| Team Thor | |
|---|---|
 The title card for the first short | |
| Directed by | Taika Waititi |
| Screenplay by | Taika Waititi |
| Based on | Characters published byMarvel Comics |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Joel Negron |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment |
Release date | 2016–2018 |
Running time | 3–6 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Team Thor is a series of Americandirect-to-videomockumentaryshort films produced byMarvel Studios, featuring characters from theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Initially released from 2016 to 2018, they were included as special features inthe MCU films'Blu-ray anddigital distribution releases and are the sixth through eighthMarvel One-Shot short films. The series consists ofTeam Thor,Team Thor: Part 2, andTeam Darryl, all written and directed byTaika Waititi.
Chris Hemsworth reprises his role asThor in the first two films, in which he moves in with a new roommate,Darryl Jacobson (Daley Pearson), during the events ofCaptain America: Civil War (2016).Mark Ruffalo also appears in the first film asBruce Banner, whileJeff Goldblum appears in the third as theGrandmaster, whom Darryl lives with after moving to Los Angeles. Filming forTeam Thor occurred one month before the start of filming onThor: Ragnarok (2017) and was done to introduce MCU fans to the irreverent tone ofRagnarok.
The shorts were praised for their humor and Hemsworth's performance. They were made available onDisney+ in January 2022, at which point Marvel classified them as One-Shots.
Team Thor was filmed one month beforeThor: Ragnarok (2017) began filming in July 2016.[1][2] It is amockumentary, similar to directorTaika Waititi's filmWhat We Do in the Shadows (2014).[3] BeforeTeam Thor was released, many fans were unsure of Waititi's new tonal approach forRagnarok. Waititi feltTeam 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 makingThor, and[Bruce] Banner as well".[1] In September 2016, Waititi saidDarryl 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 PresidentKevin Feige stated that he saw the shorts as a "doable" version of their previousMarvel One-Shots shorts series, and felt that they "in some parts helped redefine Thor into what he's become inRagnarok in a fun way."[5] As well,Jeff Goldblum, who portrays theGrandmaster inThor: Ragnarok, stated he had shot footage with Waititi for another short,[6] which becameTeam Darryl.[7] The three shorts were made available onDisney+ in January 2022,[8] at which point Marvel classified them as One-Shots.[9][10]
| 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[11] | 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 | ||
After saving Earth with theAvengers,Thor takes a short break in Australia where he lives with a local 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 toTony Stark andSteve Rogers concerning their conflict,[a] and revealing his investigative board concerning the connections between theInfinity Stones, the Avengers,Nick Fury, andThanos. Later, Thor meets Bruce Banner at a café 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 2016San Diego Comic-Con,[12] before being released online on August 28, 2016.[13] It was also released on the digital home media ofCaptain America: Civil War (2016) in September 2016.[13][14] The film is also known asWhile You Were Fighting: A Thor Mockumentary.[15] The mockumentary was said to have been produced by the "New Zealand Film Board",[16] and its title card features a grainy, VHS-style logo ofCaptain America: Civil War with "Team Thor" "crudely put over it".[3]Chris Hemsworth andMark Ruffalo reprise theirMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) roles as Thor and Bruce Banner, respectively,[12] withDaley Pearson appearing as Thor's Australian flatmate Darryl Jacobson.[17] The film was referred to asTeam Thor: Part 1 with its release onDisney+ in January 2022.[10]
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 withAsgardian currency. He suggests Thor look for a job, which Thor laughs at and counters by suggesting they get a servant. Additional footage from Thor's visit to the kindergarten classroom is 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 ofDoctor Strange (2016) in February 2017,[17][18] with Hemsworth and Pearson both returning.[19] The film is also known asTeam Thor: Part 2, Where Are They Now?[20][19]
After Thor moved out of Darryl's apartment, Darryl moves to Los Angeles and becomes roommates with theGrandmaster, 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 ondigital download forThor: Ragnarok on February 20, 2018, and onBlu-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 ofThor: Ragnarok and is a continuation from the film'spost-credits scene.[21]
| Character | Films | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Thor (2016) | Team Thor: Part 2 (2017) | Team Darryl (2018) | |
| Bruce Banner | Mark Ruffalo[12] | ||
| Grandmaster | Jeff Goldblum[7] | ||
| Darryl Jacobson | Daley Pearson[17][7] | ||
| Thor | Chris Hemsworth[12][19] | ||
Despite being "a silly little short", Ethan Anderton of/Film foundTeam Thor to be hilarious,[12] as did Germain Lussier atio9, who feltRagnarok would be amazing if it had "an iota of this humor".[3] Anderton later added that similar short films likeTeam Thor would be a great replacement for the Marvel One-Shots.[22]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,[16] while Chitwood said there were "a number of really funny touches" and noted Hemsworth and Waititi were a good comedic fit.[23] Ross A. Lincoln ofDeadline Hollywood enjoyed the film and Hemsworth's comedy as well, calling it one of the biggest highlights from Marvel's Comic-Con panel and hoping that it served as a good indication for howRagnarok would turn out.[24] Don Kaye atSyfy Wire calledTeam Thor "one of the best movies Marvel has ever made".[25]
In anticipation ofPart 2 releasing, Nathalie Caron fromSyfy Wire noted by its teaser that it was "using the same brand of humor that made the first... such a massive hit with fans everywhere".[20] Writing forThe Hollywood Reporter, Aaron Couch calledPart 2 "the sequel no one could accuse of suffering from sequelitis".[19] Alexandra August atComic Book Resources calledTeam Darryl "just as hilarious as theTeam Thor installments before it, if a little (way) more disturbing".[26]
In August 2018, Daley Pearson released a video reprising his role as Darryl to state he survivedthe Blip, as seen inAvengers: Infinity War (2018), 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.[27] In April 2019, Hemsworth expressed interest in doing moreTeam Thor short films, with the possibility of doing a television series.[11] Pearson appears as Darryl inThor: Love and Thunder (2022) as a New Asgard tour guide.[28]
