Team Thor (film series)

Team Thor is a series of American direct-to-video mockumentary short films produced by Marvel Studios, featuring characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), released from 2016 to 2018. The series consists of Team Thor, Team Thor: Part 2, and Team Darryl, all written and directed by Taika Waititi, and are included as special features in the MCU films' Blu-ray and digital distribution releases. The first two films follow Thor as he moves in with a new roommate, Darryl Jacobson, during the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), while Team Darryl sees Darryl move to Los Angeles and gain the Grandmaster as a roommate.

Team Thor
The title card for the first short
Directed byTaika Waititi
Produced by
Screenplay byTaika Waititi
Based onCharacters published
by Marvel Comics
Starring
Edited byJoel Negron
Production
company
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Home Entertainment
Release date
2016–2018
Running time
3–6 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Chris Hemsworth reprises his role as Thor in the first two films, while Daley Pearson appears as Darryl Jacobson in all three. Mark Ruffalo also appears in the first film and Jeff Goldblum appears in the third. Filming for Team Thor occurred one month before the start of Thor: Ragnarok (2017) filming, and was done to present the tonal style of Ragnarok before its release. The shorts were widely praised for their comedic nature, particularly Hemsworth's performance.

Development

Team Thor was filmed one month before Thor: Ragnarok (2017) began filming in July 2016.[1][2] It is a mockumentary, similar to director Taika Waititi's other film, What We Do in the Shadows (2014).[3] Before Team Thor was released, many fans were unsure of the tone approach for Ragnarok. Waititi felt Team Thor "helped us a lot" by giving "fans the opportunity to see just how irreverent we were gonna be, and just how different we were making Thor, and [Bruce] Banner as well."[1] In September 2016, Waititi said Darryl Jacobson would "probably" be seen again, adding that "There may be other little pieces of [Team Thor] that may just be a small part of a bigger thing."[4]

In October 2017, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige stated that he saw the shorts as a "doable" version of their previous Marvel One-Shots shorts series, and felt that they "in some parts helped redefine Thor into what he's become in Ragnarok in a fun way."[5] As well, Jeff Goldblum, who portrays the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok, stated he had shot footage with Waititi for another short,[6] which became Team Darryl.[7]

Films
Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter Producer Home media release
Digital Physical
Team Thor August 28, 2016 (2016-08-28) September 13, 2016 (2016-09-13) Taika Waititi[8] Kevin Feige Captain America: Civil War
Team Thor: Part 2 February 14, 2017 (2017-02-14) February 28, 2017 (2017-02-28) Doctor Strange
Team Darryl February 20, 2018 (2018-02-20) March 6, 2018 (2018-03-06) Thor: Ragnarok

Team Thor (2016)

After saving Earth with the Avengers, Thor took a short break in Australia where he lives with a local, ordinary, office worker Darryl Jacobson. As he does this, he is interviewed by a film crew and talks about his daily life in Australia. Thor is seen visiting a kindergarten classroom, attempting to send emails with Darryl's help to Tony Stark and Steve Rogers concerning their conflict,[lower-alpha 1] and revealing his investigative board concerning the connections between the Infinity Stones, the Avengers, Nick Fury, and Thanos. Later, Thor meets Bruce Banner at a cafe regarding not being contacted by Stark and Rogers. Banner receives a phone call from Stark, who does not appear to want to reach out or talk to Thor. As such, Thor decides to start his own team, Team Thor, with him and Darryl.

Team Thor was first screened at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con,[9] before being released online on August 28, 2016.[10] It was also released on the home media of Captain America: Civil War (2016) in September 2016.[10][11] The film is also known as While You Were Fighting: A Thor Mockumentary.[12] The mockumentary was said to have been produced by the "New Zealand Film Board",[13] and its title card features a grainy, VHS-style logo of Captain America: Civil War with "Team Thor" "crudely put over it".[3] Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo reprise their Marvel Cinematic Universe roles as Thor and Bruce Banner, respectively,[9] with Daley Pearson appearing as Thor's Australian flatmate Darryl Jacobson.[14]

Team Thor: Part 2 (2017)

Continuing from the first mockumentary, Thor and his roommate Darryl discuss their domestic responsibilities at their apartment, with Darryl being stuck with most of the cleaning. Darryl then proceeds to state how Thor is a nice person but out of touch with time, and becomes frustrated with Thor's attempts to pay rent with Asgardian currency. He suggests Thor look for a job, which Thor laughs at and counters by suggesting they get a servant, ultimately hiring one. Additional footage from Thor's visit to the kindergarten classroom is also shown. The interview ends with Thor feeling he does not need anyone else in his life besides Darryl, and suggests that Darryl get a superhero outfit.

Team Thor: Part 2 was released on the home media of Doctor Strange (2016) in February 2017.[14][15] The film is also known as Team Thor: Part 2, Where Are They Now?.[16][17] Hemsworth and Pearson both return for the short.[17]

Team Darryl (2018)

After Thor moved out of Darryl's apartment, Darryl moves to Los Angeles and becomes roommates with the Grandmaster, the only person who responded to his ads. The Grandmaster believes Darryl would be a good replacement assistant and various clips are shown of Darryl performing menial tasks for the Grandmaster, such as taking out the trash and driving him around. Darryl goes on to describe how the Grandmaster seems like a good person but has issues understanding Darryl's personal space and has his own anger issues. The Grandmaster states he has grown accustomed to Earth and plans to take it over, with Darryl standing at his side. He creates a video explaining his plan and posts it to the internet. However, after receiving no views, he plans to advertise the first video by posting a second video with a musical guest. He hires Darryl's friends to help him but melts one of them when his expectations are not met. Darryl confesses he is unsure if the Grandmaster also wants to melt him, and admits he misses Thor as his roommate.

Team Darryl was released on digital download for Thor: Ragnarok on February 20, 2018, and on Blu-ray on March 6. Pearson reprises his role as Darryl and is joined by Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster.[7] It is set after the events of Thor: Ragnarok and is a continuation from one of that film's post-credits scenes.[18]

Cast and characters
Character Films
Team Thor
(2016)		 Team Thor: Part 2
(2017)		 Team Darryl
(2018)
Bruce Banner Mark Ruffalo[9]
Grandmaster Jeff Goldblum[7]
Darryl Jacobson Daley Pearson[14][7]
Thor Chris Hemsworth[9][17]

Reception
The comedy from Chris Hemsworth in the shorts was widely praised

Despite being "a silly little short", Ethan Anderton of /Film found Team Thor "hilarious",[9] as did Germain Lussier at io9, who felt "if an iota of this humor is in Thor: Ragnarok, it's going to be amazing".[3] Anderton later added similar short films like Team Thor "would be a great replacement" for the Marvel One-Shots.[19] Collider's Tommy Cook and Adam Chitwood also enjoyed the short, with Cook feeling it "perfectly captured Waititi's irreverent sense of humor" and praised Hemsworth's comedic abilities,[13] while Chitwood said there were "a number of really funny touches" and noted Hemsworth and Waititi were a good comedic fit.[20] Ross A. Lincoln of Deadline Hollywood enjoyed the film and Hemsworth's comedy as well, calling it "one of the biggest highlights" from Marvel's Comic-Con panel and hoped that it would serve as a good indication for how Thor: Ragnarok would turn out.[21] Don Kaye at Syfy Wire called Team Thor "one of the best movies Marvel has ever made".[22]

In anticipation of Part 2 releasing, Nathalie Caron from Syfy Wire noted by its teaser that it was "[u]sing the same brand of humor that made the first... such a massive hit with fans everywhere".[16] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Aaron Couch called Part 2 "the sequel no one could accuse of suffering from sequelitis".[17] Alexandra August at Comic Book Resources called Team Darryl "just as hilarious as the Team Thor installments before it, if a little (way) more disturbing".[23]

Related content and future

In August 2018, Daley Pearson released a video reprising his role as Darryl to state he survived "the Snap",[lower-alpha 2] and is forced to work weekends since many of his co-workers did not survive. He also wishes Thor a happy birthday and asks him if he can transfer any money, as Darryl is now in debt.[24] In April 2019, Hemsworth expressed interest in doing more Team Thor short films, with the possibility of doing a television series.[8]

See also

Notes
  1. As seen in Captain America: Civil War (2016).[9]
  2. As seen in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).[24]

References
  1. Leane, Rob (October 23, 2017). "Thor: Ragnarok – director Taika Waititi interview". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020.
  2. Simonot, Suzanne (June 6, 2016). "Blockbuster to be born on Fourth of July as Marvel confirms Thor: Ragnarok start date". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  3. Lussier, Germain (July 24, 2016). "We Saw a Glimpse of Thor: Ragnarok, But Learning What Thor Did During Civil War Was Even Better". io9. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  4. Tily, Chris (September 16, 2016). "Is Thor's Roommate in Ragnarok?". IGN. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  5. David, Erik (October 23, 2017). "Marvel Has Big Plans For Korg And Miek From 'Thor: Ragnarok'". Fandango. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  6. Chavez, Danette (October 25, 2017). "Jeff Goldblum will hang out with Darryl in new Team Thor short". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  7. Lussier, Germain (January 10, 2018). "Thor's Pal Darryl Is Back for the Ragnarok Blu-ray With a New Roommate You'll Love". io9. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  8. Carbone, Gina (April 12, 2019). "Yes! Chris Hemsworth Is Down For A Team Thor TV Show With Darryl". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020.
  9. Anderton, Ethan (July 23, 2016). "'Thor: Ragnarok' Footage: Hulk vs Thor, Surtur the Demon & More [Comic-Con 2016]". /Film. Archived from the original on July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  10. Couch, Aaron (August 28, 2016). "Watch the 'Thor' Mockumentary Showing What the Avenger Was Doing During 'Civil War'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  11. Perry, Spencer (June 30, 2016). "Captain America: Civil War Blu-Ray and Digital Release Coming in September". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  12. Murthi, Vikram (August 29, 2016). "'While You Were Fighting: A Thor Mockumentary': Watch Taika Waititi's Hilarious MCU Short". IndieWire. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  13. Cook, Tommy (July 24, 2016). "'Thor: Ragnarok' Panel and Footage Recap: The God of Thunder Goes on Vacation". Collider. Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  14. Romano, Nick (January 6, 2017). "Hilarious 'Team Thor' mockumentary is getting a Part 2". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  15. Goldberg, Matt (January 6, 2017). "'Doctor Strange' Blu-ray Details Revealed; Will Include "Team Thor: Part 2"". Collider. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  16. Caron, Nathalie (May 2, 2017). "Team Thor Part 2 Teaser: Watch It a Gazillion Times". Syfy Wire. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  17. Couch, Aaron (February 14, 2017). "'Thor' Mockumentary Gets the Sequel Darryl Deserves". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  18. Plante, Corey (February 20, 2018). "Thor's Roommate Darryl Returns in 'Ragnarok' Special Features". Inverse. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  19. Anderton, Ethan (August 28, 2016). "Watch: Hilarious 'Thor: Ragnarok' Mockumentary Shows What Thor Did During Civil War". /Film. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  20. Chitwood, Adam (August 28, 2016). "See What Thor Was Doing During 'Civil War' in Hilarious Bonus Feature". Collider. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  21. Lincoln, Ross A. (August 28, 2016). "'Team Thor': See What The God Of Thunder Was Up To During 'Captain America: Civil War'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  22. Kaye, Don (May 7, 2017). "We're Getting A Sequel to the Hilarious Team Thor Short". Syfy Wire. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  23. August, Alexandra (February 20, 2018). "Thor: Ragnarok's Deleted Scenes, Explained". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  24. Hornshaw, Phil (August 13, 2018). "Thor's Roommate Darryl Survived 'Avengers: Infinity War,' Which Proves Thanos Was Bad for the Economy". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
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