10 Times Changing The Tone Saved Movie Franchises

If the infallible Marvel Cinematic Universe had a chink in its armour, it'd be Thor: The Dark World. Not that it's bad, really, but it could've been so much more. Leaning into fantastical elements but refusing to fully commit to them, the result just comes across as confused. A series of forced, misplaced jokes ended up clashing heavily with the story's more serious nature, which is already trying to sell arguably MCU's weakest villain to audiences (and that's saying something).

Kevin Feige already likes to shake things up once the third film comes around, and no MCU sub-series needed it as much as Thor. So fans weren't surprised that Taika Waititi was drafted in for Thor: Ragnarok to essentially make a comedy, losing the Shakespearian influences of its predecessors in favour of a silly, cosmic adventure.

Star Chris Hemsworth shines with this new material, making full use of his unbridled charisma and previously untapped comedic potential yet still manages to have a wholly satisfying arc that made audiences fall in love with the character once again. Yes, Ragnarok may have sacrificed some dramatic beats, but there's a reason Waititi's follow-up to this is one of MCU's most anticipated films in Phase 4.