With Thor: Love and Thunder approaching theaters soon, there's been significant buzz about the fact that the Guardians of the Galaxy will be appearing alongside the God of Thunder. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe has developed its style of blending comedy and action, Guardians of the Galaxy arrived at the perfect time to showcase the path to success for the MCU. Thor and Thor: The Dark World were considered to be more dramatic than the later films in the MCU became, and there was a strong case to be made that the lack of humor in the films was what hindered their success.
After Guardians of the Galaxy's box office praise, the MCU was preparing to continue Thor's story by developing a third movie, but Chris Hemsworth had some opinions about what he believed would aid in the resurgence of the hero on-screen. According to an interview with CinemaBlend, Hemsworth expressed the need for the third film "to be injected with that sort of smart wit and unexpected kind of humor," as seen in James Gunn's direction with Guardians of the Galaxy. Hemsworth wanted a dose of pure humor for the film that would make it a more enjoyable experience for viewers instead of focusing on the heaviness of the family drama in the films.
Hemsworth's wish began to come true when Taika Waititi was chosen to direct Thor: Ragnorak. Hemsworth was excited about this development, as he was already a fan of Waititi's work. He felt that Waititi's "brilliant sort of take and funny kind of ideas" would significantly increase the quality of the film. Many people who weren't familiar with Waititi's work didn't expect Ragnorak to be as funny as it was, but audiences were pleasantly surprised and spread the word that the new Thor movie was better than they had hoped.
After the success of the film, the MCU listened to Hemsworth's praise of Guardians of the Galaxy and responded by putting them together with Thor for two of the Avengers films. Thor meets the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Infinity War when they rescue him after he's left for dead by Thanos. Thor's pushy behavior and distrust of others come through heavily in their interactions, and the humor within the group adds enjoyment to the film overall. Thor's broken heart over being betrayed by his brother pairs well with the Guardians' confusion toward his behavior, realizing they have a God without powers aboard.
Thor's team-up with the Guardians in Thor: Love and Thunder makes sense since he left with them at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Once Thanos was defeated at the end of the film, Thor gave up his position as ruler over New Asgard and decided to travel the galaxy with his new friends. At the start of Thor: Love and Thunder, the continuation of the story signifies he's still with the team, leading them through various battles to protect the galaxy from wrongdoing. But how long will the Guardians stick around in the film? It's hard to tell.
They could add an extra layer of humor throughout Thor: Love and Thunder, or they could be used as a framing device to indicate the beginning and end of the movie, indicating this adventure was just a blip on the radar. Thor could also realize he needs to move on from his new friends and embrace his new venture alone, especially since he will be reunited with a more powerful version of Jane. The humor still seems to be the spotlight of the film, but romance will be involved again, adding more elements to the film to engage viewers. Hopefully, Thor and the Guardians will continue to collaborate on missions and provide excellent fan service.
Thor: Love and Thunder releases in theaters on June 8, 2022.