost had us questioning the timing of things when our favorite CIA from Wakanda Forever was revealed to be a Skrull (that was all put to rest in the season finale, though).

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For those who are sticklers for dates, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania takes place during the start of 2025, like Wakanda Forever. How do we know this? A news clip in Wakanda Forever mentions Scott Lang’s book tour, and because book tours don’t last entire years, Quantumania definitely takes place before The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which occurs later that year during Christmastime, which also means it takes place before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. However, Disney Plus messed with the timeline when it decided to place Quantumania after The Guardians Holiday Special, which it most certainly is not, resulting in MODOK-sized canon headache, if you ask us. It wouldn’t be the first time Disney Plus goofed with the MCU’s timeline, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the time Quantumania was accidentally erased from Phase Five. (Don’t worry, it’s not).

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Ms. Marvel provides us with a pretty good guestimation where The Marvels takes place on the MCU timeline. Because the Disney Plus series is believed to take place around Sept. 2025 and Kamala Khan’s body-swapping problem doesn’t go unaddressed long, The Marvels likely takes place before 2026, which means it comes before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Carol Danvers’ intergalactic team-up with Captain Rambeau and Kamala to defeat the Kree general Dar-Benn in the highly-anticipated sequel to her billion-dollar predecessor, Captain Marvel, also happens to be the shortest movie in MCU history. Should any information in the movie, which will premiere in just a few short days, contradict this entry, we will revise it ASAP.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 o5i6e

It’s hard to give Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 an exact place on the MCU’s timeline since it is unaffected by previous films and has little effect on the overall MCU storyline. However, it’s safe to say that this intergalactic, twisty-turny threequel takes place in 2026 since it occurs after the events of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in Dec. 2025. As a rule of thumb, here’s every MCU movie you should watch before starting Vol. 3.

Chris Hemsworth is about to take us for an extremely wild ride in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, in which he’ll play the wonderfully named Dementus. This rare villainous role gives him a chance to chew some scenery with a character very different from the Asgardian hero who made his career.

But, after over a decade of being closely associated with the Marvel Studios, he’s developed some pointed opinions about superhero movies and his co-stars. In a new interview with The Times of London, Hemsworth opened up on various topics, including the notorious comments by iconic directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola dismissing comic-book movies as “theme park” rides rather than cinema.

Leaving aside the observation that theme park rides are awesome, Hemsworth said “those guys had films that didn’t work too” (hi Jack) and dismissed their criticism as “tell that to the billions who watch them. Were they all wrong">Vanity Fair interview in April saw him open up about the experience of making the movie, which apparently saw him moaning “Why am I doing this film? Why isn’t this script better?” and saying that he spent the shoot “running on fumes”.

These comments aren’t a million miles away from what Bale and Elba said about their experiences, so it’s hypocritical to bash them for doing exactly what he just did. Either way we’re hoping Hemsworth gets a chance to leave the MCU on a high note. A Thor 5 feels inevitable, so let’s get some new directing and writing talent in and give the God of Thunder an explosive send-off.

The MCU’s Thor franchise has seen some major wins and disappointing failures over the years. The freshest of these was 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, the highly-anticipated follow-up to 2017’s incredible Thor: Ragnarok.

Following two lackluster initial Thor films, both of which paled in comparison to many of their Marvel peers, Ragnarok blew audiences away. It was good enough to fully revive the Thor franchise, but its follow-up, which brought back Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, was broadly considered a flop.

It’s not the worst Marvel movie of all time, by any means, but Love and Thunder didn’t come close to the heights of Ragnarok. It was so disliked by audiences, in fact, that many of them set sights on Waititi. They blamed him for the film’s failure to meet sky-high expectations, and some even predicted the end of the award-winning director’s career.

That’s not what happened, but the fallout from Thor: Love and Thunder continues to haunt both Waititi and star Chris Hemsworth. So much, in fact, that Hemsworth was recently reflecting on the film — more than a year and a half after its release — and considering what failings led to its downfall.

Is Chris Hemsworth really to blame for Love and Thunder‘s failure? 2s3rh

Let’s just start this off with a clear statement: Quite a few things went wrong with Thor: Love and Thunder, and none of them can be heaped in the lap of a single individual. Chris Hemsworth is not fully at fault for the film’s poor reception, nor is Waititi, or Natalie Portman, or any of the other talented people who signed onto the film.

Waititi has largely been the target of blame for the last year and a half, but Hemsworth is shifting the target following a recent interview with Vanity Fair. He told the publication that he got “caught up in the improv and the wackiness,” and that he ultimately “became a parody of myself.”

He went onto explain that, for years, he felt a bit stuck in the role of Thor. Ragnarok changed that, but the audience response to Love and Thunder brought it all back around. In the wake of the hate hurled Waititi’s way, Hemsworth is happy to take the blame on himself instead, but he’s really not deserving of it.

Is Taika Waititi letting Hemsworth take the blame? 4t5ko

In the wake of Hemsworth’s interview, a took to the site formerly known as Twitter to once again drag Waititi down. He accused the Jojo Rabbit director of “letting the lead actor take the blame for his own slop” and blasted Waititi as “embarrassing.”

It would be a fair stance to take if Waititi, rather than Hemsworth, were making the statement to Vanity Fair. But it isn’t. Hemsworth is trying to take on responsibility for something that is absolutely not his fault, but Waititi is in no way ing Hemsworth’s self-sacrifice. He’s just no longer interested in being accused of bad directing when a single misstep trips up an otherwise decorated career as a director.

So to say he’s letting Hemsworth take the blame is a reach at best. Waititi would likely never make the claim for himself, and he’s not involved in the Vanity Fair article at all. Those words are Hemsworth’s alone, and — while we may not agree with his self-deprecation — he has every right to feel any way he wants about his own creative projects.

Thor: Love and Thunder is almost a perfect encapsulation of Marvel’s Multiverse Saga as a whole. Just like how the MCU has continued to follow the formula that was once so winning, only to mystifying mixed results, Taika Waititi’s second superhero outing did exactly what Ragnarok did before it… but this time the meal wasn’t so satisfying.

What was its fatal flaw? Personally, I’d nominate the overly goofy tone undercutting a story involving a fearsome God-Butcher and a woman dying from cancer, but for star Chris Hemsworth the answer is different. It seems the Australian Avenger blames himself for Love and Thunder‘s flaws, as he’s itted that he can’t forgive himself for how it turned out. But should he really be so hard on himself?

Hemsworth on Love and Thunder: “I became a parody of myself” 4hp9

Ahead of his villainous turn in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Vanity Fair published a profile piece on the actor in which many of his Marvel co-stars make glowing contributions reflecting on their time working with Hemsworth. Robert Downey Jr., for example, gushed that he’s in awe of Hemsworth’s radical reinvention of the Thor character, describing his performances in Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Endgame as “a formidable hat trick.”

Sadly, it seems it’s the stumbled fourth attempt in this streak that plays on Hemsworth’s mind the most, as he told VF that he “still can’t forgive himself.” As the actor itted:

“I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself. I didn’t stick the landing.”

According to the rest of this candid interview, it seems like Love and Thunder was made during a difficult period in Hemsworth’s film career as a whole.

“Nothing was as enjoyable as it once was, or I had imagined it was,” he itted. “You’re sort of just running on fumes, and then you’re showing up to something with little in the tank and you start to pick things apart: Why am I doing this film? Why isn’t this script better">he gets the chance to do so again in Thor 5 and give himself a different final adventure for the Asgardian that he can be proud of. One without any floating heads, preferably.

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The mightily mixed reception to Thor: Love and Thunder has split the MCU fandom right down the middle on the need for Thor 5. Camp A believes Taika Waititi’s tired second go-around helming the Asgardian proves the franchise needs to be put to (Odin)sleep while Camp B are convinced another movie is needed to wash away the lingering taste of LaT. We can’t let our last memories of Thor be of screaming goats and that boy’s head floating around like the Teletubbies’ sun, right?

What we can all agree on, though, is that the rumored title for Thor 5 is a just a little bit atrocious. While Marvel has yet to announce such a project, Chris Hemsworth hasn’t ruled out the possibility, even if Waititi is unlikely to return to close out a trilogy. And given that, despite its critical notices, Love and Thunder was actually one of the most profitable Multiverse Saga movies, it certainly seems a possibility. Sure enough, scuttlebutt abounds that it’s quietly in the works.

As per the latest intel sweeping social media, Thor 5 is apparently called Thor and the Legend of Hercules. Anyone who’s seen LaT‘s post-credits scene will understand the logic here, as Ted Lasso‘s Brett Goldstein was introduced as Greek demi-god Hercules and sent by his father, Russell Crowe’s Zeus, to get revenge on the Norse God of Thunder. Allegedly it would also introduce Thor’s other brother Balder, following that Easter egg in Loki season 2.

Again, this is all just uncorroborated rumors for now, but this is not the first time that Thor and the Legend of Hercules has been touted as the film’s title. A quick YouTube search will show you just how many fanmade trailers have been created under that name. While it might seem like it makes sense on paper, however, there’s a very big reason why Marvel should avoid this title like Love and Thunder should’ve avoided killing off Jane Foster.

Thor 5 cannot continue the Multiverse Saga’s trouble with titles s2458

The thing is that there is already a movie called The Legend of Hercules, and it was universally panned. Released in 2014, it was a 3D action film starring The Twilight Saga‘s Kellan Lutz that failed to recoup even its middling $70 million budget and stands at a mere 5% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s also such a generic title that I could’ve sworn there were more movies bearing that name, but IMDb tells me otherwise. Maybe I was thinking of the synonymous Kevin Sorbo show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

Whatever its title is, Thor 5 needs to find exactly the right moniker for itself as the Multiverse Saga has had a real trouble with titles. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness apparently did the trick, earning $955 million worldwide, but clearly going with The Marvels rather than the more informative Captain Marvel 2 was not the way to go. And whether Deadpool 3‘s deliberately goofy title turns out for the best remains to be seen.

A Thor vs. Hercules dogfight godfight? Sure, we’re up for that, but the title for the movie needs to be god-tier too.

With just one new movie coming from Marvel Studios this year, MCU lovers are about to spend a lot of time bingeing old Marvel stuff on Disney Plus.

Unfortunately, a worrying trend that had started to build up across 2023 has now been confirmed to be a constant fixture thanks to The Marvels. Meanwhile, a beloved hero who’s brought the studio one of its biggest Multiverse Saga hauls might just be snubbed by Avengers 5. On the plus side, at least we don’t have to wait until that movie for the Captain Marvel/Captain America team-up we’ve been dreaming about.

The Marvels‘ Disney Plus release confirms a disappointing 2023 trend will continue into the MCU’s future 2v474c

The Marvels‘ Disney Plus release date has been announced, and it’s coming on Feb. 7. A short ways away? Sure, but this means that the Brie Larson sequel will have taken 89 days to hit streaming. This is the very same gap between the theatrical and Disney Plus releases of both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Clearly, then, the days when we got Marvel movies on streaming within just two months are gone for good and we must accept that we have to wait a full quarter of a year for their D+ debuts. when Doctor Strange 2 arrived on the platform in just 45 days? Good times…

What If…? season 3 to give us the Captain America/Captain Marvel team-up we’ve all been waiting for 1gl4p

As an apparent thank-you gift to the fans who enjoyed season 2 over the holidays, Marvel has unveiled some new first-look images at What If…? season 3. In addition to offering fresh glimpses at the road movie episode about Bucky and Red Guardian, the images reveal that we’re getting an epic cross-Avengers crossover between Cap’ns Marvel and ‘Merica… but with a twist. In this alternate universe, Sam Wilson and Monica Rambeau are the ones to hold these mantles, which should make for an interesting pairing. Especially given that the pics tease that the two heroes will pilot giant mechs. Power Rangers-style megazords for all the heroes in the next Avengers flick, pretty please Kevin Feige. And speaking of which…

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty script details allege the last OG Avenger standing won’t return 691rj

Avengers 5 is in the process of being completely retooled in the wake of Jonathan Majors’ exit as Kang, but there may still be secrets we can glean from the original script for the movie, back when it was called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. While Michael Waldron works on the new draft, rumored details allege that screenwriter Jeff Loveness’ screenplay makes a surprising excision — apparently, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is not counted among the film’s Avengers line-up. We have no way of knowing if Hemsworth could appear in the revamped Avengers 5 instead, but considering that Thor: Love and Thunder is one of the highest-grossing MCU movies of the 2020s, bringing home $760 million, it would be a — let’s be kind and say — bold move to leave the Australian hunk on the bench.

As a Fantastic Four fancasting fave addresses those rumors he’s our new Ben Grimm, don’t forget the little Things and stay up to date with all MCU updates by checking back soon.

For a long time Thor had to deal with living in the shadow of the more popular of The Avengers. That’s not to say he wasn’t a great character, but he just didn’t have that boy scout charm like Captain America, or the iconic wit that Iron Man did, he was just… Thor, that is until his third solo movie, Thor: Ragnarok came around and changed everything we knew about the character.

Whilst Taika Waititi is mostly ed now for the train wreck that is Love and Thunder, we have to give him credit for revamping Thor as a character, making him much more interesting and finally giving fans a Thor film they could truly enjoy, (although I will it I enjoyed the first two films.)

The decision to change Thor’s character really helped fans connect with him more and, as a result, the film received glowing reviews, prompting those who were skeptical to give it a watch. Waititi downplayed the stoic Asgardian and cranked up the volume on him being a bumbling klutz with a frat-boy personality. Thor’s personality wasn’t the only thing changed by Waititi. The entire aesthetic of the franchise received a glow-up, from fantasy land to retro eighties.

The hype for this film at the time was pretty unreal, what with the introduction of Hela and plenty of other great characters from the comics. Fans were also expecting to see Hulk, Loki and Doctor Strange, drumming up even more excitement. Basically, this was right at the peak for the MCU; Waititi’s movie was front and center and it delivered the goods.

So how much did Thor: Ragnarok make? t6r4u

All this is to say that Taika Waititi’s first MCU film had all the right things going for it to make it a success, and a success it was. The film grossed $854 million at the box office which puts it just above Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. That’s pretty impressive considering the relatively lukewarm reception of the previous two solo films. The film raked in money for the studio and the director meaning a sequel was guaranteed.

Of course, the follow-up wasn’t as well received, with many finding themselves disappointed with Love and Thunder despite the film seeing plenty of returning fan faves and another promising villain. That film did relatively well, earning $760 million, but it failed to capture that same lightning that Ragnarok bottled.

A man of many talents, Taika Waititi is a director, comedian, screenwriter, screenwriter, actor and producer. With experience like that it’s clear he’s never going to be short of work in Hollywood, even if he is responsible for one of the worst-reviewed MCU movies of all time.

He’s been working in the entertainment industry for over two decades now, starting with a comedy troupe in 1999, touring New Zealand and Australia. He started directing short films in the early 2000s before moving on to bigger projects. However, he’s probably most well known for breathing new life into the Thor films with Ragnarok and then immediately killing the franchise with the follow-up, Love and Thunder.

The director recently itted on an episode of the Smartless podcast, that he actually had no interest in directing the third Thor film but did so for the money. Well, obviously he made a lot because he came back to direct the fourth film too and we know how that turned out.

OK, I know I keep giving Waititi stick for the fourth Thor film, but it did actually make a lot of money, and if we’re being fair, Waititi is actually a pretty great director. He’s responsible for some of my favorite films and he’s seen a lot of success and made a lot of money from his knack for quirky and light-hearted movies. But how much has he made from nearly 25 years in the industry?

Taika Waititi’s net worth 5y192w

According to Celebrity Net Worth Waititi is currently worth around $13 million dollars. His net worth is down to the massively successful movies he directed, for example, Thor: Ragnarok earned $854 million at the box office. Although we know he won’t be returning for Thor 5, he is supposedly going to be directing a Star Wars movie which is definitely something to look out for if it actually happens. 

Waititi also has numerous other projects on the go, like the What We Do in the Shadows TV series, which he serves as a producer for.

Waititi clearly has his plate full with all kinds of projects right now, and although he’s had a few minor blemishes on his record he hasn’t let that stop him, with his most recent project receiving mixed reviews. Long story short he’s never going to be out of work in the industry, if anything, he’ll continue to grow as a director, along with his net worth.