Thor, the God of Thunder, remains a fan favourite in the MCU, but the franchise has struggled to give him the emotional depth and purpose needed to fully resonate with audiences (Image via Marvel Studios)

Lost in the thunder: Why the MCU struggled to justify Thor the God of Thunder

By Anubhav Chaudhry

Modified Mar 26, 2023 18:48 IST

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a powerhouse of superhero movies, captivating audiences with engaging characters, and despite its successful track record, Thor, the God of Thunder, has proven to be a challenge for the MCU.

Despite his immense popularity among fans, the character's development has been less than satisfactory, leaving viewers wanting more.

From his initial portrayal as an arrogant and reckless character to the inconsistent tone of the franchise, the MCU has truly struggled to give Thor the emotional depth needed to connect with audiences.

Despite multiple attempts to develop the character throughout the franchise, the result has been a somewhat underdeveloped God of Thunder, with his full potential remaining untapped. This article will explore the reasons behind the MCU's struggle to justify Thor and what fans can expect from the character's future in the franchise.

The shortcomings of Thor's character development in the MCU

1) Shortcoming #1: Introducing Thor's character

The initial portrayal as an arrogant and reckless character in the debut film made for an entertaining story, but it didn't provide a clear emotional connection for audiences to latch onto (Image via Marvel Studios)

Thor's character was introduced as an arrogant and reckless God of Thunder in his debut film, which made for an entertaining story. However, it failed to provide a clear emotional connection for the audience to latch onto.

This lack of emotional depth made it challenging for subsequent films to give the God of Thunder a compelling arc that would resonate with viewers, leading to an underdeveloped character that struggled to connect with audiences on a deeper level. The MCU needed to provide a solid emotional hook to justify Thor as a character to help the audience invest in his journey.

By failing to do so in his debut film, subsequent films struggled to provide a clear and compelling arc for the character. While the character remains a fan favorite, the MCU's inability to fully flesh out his emotional journey is a shortcoming that continues to impact the character's development in the franchise.

2) Shortcoming #2: Inconsistent tone in the franchise

The constant shifting of tone within the franchise made it difficult to create a consistent emotional journey for the character (Image via Marvel Studios)

One of the most significant issues with the character's development was the inconsistent tone within the franchise. Although the first two films focused on a more serious tone, the third film, Thor: Ragnarok, took a different approach by adding a comedic element.

While fans widely appreciated this, creating a consistent emotional journey for the character made it challenging. As a result, the character lacked the depth and complexity that the MCU is known for, leaving the audience feeling unfulfilled. Without a solid foundation, it was difficult for the audience to connect with the God of Thunder's character and understand his motivations fully.

This inconsistency made it challenging for the franchise to create a cohesive storyline for the character, resulting in a somewhat underdeveloped God of Thunder. While he remains a beloved character in the MCU, the inconsistency in his character development has left fans wanting more.

3) Shortcoming #3: Underutilization of the godly heritage

Despite being the God of Thunder, the character's divine nature was never fully explored or exploited in the MCU (Image via Marvel Studios)

One of the significant shortcomings of the character in the MCU was the underutilization of his godly heritage. While Iron Man and Captain America had unique hooks that were thoroughly explored, the God of Thunder's divine nature was never fully realized.

Instead, the focus was on his physical strength and his hammer, Mjolnir. This lack of exploration made it difficult for the audience to connect with the character on a deeper level and understand his motivations. As a result, the character development suffered throughout the franchise.

While he remains a beloved character, his godly heritage was never fully explored and utilized to its full potential. Hopefully, future MCU installments will rectify this issue and provide a more in-depth exploration of his backstory and motivations, allowing audiences to connect with the character on a deeper emotional level.

Final thoughts

Thor's emotional journey and purpose in the MCU have yet to be fully realized, leaving him an underdeveloped character in a franchise that has otherwise excelled at bringing its superheroes to life (Image via Marvel Studios)

Despite the MCU's efforts to develop the character, the franchise struggles to fully justify the God of Thunder's place in the universe. While fans have enjoyed the character's humorous moments and impressive displays of power, the character's emotional journey and purpose in the MCU are yet to be fully realized.

Fans can hope for more exploration into the character's backstory and motivations in future installments. However, with a mixed reception of Thor: Love and Thunder, it remains to be seen if the MCU will finally give the character the emotional hook and depth needed to truly resonate with the audience.

As such, Thor remains an underdeveloped character in the MCU, a missed opportunity in a franchise that has otherwise excelled at bringing its superheroes to life on the big screen.

Edited by
Vinay Agrawal