7 Marvel Cinematic Universe "What Ifs" That Should Have Happened
4. Thor Told Non-Chronologically
Thor, while managing to be an entertaining film lacked in structure. Once Thor lands on Earth and seemingly learns his lesson shortly after ruin the forward momentum. After failing to pick the hammer up, Loki secretly visits him in S.H.I.E.L.D. containment telling him peace on Asgard is conditional with Thors banishment, and Odin is dead. Thor learns his lesson and decides to mope about on Earth for the next 30 minutes having awkward sexual chemistry with Jane and drinking with Selvig. What if Thor argued with Loki and wanted back in Asgard to rule and war against the Frost Giants? It would have still perpetuated the reasoning of why Thor needs to be banished and learn his lesson, given him more purpose and a goal throughout the second act and make Loki even more pissed at his arrogance. What if they told parts of the story non-chronologically? What if it started in a grounded, realistic setting? Jane runs a man over claiming to be a Norse God Thor who immediately tries to get his hammer back. Humoring him, she asks how it happened which is fed through flashbacks of Thor on his knighting day, frost giants breaking into the vault room, the siege on Jotenheim and Thor being banished. When he fails at getting his hammer and escapes with the help of Jane and Selvig, he can be trying to get back into Asgard while telling stories about its glory. This leads into other flashbacks that would have developed supporting characters more such as Loki, Odin, the Warriors 3, Sif. The runtime being 1 hr and 45 min definitely allowed for some screen time to dish out back-story, possibly even another battle scene. This structure would help keep the sense of a rising action up until the end.
