The New Zealand born director recently engaged with his fans in an Instagram Live session while he watched the 2017 film. In true Waititi fashion, most of the stream ended up being a series of witticisms with his pals Mark Ruffalo and Tessa Thompson dropping by to say hi and add to the chaos that had ensued. There were, however, little nuggets of information that were being dropped every now and then with regard to Ragnarok and Love and Thunder. At one point, Waititi threw in a cool tease (via Collider), providing two exciting words that would shake the very foundation of the MCU:
Wellll… “What in the Sam hell are we dealing with here”, you ask? Fret not, for it’s my job to enlighten you! Space Sharks have some precedent in Marvel’s comics. Otherwise known as Star Sharks, they are shark-like creatures that do not need bodies of water to survive. Rather, they swim around in the cosmos at high speeds. These creatures are common targets of alien races such as the Brood, who possess and modify them to suit their needs. Similarly, the Chitauri – you know, Thanos’ army in the Avengers movies – used a hybrid of the Star Shark to create the Leviathan transport vessels (also featured in the Avengers films). Now, here’s where things get interesting. In one particular universe, these creatures are known to orbit the world of Indigarr, which is the home of a powerful Thor villain, Gorr the God Butcher. For those not in the know, Gorr is a relatively new creation, first appearing in Thor: God of Thunder #2 in 2013. Bonding with his Necrosword aka the first ancestor of the symbiotes (i.e. Venom), Gorr goes about on a crusade to destroy all living deities in existence. Think God of War’s Kratos, but on a much larger and cosmic scale for vengeance. So, does Taika’s simple tease of sharks in space also indicate the arrival of the God Butcher? Right now, it’s merely speculation from Waititi’s gleeful spewings and drunken madness. Nevertheless, he did mention that things are about to get weird in the sequel, saying that “it’s so over the top now in the very best way”, so, I suppose Jaws in Space is about to see a faithful adaptation. Thor: Love and Thunder currently has Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Natalie Portman on board to reprise their roles as Thor, Valkyrie, and Jane Foster respectively. Christian Bale has been cast but Waititi has kept mum on the specifications of his role. You know, if one flowing-haired hero can ride a shark into battle and make it look epic, I don’t see why the god of thunder shouldn’t do the same in space in February of 2022.
