As you’ll no doubt be aware, Thor: Love and Thunder has been proving a lot more polarizing than anybody could have anticipated as recently as last week, with the latest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe coming under heavy fire from critics, fans, and casual audiences alike.
Obviously, that hasn’t stopped Taika Waititi’s return to New Asgard from decimating the box office, with Chris Hemsworth’s fourth standalone adventure landing a global opening weekend in excess of $300 million. While the movie as a whole has been splitting opinion down the middle, Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher has emerged unscathed from the chaos.
That’s to be expected when one of the best actors in the business chews their teeth into an over-the-top villainous role in a superhero blockbuster, but the argument has been put forward that Gorr doesn’t get anywhere near enough screentime. Sadly, that means fans have had no choice but to voice their disappointment at a potential Venom nod that could have been dropped into Love and Thunder.
Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock left some symbiote behind in the Spider-Man: No Way Home stinger, so it wouldn’t have been the craziest thing in the world were the Necrosword and Knull tied towards a potential MCU version of the symbiotic antihero. Alas, Sony will remain steering that particular ship for now, but it’s not as if leaving a trail of breadcrumbs was necessary for a film like Love and Thunder, which already appeared to have been mercilessly trimmed in the editing room.