Edited by Robert Beach
One of the biggest problems facing Marvel’s Phase 3 slate is what to do with the Thor franchise. Thor was one of the bigger hits of phase one, both financially and achievement wise. It was the first film to cement the idea Marvel could integrate the truly out-there and bizarre aspects of its comic continuity to the big screen; however, when Thor: The Dark World rolled around in 2013, things took a decidedly sour turn. The film is the lowest-grossing Marvel sequel to date and thoroughly failed to find real engagement from audiences.
One of the biggest problems facing Marvel’s Phase 3 slate is what to do with the Thor franchise. Thor was one of the bigger hits of phase one, both financially and achievement wise. It was the first film to cement the idea Marvel could integrate the truly out-there and bizarre aspects of its comic continuity to the big screen; however, when Thor: The Dark World rolled around in 2013, things took a decidedly sour turn. The film is the lowest-grossing Marvel sequel to date and thoroughly failed to find real engagement from audiences.
Thor in phase 1 had firmly carried the
banner of Marvel merchandising and Marvel cosmic weirdness, but now at the close
of phase 2, Thor toys have been a bit of a non-starter and Marvel’s much more
successful Guardians of the Galaxy
now carries the banner of cosmic weirdness. Given all this, it’s not surprising that Marvel is walking on
eggshells about the upcoming third Thor film: Thor: Ragnarok. The title alone promises major shake-ups to come for the God of Thunder
along with heavy ties to the ongoing Thanos saga leading up to Avengers: Infinity War. Now Marvel has made their concerns
about the film even clearer by officially adding The Hulk and Valkyrie as
additional main characters.
