In all probability, none of us can pinpoint exactly what made the Grandmaster such a hilarious and likable character in Thor: Ragnarok, though it seems that for Jeff Goldblum, the task of bringing the villain to life on screen was as simple as breathing ⏤ or something to that effect.
The ruthless ruler of Sakaar didn’t lack in cruelty, though the atrocities he committed in the Thor threequel had such a strong sense of nonchalant ambivalence that you couldn’t help but laugh it off in every instance. Add to that Goldblum’s signature peculiar quirkiness and you have a side character who can serve the narrative with perfect comic relief.
Regrettably, as beloved as he was in Ragnarok, the Grandmaster didn’t make any other appearances in the MCU barring his brief voice acting in What if…?, but that’s all set to change in Taika Waititi’s upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. Goldblum will indeed grace the silver screen once again as the cosmic slaver in 2022, though in what capacity we still don’t know.
The Jurassic Park star recently had a chat with GQ during which he broke down his most iconic roles. When it came to Marvel, Goldblum revealed that Waititi just wanted the actor to use his natural quirkiness.
“I jumped on board and he said, ‘You know, I don’t want you to do anything theatrical or cartoony. I think who you are – part of your straight behavior is a little bit useful in this so-called character. I think we’ll dress you up in some way, but I think you can be contemporary and kind of a little bit in this vein that we’re talking about. And I like to improvise a lot.’ And I said, ‘Well, me too.’ And then we got to the set and I’ll be darned if it wasn’t as much fun as I’ve ever had.”
Personally, we can’t wait to see more of Jeff Goldblum in the MCU, but that’s still a little ways off, as Love and Thunder is currently slated for release in July 2022.