With his fourth solo movie currently screening in theatres, Thor could easily be considered the most successful MCU superhero, as no other hero has enjoyed the same number of solo adventures. Once again directed by Taika Waititi, Thor has to take on the dangerous being known as Gorr the God Butcher this time around.
Fortunately for Thor, he won't be alone, as his old friends Jane Foster, Valkyrie, and Korg will also lend him a hand. Considering the fact that Waititi has directed the previous Thor solo movie Thor: Ragnarok (2017) as well, it begs the question as to which of the two movies is better and best does justice to the honorable and powerful God of Thunder!
9 Ragnarok: The Amount Of Humor
Ragnarok offered a lot of hilarious jokes. More than its successor Love and Thunder. One possible reason for this is that the Thor that the audience sees in Ragnarok hasn't yet faced some of the unpleasant experiences that changed him into a different person.
Most notably, the destruction of Asgard, Loki's death, and, of course, the defeat at the hand of Thanos and the subsequent death of his friends and allies. The Thor of Love and Thunder is a bit more jaded by everything that's happened to him, so it makes sense that the movie isn't as humorous as the previous one.
8 Love And Thunder: The Love Story
Love and Thunder even has the word love in its name and was presented from the start as a superhero romance. With that in mind, it makes sense that the movie works better with romance than Ragnarok. In Ragnarok, there was no major romance going on, only references and allusions to the previous movies. Love and Thunder, on the other hand, rekindles the relationship between Thor and Jane Foster.
Even though they don't have as much time together as some viewers might expect, their romance is still touching enough, especially when Jane has to choose between helping Thor or potentially living happily ever after. It's not quite on the same level as other tragic romances because the relationship doesn't have as much space as it arguable deserved, but its resolution still leaves an impression.
7 Ragnarok: Loki
The MCU fans have different tastes and preferences but something that a lot of people agree on is that Loki is great. In fact, he might very well be one of the best MCU villains. His absence in Love and Thunder is understandable, considering Loki is dead in the main timeline. Yet, the dynamic between him and Thor adds a lot of charm to Ragnarok, especially once he and Thor are forced to work together against a mutual enemy.
Some of the funniest moments in Ragnarok happen when Loki and Thor try to find their way out of the problems they face. Love and Thunder at least brings back other familiar faces from previous Thor movies, such as Valkyrie, Korg, and Lady Sif. However, these characters haven't yet reached the same level of popularity as Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief.
6 Love And Thunder: The Fight Scenes
Technically, this could be a tie, since Ragnarok also has some impressive fight sequences. Love and Thunder just about edges it, though, thanks in large to the spectacular black and white scene that has a horror-like feeling to it. Even more importantly, it's something new, something that hasn't been seen in the MCU before. Considering the universe now has over 20 movies, showing something new isn't so easy.
It's true that Thor taking on Hulk in the arena was a memorable moment, but, unlike the black and white fight sequence with Gorr, when Thor faced Hulk, it wasn't the first time an Avenger did so. As MCU fans will no doubt remember, Tony Stark famously donned the Hulkbuster armor and went against Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
5 Ragnarok: A Larger Connection With The Rest Of The MCU
Ragnarok might not have had such a unified storyline as Love and Thunder and so when fans remember it, it's more for the movie's individual scenes than the plot itself. However, what the movie did have is a closer connection to the rest of the MCU. That's something mostly missing from Love and Thunder. Guardians of the Galaxy do show up at the beginning of the movie but promptly make their goodbyes and are never mentioned or heard from again.
Otherwise, there aren't that many characters from non-Thor MCU movies. Ragnarok, on the other hand, took place before the Infinity Saga, so even while Thor was gallivanting around the universe, it was obvious something bigger was going on in the background. There was also Bruce Banner, who made the audience recall the Avengers movies.
4 Love And Thunder: Thor As A Dad
Even though Love and Thunder gives space to multiple characters, in the end, it's all about Thor's character growth. At the beginning of the movie, Thor doesn't know what to do with himself. He no longer has his hammer, his family is dead, and Jane broke up with him. Throughout the movie, Thor is trying to rediscover his purpose.
However, in the movie's finale, Thor finally realizes what's important: love. Even though he loses Jane, he's no longer alone as he takes on a new role, the role of a father. Thor becomes all the kinder and more accessible thanks to it, and, hopefully, he'll do a good job of raising his adopted daughter Love.
3 It's A Tie: The Villain
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Every superhero movie needs a good villain. Both Ragnarok and Love and Thunder fulfill this criterion. Ragnarok works with Hela, Odin's daughter, who's determined to get the throne she believes to be her right. Conversely, Gorr wants to kill all the gods because he blames them for their ignorance and arrogance.
Both villains have a clear reason for what they're doing. Considering Cate Blanchett's and Christian Bale's strong performances as Hela and Gorr respectively, it's impossible to determine which one of them is better.
2 Ragnarok: Critical Response
An important factor in judging any movie's quality is how the audiences and critics liked it. On IMDb, Ragnarok wins over Love and Thunder as its rating at the moment is 7.9 while Love and Thunder's rating is 7.1.
As for Rotten Tomatoes, the audiences gave 87 percent to Ragnarok and 82 percent to Love and Thunder. There's an even bigger difference in critics' reviews, with 93 percent for Ragnarok and only 67 percent for Love and Thunder.
1 The Winner: Ragnarok
In the end, the victory goes to Ragnarok. The good news, however, is that both movies are highly enjoyable. It was a very close call too, so anybody who was looking forward to seeing Thor again shouldn't miss out on watching Love and Thunder.
This is especially true for those who want to see Thor assume yet another role (that of a father) in his complicated but still fun life. Fans of fantastic movie villains, excellent fight scenes, and well-written romances should also come away satisfied, as Love and Thunder has all three.
Thor: Love and Thunder is in theaters now.