Could Thor 5's Villain Surpass Hela? Marvel Director Drops Major Clues

Most people would agree that "Thor: Love and Thunder" missed the mark, failing the recapture the charm of the God of Thunder's previous outings. Most issues centered around the movie's over-the-top comedy and its under-utilized villain, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale). However, if given another chance, director Taika Waititi knows what change he'd make for "Thor 5," and it centers on the villain.

In Titan's upcoming "Thor: Love and Thunder The Official Movie Special" book, Waititi discussed potential future outings for Thor, giving a peak behind the curtain on his plans should Marvel Studios call upon him again. "What is left to do to him?" the director questioned. "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. 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."

"Love and Thunder" introduced a plethora of new gods to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with its mid-credits scene teasing a major battle should Thor's solo adventures continue. However, with Waititi's comments in mind, neither Hercules (Brett Goldstein) nor Zeus (Russell Crowe) seem up to Hela's (Cate Blanchett) level. While Waititi surely has more secrets he isn't revealing, as it currently stands, it seems "Thor 5" may have a hard time topping his previous villain.

Some fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe didn't take too kindly to Taika Waititi's comments after being disappointed by his work on "Thor: Love and Thunder." On Reddit, u/YoungBeef03 wrote, "He had a stronger villain than Hela. Gorr the God Butcher could've been a threat on the tier of Thanos if he was used right." Others, like u/flufnstuf69, u/thanoshasbighands, and u/lagordaamalia, shared similar sentiments, saying they wanted to see Gorr do a bit more butchering of gods in "Love and Thunder."

While most posts regarding Waititi's comments aimed a wave of negativity toward the Oscar-winning filmmaker, other older posts speculated what villains could be on the way in "Thor 5." In May, u/MorbillionTickets posted the question, asking what other villains could be in Thor's next adventure, besides Hercules. U/MrPresident2020 suggested "Enchantress, Karnilla, or Mangog," all of which would give the God of Thunder a run for his money. Karnilla is an interesting one, being the wife of Hela, which could provide "Thor 5" an exciting dynamic to explore.

On another post, u/LoveWaffle1 offered a unique concept, writing, "The Elders of the Universe (which includes Zeus in this version) each send their champions to see which of them could finally finish these pesky Asgardians." They suggested Zeus sends Hercules, The Grandmaster sends Beta Ray Bill, and the Champion of the Universe sends himself, titling the next movie "Thor: Contest of Champions." On the other hand, u/scottamus77 chose Jörmungandr, saying, "End of the movie could either be [Thor's] death, or him becoming the All-Father." This assumes, of course, that Chris Hemsworth would want a darker Thor for his final outing as the legendary character.