I’ve expressed in passing that the post-Endgame MCU films have been misses or mediocre for me. While there’s still some fun in going to see the latest Marvel movie, I’ve been less-than-impressed with multiple of the recent MCU films. The Spider-man movies after Endgame were great, I really liked Shang-Chi, and I’d agree that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was a strong entry. Other than those? I can take them or leave them. I even stopped watching the MCU shows because I lost interest. The hype train is sputtering along, desperately in need of a long refueling. I could go on a long ramble of why I think the MCU is suffering to find its footing again (cough—fan service—cough—no central leading hero like Tony Stark—cough) but that’s actually not what I want to write on today.

I want to talk about the MCU’s Thor.

While this seems really late in the MCU game to bring this up, it’s not entirely random. Saddened by the MCU’s dwindling awesomeness, I wondered: Were the Marvel movies always this disappointing? Was the hype all a lie? To answer these questions, I rewatched Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame back-to-back, and was relieved to find out that the Infinity Saga still holds up. With clear central heroic characters, fantastic storytelling, and great dialogue, the Avengers’ brawl with Thanos showcases the best of what made this cinematic experiment so special.

Except for one small detail that really bothers me: Thor’s final scene in Avengers: Endgame.

Now, as a mild disclaimer, I’m well aware that the topic of character arcs and Avengers: Endgame is risky to bring up. While I take issue with Thor’s ending, I actually like how Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov, and Steve Rogers’s endings play out, which is controversial with some fans. From my perspective, Tony Stark’s sacrifice at the end of the film is the perfect end to his hero’s journey, as is Natasha’s. I’ve heard some compelling arguments that Captain America’s journey to stay back in his own time is counter to his character, but I still like how they ended his story and don’t take that much issue with it. But I’m not here to talk about the three of them: I’m focused on Thor.

Thor’s MCU storyline is still going on, maybe, but I do feel as if the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame ruined his trajectory. Don’t get me wrong, I like the plotline of Thor coping with his depression and the immense loss and regret he’s faced. That’s a realistic character arc that many people can relate to, and still a relatively novel direction to take a superhero’s story. But ending his Endgame arc with him going on an intergalactic journey of self-discovery? Really? It never felt like the best way to resolve his storyline, for a few reasons.

First and foremost, Thor leaving his own people undermines his whole trilogy’s journey to become a worthy king of Asgard. This is Thor’s individual arc in his original trio of movies. Thor begins with his interrupted coronation and Thor: Ragnarok ends by him taking his place as Asgard’s king at last, finally worthy to rule his people. Considering that the events of Avengers: Infinity War occur immediately after that moment, Thor’s decision to leave with the Guardians at the end of Endgame makes his whole first arc seem pointless. He never rules his people, and the decision erases the significance of all he’s dealt with.

Thor walking away from Asgard feels like a dishonor to his family, which is out of character for him. Thor’s family relationships with his father, mother, and brother Loki are a central part of his character and story arc. To walk away from the throne of Asgard, which Loki fought to have, which his father entrusted him with, feels like a slap in the face of their memory. I would think that the throne of Asgard would allow Thor to draw closer to the memory of his family, to honor them with how he leaves his own legacy as king.

Additionally, Thor’s rejection of his crown makes his redemption and healing arc fall flat, thus undermining his Infinity War / Endgame arc. Thor is brought low by his failure to stop Thanos. He falls into despair because he believes he is unworthy, that he is not fit to rule his people or be a hero any longer. Though he rises to the occasion of the final fight, leaving New Asgard feels like a further rejection of his responsibility and makes his redemption arc hollow. Don’t get me wrong: I’m all for Thor continuing to have to work through his own depression after Endgame. But I find it more hopeful, inspiring, and redemptive for him to do so while taking up the responsibility of the throne. This is more true-to-real-life as well. The majority of us fighting depression and anxiety don’t have the option to retreat; we must find ways to heal and cope while not letting go of our responsibilities to our families, to employers, to society, etc. We don’t have the option to go on a journey of self-discovery, as Thor essentially attempts. Besides, the idea that self-discovery happens by leaving familiar communities is a myth at best and a misleading lie at worst, in my opinion. While we certainly don’t need others to validate who we are and shouldn’t let others’ opinions dictate our actions, we still learn who we are and our purpose through community: through how we engage with others, how we serve and contribute, etc. We need other trusted people in our lives. There’s more I could say about this topic, but my point is this: Thor’s choice to leave his people feels like he’s merely continuing to run away from his problems and that his depression wins. It is not a good model of how we find healing in our lives.

And it’s one of the reasons why Love and Thunder fell flat for me. I’d much rather watch a movie about a king struggling with leading his people while continuing to battle his own grief. To see Thor still embrace his responsibility as king despite of his own struggle is a more admirable, more compelling, and more hopeful character arc. It’s a storyline that would’ve been more inspiring to ordinary people, as well as a better model at how to work through our own traumas, low points, and hardships with the community around us.