The Running Gag MCU Fans Hope To See Continue In Thor: Love And Thunder
Though composed of many separate stories, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one big story, at the end of the day. The creators have spent years of their lives pulling the best bits from the source material, sprinkling in their own spices, and bringing this enormous tale to life. Not every MCU movie is a hit with fans and critics, but calling the overall franchise an impressive achievement is quite an understatement, nonetheless. Labeling it as the world's predominant mythology wouldn't be too far off from the truth.
As expected of any story so grand, the creators have made it a point to revisit themes and motifs established early on. Some are obvious, like the danger being a hero puts citizens and loved ones in. Others are more subtle, like the meaning of true freedom, and how it's achieved. Still others are character-specific, making the many members of the cast easy to tell apart. If Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) were behind a curtain that muffled their voices, most would be able to distinguish who said what from the words alone.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a bit more of a complicated case, in this respect. Most of the MCU's major players change over the course of the films, in ways that feel consistent with their character. Thor, on the other hand, seems like a completely different character from where he started — only by Infinity War and Endgame does he feel fully formed. Yet one Thor tradition, as pointed out by Redditor u/DraftDraw, has made it into most movies that the God of Thunder appears in: He always seems to be crashing into windows.
Let's look back on this glorious tradition, in hopeful anticipation of its return in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder.
Every time Thor has crashed into a window in the MCU
The original movie, Thor, sees the titular god lose his abilities and become mortal after defying the will of his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Banished to Earth, one of Thor's first experiences is getting hit by Jane Foster's (Natalie Portman) car. Hospital staff later have to sedate him, mashing him up against a window, in the process.
In The Avengers, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) does what he does best: he tricks Thor. More specifically, he tricks Thor into the cage S.H.I.E.L.D. set up for him. This cage is high above ground, and Loki drops it in an attempt to kill Thor. Luckily, he escapes, but not before his face is pressed against the glass mid-fall.
Thor: The Dark World pits the thunder god against Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), leader of the Dark Elves. In the midst of their brutal final battle, they smash into a glass ceiling — not hard enough to break it, though. You know what that means? Thor's face is squished against the see-through material, once again.
Thor doesn't collide with glass in Thor: Ragnarok, but there's still a scene with his face mushed up on it. After being taken out, he awakens on the floor of Valkyrie's (Tessa Thompson) ship, which just so happens to be made of glass.
Avengers: Infinity War marks the last time Thor meets glass (as of this writing). After Thanos (Josh Brolin) rips him a new one, Thor is left adrift in space, unconscious. The Guardians of the Galaxy come to investigate the wreckage Thanos leaves in his wake, only for Thor to float right into their ship's windshield (spaceshield?).
Will the tradition continue in Thor: Love and Thunder?
Neither Avengers: Age of Ultron nor Avengers: Endgame features any window-crashing antics, but Thor is still five for seven. What are the chances that he'll be six for eight come Love and Thunder?
With Taika Waititi at the director's helm, chances are high. He directed Ragnarok, which is easily Thor's most comedic turn in the MCU — and, as aforementioned, has its own window moment. It's not a guarantee, but it seems likely.
Thor is also set to appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, directed by James Gunn rather than Waititi. The only reason Thor would hit a window in that film is because Gunn is aware of the tradition, or to make Thor crashing into the Guardians' ship a specific offshoot of the tradition.
The real question is whether or not Jane Foster, too, will crash into windows, since she's now confirmed to be the next worthy wielder of Mjölnir, Thor's hammer. It's unclear how long Natalie Portman will remain in the role, or how her Thor will be different from Hemsworth's, making it difficult to tell. Carrying on the tradition would be fun, as would putting a new spin on it. Maybe Jane crashes into something other than glass? Maybe she instead breaks the glass in lieu of the popular phrase "breaking the glass ceiling?"
Either way, MCU fans won't find out until Love and Thunder releases in 2022. Here's to hoping the film features glass in every scene.