As summertime begins to heat up in the aftermath of the Fourth of July, Marvel Studios' "Thor: Love and Thunder" stumbled into theaters this weekend, bringing with it both scathing reviews and befuddled MCU acolytes trying to unravel this chaotic blend of tone and style that is simply all over the map story-wise.
Remember when Thor was a noble, semi-serious Asgardian rebelling against Odin, his overbearing father, and constantly dodging nefarious plots from his trickster step-brother, Loki? Those days may be over, as Marvel has made the questionable decision to turn the valiant hammer-wielding hero into a goofy, lovesick clown without the red nose and oversized honking shoes.
Marvel President Kevin Feige's Phase 4 has been met with criticism."Black Widow," "WandaVision," "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," "Moon Knight," and "Ms. Marvel" are all hit-or-miss offerings that suffer from the same misguided deconstructionism that lacks any unifying coherence or internal logic.