While Thor’s solo franchise in the MCU isn’t as critically acclaimed as Captain America or Spider-Man trilogy, the threequel Thor: Ragnarok still easily stands out as the best of the bunch. Not only featuring an intriguing story of Thor fighting his way to claim back Asgard, but the movie also introduces one of the best villains in the franchise and in the MCU, Hela.
Being a sister of Thor, Hela is an extremely powerful and charismatic protagonist, who can take down an entire army of Valkyrie on her own, and bested the God of Thunder in every match they fought. We also can’t ever forget the way she effortlessly destroyed the Mjolnir at the start of the film, ensuring her place as one of the most powerful MCU villains ever.
However, according to director Taika Waititi, the next big bad guy in Thor 5 will be even stronger than Hela, leaving Marvel fans speculating which character he was talking about. Let’s find out.
#1. Taika Waititi is Thor 5’s director.
Source: Marvel
Taika Waititi is responsible for the last two installments about the God of Thunder in the MCU, Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2021). While the threequel was very well-received by fans and is widely considered the best Thor movie so far, Love and Thunder simply didn’t live up to the expectations, with unnecessary humor, a bland villain, and a lackluster story.
Therefore, fans remain skeptical as they know Waititi will be at the helm again for the upcoming Thor 5. However, Thor: Love and Thunder’s final post-credit sequence did introduce us to Hercules as Thor’s next adversary, so it’s pretty much guaranteed that the God of Thunder will return to fight the Omnipotent Gods at least one more time.
#2. Thor’s 5 villains should be stronger than Hela, said Waititi.
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In the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder The Official Movie Special book, which is set to release on September 19, Taika Waititi speaks about the Strongest Avenger’s future movies, and a possible villain who is promised to be the strongest in the franchise.
Source: Marvel
“What is left to do to him? It's got to be something that feels like it's carrying on with the evolution of the character, but still in a very fun way and still giving him things to come up against that feel like they're building on the obstacles that he has to overcome,” said the director.
He also had this to say about Thor 5’s potential villain: “I don't think we can have a villain that's weaker than Hela. I feel like we need to step up from there and add a villain that's somehow more formidable.”
Source: Marvel
According to Waititi, the next Thor installment should see the God of Thunder evolve even more, by “giving him more obstacles to overcome”. However, we all know that the MCU Thor has suffered enough already, losing his parents, his kingdom, his brother, and most recently, his lover, while still continuing to use comedy to hide his pain. The last thing the character needs right now is to have another tragedy befall him to make him grow.
The director also said that the next Thor villain should be stronger than Hela, which is understandable. Thor is one of the strongest superheroes around, so to have the stake keep rising through each movie is necessary for his development.
#3. Is Hercules the villain Waititi was talking about?
Source: Marvel
At the end of Thor: Love and Thunder, Zeus, who was defeated by the Strongest Avenger earlier, appears to be alive, and summons his son, the demigod Hercules to hunt down the God of Thunder. Therefore, it’s almost certain Hercules will return in Thor 5 to fight the Asgardian, however, it’s very unlikely that he’s the main villain of the film.
Source: Marvel
Firstly, while Marvel Hercules is indeed strong, he still couldn’t hold a candle to Hela’s prowess, so the demigod doesn’t fit Waititi’s above description. Secondly, according to the comics, after fighting against Thor, Hercules later sides with the God of Thunder and then becomes a part of the Avengers, so we can see him and Thor allies together to fight against an even bigger enemy at the end of Thor 5.
#4. Which Thor villain can fit Waititi’s description?
Source: Marvel
Since Taika Waititi didn’t disclose to us who will be Thor 5 villain, it’s up to the audience’s imagination to guess. With the franchise already introduced to us some of Thor’s most iconic and powerful antagonists in the comics such as Loki, Malekith, Hera, Surtur, and Gorr the God Butcher, the candidates narrow down quite a bit.
Some of the powerful villains we can think of includes Cul Borson, Mangog and Mephisto, however, it’s unsure if these bad guys are stronger than Hela or not.
#5. Thor 5 may introduce some more primitive villains.
Source: Marvel
Waititi also disclosed that one of the best aspects of Thor that sets him apart from other MCU heroes, is the mythology he originates from. The director also said that having the God of Thunder fighting against more “outlandish and crazy beasts, monsters and aliens” would be the right way to explore his character even more in the franchise.
As we all know, Thor comes from Norse mythology, which is filled to the brim with different monsters and gods, so Waititi may want Thor 5 to bring more of these characters onto the big screen. Some of Thor’s most formidable foes in the myth, such as Fenrir, Hela, and Surtur, have already made their way to the MCU, so we can expect more to come.
Source: Marvel
For example, the serpent Midgard, who’s Thor’s sworn enemy in the mythology, and even kills him in Ragnarok, would be a welcomed addition to the roster.
Which villain do you think Thor will fight in the fifth installment? What does Marvel have for the demigod in the future? Share your thoughts in the comment.