Many stars went to the chapel and said “I do” in 2026.

Wheel of Fortune star Vanna White rang in the new year with a wedding to her now-husband, John Donaldson.

White wasn’t the only star to walk down the aisle this year. Love Is Blind season 2 alum Iyanna McNeely, for her part, married boyfriend Alex Lewis on January 17 in a dreamy Chicago ceremony.

Stranger Things star Maya Hawke, for her part, said “I do” to longtime boyfriend Christian Lee Hutson in a surprise Valentine’s Day ceremony the next month. February also brought a wedding for Dance Moms alum Brooke Hyland and longtime love Brian Thalman.

Keep scrolling to see the stars who exchanged vows in 2026:

Beyond the Gates spoilers for Feb 23-27, 2026are seeing Katherine “Kat” Richardson (Colby Muhammad) reaching an absolute breaking point—honestly, she’s looking a bit unhinged—and June (Jasmine Burke) is about to spill some major tea that could bring down a whole house of cards. Plus, Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) takes her health crisis to the national stage.

Beyond the Gates Spoilers: Katherine “Kat” Richardson Reaches Her Breaking Point and Snaps Over Clinic Drama

First off, let’s talk about Kat. Kat has been under so much pressure lately, and this week, it looks like she finally snaps. Spoilers for Wednesday and Thursday show her locking horns with Dana “Leslie” Thomas (Trisha Mann-Grant) and Eva Thomas (Ambyr Michelle) over the clinic.

Kat is trying to protect her legacy, but Leslie is just relentless. By Thursday, things take a darker turn when Kat gets some news about Laura Peterson’s (Destiny Love) unsolved accident from a year ago.

This news sends her into a tailspin, and she is absolutely set off. We’re hearing that her confrontation with Leslie and Eva is going to escalate on Friday to a point of no return. Kat is usually the composed one, but she is officially unhinged this week.

BTG Spoilers: June Spills the Tea: The Truth About Hayley Lawson’s Ring Exposed

Now, over at Orphey Genes June is playing a very integral role. We know June sees and hears everything as a server, and this time, her observation skills are going to be a total game-changer.

She noticed Lynette Wise (Domini Madison) flashing that ring around—the one that actually belongs to Hayley Lawson (Marquita Goings). On Monday, June gives Joey Armstrong (Jon Lindstrom) a valuable tip about that ring. This is the big spill everyone has been waiting for.

With Joey getting this intel, the net is finally tightening around Hayley’s mugger, and it looks like Lynette, Hayley, and Randy Parker’s (Maurice P. Kerry) little scheme is starting to crumble.

Beyond the Gates Spoilers: Anita Dupree Goes Public with Cancer Diagnosis on the Gayle King Show

Speaking of big moves, Anita makes a massive decision this week. On Monday, she decides to go public with her cancer diagnosis, and she’s doing it in a big way—appearing on the Gayle King Show.

Yes, we’ve got Gayle King guest starring as herself! By Thursday, Anita’s televised interview turns into a citywide call to action. It’s a huge moment for the Dupree matriarch, but you have to wonder how the rest of the family—and her enemies—are going to react to her being so vulnerable in the spotlight.

BTG Spoilers: Samantha Richardson Faces a Difficult Choice Between the Clinic and High Society

Elsewhere in Fairmont Crest, Samantha Richardson (Najah Jackson) is struggling. She’s trying to balance school, the debutante ball, and her work at the clinic. It’s a lot for anyone, and she’s reaching her limit.

Luckily, June is there for her too, offering some sage wisdom to help her figure out where her heart truly lies. It’s looking more and more like the clinic is going to be her main focus, despite Leslie’s efforts to push her out.

Joey’s Shocking Escape and More Beyond the Gates Spoilers for the Week

We’ve also got Joey orchestrating a shocking escape on Tuesday, while Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett) gets some intel that leaves him absolutely enraged. And keep an eye out for Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges), who runs into a familiar face while working undercover on Wednesday.

It is going to be a wild week on Beyond the Gates. Who do you think Izaiah Hawthorne (David Lami Friebe) is meeting with on Friday? And is Kat finally going to take Leslie down, or is she just going to destroy herself in the process?

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 18 seconds ago

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a show that fans love to endlessly rewatch because they always find something new to appreciate. However, those fans are increasingly finding something old to hate: the character of Xander Harris. He was written to be an adorkable male presence in a female-dominated show, but many of his jokes and actions (like that time he magically roofied every single woman at Sunnydale High so they’d fall in love with him) just seem wildly problematic in retrospect.

Honestly, the best thing Xander ever did was date Anya, but he left her at the altar, becoming nothing but “bad joke support character” by the show’s final season. However, Buffy came dangerously close to improving Xander in the most shocking way: by brutally killing him off. Even more surprisingly, he was going to be the final form adapted by the First Evil, effectively making one of Buffy’s oldest, closest friends into the series’ final Big Bad.

The Big Bad That Never Was

This information comes to us courtesy of the original DVD commentary tracks for Buffy the Vampire Slayer (just in case you needed another reason to embrace physical media). In the commentary for the episode “Dirty Girls,” writer Drew Goddard said that the writing staff considered ending Xander’s first encounter with Caleb (a minion of the First Evil, played by Nathan Fillion) in a very different way. Instead of simply having the henchman rip our hero’s eye out, Caleb would have immediately killed Xander!

Obviously, the writers ultimately decided against this plan: in Season 7, Xander narrowly survives his encounter with Caleb and makes it through the final episode intact, although his former fiancée Anya dies. However, I can’t help but feel like the writing staff made the wrong call here. Had Caleb killed off Xander, it would have legitimized him as a major threat while making the First Evil’s final appearances that much more chilling.

The Change That Would Have Made Season 7 Unforgettable

You see, the First Evil’s gimmick is that she can take the form of anyone who has previously died. This is how she impersonates Buffy (who died twice) to torment the Slayer and to manipulate others, including Spike. When Buffy’s former boytoy vampire comes back with a new soul and a muddled brain, the First manages to deceive him, ultimately transforming Spike into her murderous attack dog.

It was always fun seeing the First Evil take the form of various deceased characters, but how much cooler would it be if it took the form of Xander after Caleb killed him? Buffy would suddenly be receiving taunts and threats from someone wearing the face of her closest friend. This would have made the First that much scarier to audiences because taking Xander’s appearance would be a constant reminder of just how deadly this ancient evil really was.

Joss Whedon’s Self-Insert Character Nearly Died Onscreen

Plus, the writing for Xander’s character had gotten increasingly worse over the years, so killing him off would be an effective (if drastic) way of making the character interesting again. Additionally, Joss Whedon has frequently stated that Xander is his own self-insert character, which is why the young man serves as the quip-spewing class clown of the Scooby Gang. Now that Joss Whedon has been canceled (both for allegedly cheating on his wife with unnamed cast members and for allegedly abusive behavior on the Justice League set), some fans might find it downright cathartic to see his surrogate character get killed onscreen.

The Buffy revival is right around the corner, and it may very well retroactively redeem Xander, making him a more likable character. Until that happens, though, he will be remembered by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom as a guy who gets just a little creepier every time they rewatch the show. Because of this and (let’s be honest) how weak sauce the First Evil was as a final villain, it would have been better for the show if Xander had been killed off so he could take his rightful place as the scariest Big Bad of them all.

Sydney Sweeney
Severs Business Ties With Ex-Fiance Jonathan Davino

Published
February 23, 2026
12:35 PM PST

A little more than a week into its theatrical run, the movie Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die‘s box-office fate seems to have been sealed. It’s going to need a miracle to bounce back from its current state, having recouped only one-fourth of its reported production budget. The sci-fi time-travel film probably has only another couple of million dollars left in it, which certainly won’t be enough for it to break even at the box office. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die marks the return of director Gore Verbinski after a decade; his last film was the psychological horror movie A Cure for Wellness, another commercial underperformer that failed to recover its budget. A Cure for Wellness was a soft comeback itself, after Verbinski was thrown in director jail following the critical and commercial drubbing of The Lone Ranger.

With little reason to celebrate so far, Verbinski can take pride in minor victories. For instance, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die has outgrossed fellow time travel film Safety Not Guaranteed, which marked the directorial debut of Colin Trevorrow, who’d go on to direct Jurassic World and Jurassic World Dominion. Safety Not Guaranteed starred Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, and Aubrey Plaza in the lead roles, and like Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, it earned positive reviews. Verbinski’s film currently holds a “Certified Fresh” 84% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “A gleeful high-concept comedy with a serious message at its core, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die lets Sam Rockwell rip with thrilling results while marking a very welcome return of director Gore Verbinski in peak form.”

Here’s the Time Travel Comedy that ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ Is Trailing By a Huge Margin

The film has grossed around $6.5 million so far against a reported budget of $20 million. For context, this is roughly one-tenth of the $65 million that time-travel comedy Hot Tub Time Machine grossed globally in 2010. Starring John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Lizzy Caplan, and Chevy Chase, the movie earned mixed reviews. It’s currently sitting at a 64% score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Its flagrantly silly script — and immensely likable cast — make up for most of its flaws.” The movie inspired a sequel, which crashed with just $13 million at the box office and earned poor reviews. You can watch Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Advertisement

Release Date

Advertisement

February 13, 2026

Runtime

134 Minutes

Advertisement

Director

Gore Verbinski

Writers

Advertisement

Matthew Robinson

Producers

Erwin Stoff, Oly Obst, Robert Kulzer

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Before the 1960s gave way to the 1970s, sitcoms were generally seen as an escape from the turbulent reality of the decade. At a time of civil and international unrest, we had sitcoms such as The Andy Griffith Show still showing us what America was, wholesome and down-to-earth. But going into the 1970s, show creators could no longer showcase that Andy and Opie vibe in a truthful way. Social change was afoot, whether people liked it or not, and sitcoms of the decade began to reflect that change.

Whereas sitcoms of the ’50s and ’60s featured women who largely stayed at home and took care of the kids and the home, the ’70s featured a proud single woman putting her career first. Instead of the occasional African American, we had an entire Black family who showed suburban America that life in the inner cities at the time was no picnic. To punctuate how uncomfortable societal change was to those who were used to the peace and tranquility of the ’50s, the ’70s brought us a sitcom about a grumpy old man who longed for the “good old days.” Sitcoms of the ’70s aimed to be daring, a vehicle for how American society truly was, not what it once was; and that made some of the decade’s biggest shows truly timeless to this very day.

1

‘Happy Days’ (1974–1984)

Image via ABC

While sitcoms in the ’70s leaned hard into the social changes of the decade, there was a segment of the TV viewer who longed for the days sitcoms were sanitized. Enter Happy Days, created by Gary Marshall, Happy Days saw a market in giving viewers the scenes of a time that once was, when kids hung out at the diner and the coolest kid dressed and acted like Fonzie (Harry Winkler).

Happy Days fostered the ideal view of what the 1950s were all about, and it kick-started the ’50s nostalgia craze, and it certainly was more family-friendly than most sitcoms of the decade. With Happy Days winning over audiences with its unflinching nostalgia, it brought the apolitical, clean-cut sitcom back into vogue, which would become a staple of shows in the 1980s. Happy Days is timeless because it was a prime example of escapism TV, a bit rebellious, yet harmless.

2

‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ (1970–1977)

In the 1960s, Mary Tyler Moore was the lovable housewife on The Dick Van Dyke Show, fitting the common character trope for women in the ’50s and ’60s. While women did land starring roles in sitcoms, they were always the sidekick to the husband, and presenting to America that women cared more about taking care of the home than chasing a career. Then the calendar flipped to the ’70s, and Mary Tyler Moore was done being a housewife.

Premiering in 1970, The Mary Tyler Moore show presented a different kind of woman, one that was more career-focused than home-focused. The show redefined how women were portrayed on TV, tackling such issues as feminism, equal pay, and gay rights through fascinating characters rather than preaching to the audience. Not only that, but The Mary Tyler Moore Show was also the first successful workplace sitcom, in which the sitcom was mainly set within Mary Richard’s workplace, with her co-workers just as important to the show as Mary herself. In the end, The Mary Tyler Moore Show cemented its status as a timeless sitcom of the decade.

3

‘Sanford and Son’ (1972–1977)

Image via NBC

Advertisement

In the 1970s, a major cultural shift was happening on the television landscape. Instead of the landscape being mainly white, television finally wised up to the fact that African Americans had stories that needed to be told as well. Enter the late Norman Lear, who, alongside Bud Yorkin, created Sanford and Son, the pioneering sitcom that focused on the working-class life of African Americans.

Starring comedian Red Foxx, the show followed a father and son who ran their own business in South Central Los Angeles. In some respects, Sanford and Son was the Black version of All in the Family, although it wasn’t nearly as bigoted as that famous show (more on this later). It was bold, brash, and unapologetic, and it also broke down barriers. It showed TV executives that African American leads could rake in Nielsen success. Sanford and Son wasn’t just a success in Black homes, it achieved something that few thought it could at the time, crossover success, thanks to its edgy comedy, mainly provided by Foxx. Sanford and Son‘s legacy is very much secured, a timeless sitcom that had a major impact on the sitcom genre as a whole.

4

‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ (1978–1982)

Image via CBS

Advertisement

As soon as you read the title of this entry, you immediately thought of the iconic theme song, didn’t you? Of course, you did, and who could blame you if you’re humming it now. But WKRP in Cincinnati was a lot more influential beyond that famous theme song. The sitcom was iconic in its character-driven ensemble cast, and it further cemented the workplace sitcom as a major part of the genre’s base.

WKRP in Cincinnati was a timeless sitcom in the fact that it was a very real depiction of the radio business. I feel like a lot of readers may not know this, but the main plot followed the station as it transitioned from Top 40 to rock to lift sagging ratings, and the station’s DJs having to adapt to the change in formats, with hilarious results. Radio stations suddenly changing formats is a real thing, and WKRP in Cincinnati captured the struggle that comes with having to switch formats, especially as a small business. This was one of those sitcoms that actually got more popular in syndication, which makes it timeless thanks to its perfect blend of humor and workplace social commentary.

5

‘M*A*S*H’ (1972–1983)

Image via CBS

Advertisement

While the “dramedy” sitcom has become quite commonplace on television today, it was nuanced in the 1970s. Before M*A*S*H premiered in 1972, sitcoms followed a general script: introduce a problem the main protagonists had to solve, keep the audience laughing, and make sure everything was solved at the end of each episode. That all changed with M*A*S*H, which refused to follow the same sitcom tropes, and pioneered the dramedy, which blended the intense drama that comes with war, with traditional sitcom humor.

By molding serious subject matter with humor, it formed an whole new subgenre that would later become a staple within the sitcom genre. Make no mistake, M*A*S*H was very much aware of the social upheaval that was happening during the time. The sitcom reflected the anti-war sentiment of the decade, realistically showing the changing views of morality and conflict. As much as M*A*S*H had heavy dramatic moments, it certainly didn’t let you forget that it had comedy as well, creating a timeless classic that many sitcom fans will forever remember.

6

‘Good Times’ (1974–1979)

Image via CBS

Advertisement

With Sanford and Son breaking down the door for black-led sitcoms, Norman Lear went to work creating his next big hit surrounding the plight of an inner-city Black family. This time, he teamed up with Eric Monte to create one of the decade’s most timeless sitcoms, Good Times. While Sanford and Son provided edgy, rapid-fire jokes, Good Times was a family sitcom that, for the first time, featured a Black household that had two parents, the tough and caring James Evans (John Amos) and the loving but stern Florida Evan (Esther Rolle).

Despite their seemingly dire financial situation, the Evans proved that as long as you had fight and family, you could get through any challenge, and the Evans family certainly went through challenges. The sitcom was mirrored into what society was like for Black families, but it also made sure to show its resilience. And, we can’t talk about Good Times without mentioning J.J. Evans (Jimmy Walker), James and Florida’s eldest child who became the breakout star of the series with his trademark catchphrase “Dyn-o-mite!” Despite some iffy seasons after Amos left the series, Good Times is still an influential sitcom with a very, very catchy theme song. Oh, and for what it’s worth, that final lyric in the theme was “hanging in a chowline.” You’re welcome.

7

‘All in the Family’ (1971–1979)

Image via CBS

Advertisement

“Those were the days.” You can hear the theme song that the Bunkers were wishing for the “good old days” to come back after a decade of social change. Let’s be real for a second — a sitcom like All in the Family would be cancelled in a heartbeat, as modern audiences would probably be repulsed with the main protagonist being classified as a “lovable bigot.” But, what many modern audiences would miss is how Norman Lear, the show’s creator, used the Bunker family to tell raw, socially relevant storylines.

In a sense, All in the Family was the anti-Happy Days. There was no lighthearted escapism celebrating nostalgia. This was a show that broke taboos and showed, in an unflinching way, the struggle between an American culture that was changing and the older generation that was struggling to adapt to the changing times. All in the Family showed the sitcom world that it could tell relevant social commentary without the fluff, and still be humorous in the process. The ’70s sure were the days, weren’t they?

Advertisement

All In The Family

Advertisement

Release Date

1971 – 1979-00-00

Advertisement

Showrunner

Norman Lear

Directors

Advertisement

Norman Lear

Advertisement

• 

  Carroll O’Connor

  Archie Bunker

  Advertisement
• 

  Jean Stapleton

  Edith Bunker

Advertisement

Advertisement

By Brian Myers
| Published 11 seconds ago

Hollywood legend Denzel Washington has notched a great number of memorable films in his four decades as an actor. From his Oscar-winning performances in Glory (1989) and Training Day (2002) to his critically acclaimed roles in Fences (2016) and The Tragedy of MacBeth (2021), there’s arguably never been a more versatile star in the last two generations. But a largely passed-over film from Washington’s early days is Devil in a Blue Dress.

Devil in a Blue Dress follows WWII veteran Easy Rollins (Denzel Washington), a recently unemployed Los Angeles resident who is looking for some fast cash. He’s hired to find the missing lover of one of the city’s mayoral candidates, following leads that take him to some of the city’s seediest locations. Along the way, Rollins discovers the missing woman’s connections to organized crime, prompting him to reconnect with a dangerous person from his pre-war days.

The film slowly builds into a terrific entry in the neo-noir genre in which Rollins becomes caught in a murder plot and a political scandal. Devil in a Blue Dress successfully combines the ominous setting and complicated plotlines integral to a noir film while bringing in known performers like Denzel Washington for experienced touches.

Denzel Washington might have received praise at the time from critics, but the overall reception was a mixed bag. Those who evaluated Devil in a Blue Dress seemed to all be in agreement with the story’s tone and visual appeal but panned several of Washington’s co-stars.

The film wasn’t the box-office success TriStar Pictures had hoped for. It only brought in $22 million in global box office receipts against a $27 million production budget.

Devil in a Blue Dress has received a lot more love in the 30 years since its theatrical release. The Denzel Washington film has a solid 92% score across 118 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, along with 88/100 on Metacritic. Fans of noir and neo-noir have managed to find the film after its release on VHS (and later DVD) in the late 1990s, with physical media helping to build a solid fan base.

While Denzel Washington’s performance in Devil in a Blue Dress shouldn’t be overlooked, one aspect of the film that comes close to overshadowing the players on screen is the music. The eerie score by Elmer Bernstein perfects the tone, and the film’s soundtrack is one of the best of the decade. Featuring some of the greats of blues and jazz, the songs from the era in which the film was set brought to life the moods of the late and great Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, and Bull Moose Jackson.

Alongside Denzel Washington, Devil in a Blue Dress co-stars Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Maury Chaykin, and Don Cheadle. The film was also a vehicle for actor Carl Franklin to boost his career as a director. Franklin had previously been at the helm of the films Nowhere to Run and One False Move. Franklin is also credited with developing the screenplay from the 1990 Walter Mosley novel of the same name.

Devil in a Blue Dress was the brainchild of director Franklin, who had read and loved Mosely’s novel. The author loved the script that Franklin penned and agreed to serve as an associate producer of the film.

Influencer Bianca Dias has died days after undergoing a cosmetic surgery procedure.

The Brazilian content creator died on Thursday, February 19, according to her loved ones. Dias, who was known for documenting her experience as a model, most recently shared content from a vacation in London in December 2025. Those posts appeared to be her last activity on social media.

Dias’ friend Jeff Carlos took to Instagram to share news of her death, writing, “Death is nothing at all. Our bond has not been broken.”

Patrícia Ganden, who is also a social media creator, shared a tribute for Dias.

Related: Influencer Deaths of 2026: Bianca Dias and More Stars We’ve Lost This Year

Social media is paying tribute to many influencers who died in 2026. While recording a private New Year’s Eve livestream, Sergio Jiménez died at age 37. Spanish outlets El País and El Periódico reported that he was allegedly completing challenges, including consuming alcohol and cocaine in exchange for money. Days later, content creator Athira Auni […]

“I just know that we had beautiful moments, incredible conversations, may God comfort the family,” she wrote via Instagram after news broke of Dias’ death. “I will remember with much affection and pride of you.”

Dias’ pal Giovanna Borges confirmed that she had recently undergone cosmetic surgery and had initially been “in recovery” at home, adding, “She had a pulmonary clot, had 2 seizures, and when she arrived at the hospital, she was no longer alive.”

Borges continued: “I want to thank the countless messages, thank you all who took the time to worry and send messages, if you can pray for the family regardless of religion, I will be extremely grateful! 🤍.”

A wake was held for Dias on Friday, February 20, in São Paulo, Brazil.

Dias’ death comes after social media paid tribute to several influencers who have died in 2026. Earlier this month, Damiano Alberti died after a three-year battle with cancer.

“A part of us has flown away forever,” his family wrote via Instagram. “Damiano is free from everything he went through.” The statement continued, “Thank you for always supporting and respecting him; he loved his whole community and was proud of what he managed to build.”

Related: Influencer Deaths of 2025: Hailey Okula, Emilie Kiser’s Son and More

The online community honored the lives of several social media influencers who died in 2025. In April, nursing influencer Hailey Okula died at age 33 after giving birth to her first child. Her husband, Matthew Okula, confirmed that she died from an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE). Dr. Precious Barnes, DO, a family medicine physician specializing […]

Jéssica Daugirdas died one month prior at age 35 after being hospitalized with sepsis amid her colorectal cancer battle. “It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Jessica,” her family wrote in a statement via Instagram. “God, in His infinite wisdom, has taken our warrior to be with Him, after she fought bravely until the end, with strength, faith and courage.”

The statement continued: “In this time of grief, we unite in prayer so that the Lord may comfort the hearts of all family and friends, and that the peace of Christ may sustain each one.”

That same month, Esther Thomas died after undergoing surgery.

“Greetings … We the family of Esther Thomas [A.K.A Sunshine] with pain in our heart we regret to announce the sudden demise of our beloved sister and daughter Esther Thomas who suddenly passed away on the 9th of January 2026 after an unsuccessful surgery,” read a statement shared via Thomas’ Instagram. “She had [a] fibroid and was operated on so she couldn’t make it so we are trying to put things in place so we could put her to rest.”

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

Recently, Marvel icon Chris Hemsworth appeared on Smartless, a podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. They talked about many topics, and the conversation inevitably shifted to Marvel movies. At this point, I honestly expected the Thor actor to do some shameless advertising about how good these films are, essentially turning his appearance into a PR stunt for the MCU.

To my surprise, though, he got very frank about his absolute worst Marvel movie: Thor: Love and Thunder. In looking back on this disappointing film, Hemsworth admitted that it was “kind of like a Monty Python sketch” and “we sort of took the piss probably a little too much.” Thor was once one of the most serious heroes in the MCU, and the actor admitted that Love and Thunder left the fandom asking a very blunt question about his godly warrior: “Why is he a goofball?”

A Fumbling Franchise Pivots

It would be one thing if Thor: Love and Thunder were the first Thor film to be very silly. However, that happened earlier in Thor: Ragnarok, an openly comedic film that was a very deliberate tonal shift for the entire franchise. Such a picot was considered necessary because the previous film, Thor: The Dark World, was a critical stinker that many fans consider the worst entry in the entire MCU.

Director Taika Waititi turned Thor: Ragnarok into a kind of cosmic road-trip buddy comedy, and the film became a critical and commercial hit. Chris Hemsworth noted that the movie offered “quite a twist” on what audiences were expecting, thanks in large part to “Taika’s tone.” He noted that the fandom found the movie “fun” specifically because of the pivot to comedy: “there was a huge…appreciation for the shift.”

Too Much Of A Good Thing

In retrospect, Hemsworth believes that Thor: Love and Thunder failed because it leaned too far into comedy, making it feel more “like a Monty Python sketch” than a traditional superhero film. He pointed out that there was “backlash” to returning director Taika Waititi’s humor, with audiences wondering why Thor had become such a “goofball.” This is quite fair, honestly: Ragnarok allowed Hemsworth to show off his considerable comedic chops, but in Love and Thunder, he went from cracking jokes to being a joke.

On paper, Waititi was just giving fans more of the zany humor that they appreciated so much in Ragnarok. But it’s genuinely hard to make a follow-up to a good comedy, which is why so many sequels (like Caddyshack II and Blues Brothers 2000) to hilarious movies are downright terrible. This sequel’s humor was far inferior to Ragnarok, and even when the comedy in Thor: Love and Thunder did work, it felt bizarrely out of place given the dark storylines driving the film.

Were We Supposed To Laugh Or Cry?

Thor: Love and Thunder had some broad comedy beats that fell flat, including those stupid screaming goats. But if you rewatch the movie, more of the jokes land than you likely remember. The essential problem with this movie was that the tonal shifts between comedic and dramatic moments were so severe that they gave you whiplash!

The Big Bad of the movie is motivated to kill all deities in the universe after his daughter starves to death, and he discovers the god he so fervently worships just doesn’t care. Meanwhile, Jane Foster is dying of cancer, and every time she transforms into Thor, it makes her cancer worse. But she is willing to court death itself to save the universe from Gorr, a self-proclaimed God Butcher seeking justice for the little girl he loved more than anything else.

These are intense plots, and they are that much more impactful because Christian Bale and Natalie Portman give such astounding performances. In another director’s hands, this would have been a recipe for a heartbreaking, dramatic film that takes more cues from the Jason Aaron Thor comics they are based on. But Taika Waititi tried to tug on our heartstrings and make us laugh all at once, resulting in a movie that was disjointed at its best and unhinged at its worst.

To Be Or Not To Be (Funny)

The first two Thor movies were downright Shakespearean, with Thor taking himself very seriously. The second two were comedic, with audiences generally preferring Ragnarok and hating Love and Thunder. In retrospect, these movies have a clear pattern: every other Thor film has been a stinker, but the odd-numbered ones are good.

Now, Marvel is at a crossroads and must decide whether to continue making Thor the class clown of the Avengers or return him to his more grounded roots. We’ll know what they’ve decided when Avengers: Doomsday finally hits theaters later this year. Here’s hoping that the MCU stops “taking the piss” (to borrow Hemsworth’s blunt Aussie slang) and helps fans start believing in this god once again.