In the quiet suburbs of Australia, a god who could level mountains with a lightning bolt found himself unable to pay his share of the rent. This was the reality Chris Hemsworth's character, Thor, faced in the summer of 2016, not as a superhero saving the world, but as a clueless roommate struggling to understand human currency. The short film Team Thor, released on the 28th of August 2016, introduced audiences to a version of the Norse god who was more interested in his daily life than his divine destiny. Filmed just one month before production began on Thor: Ragnarok, the mockumentary served as a tonal test run for director Taika Waititi, who wanted to show fans that the upcoming film would be irreverent and different from previous Marvel entries. Thor, played by Hemsworth, moved in with a local office worker named Darryl Jacobson, portrayed by Daley Pearson, and the resulting dynamic became the core of a series that would redefine the character for a new generation. The film was presented as a grainy, VHS-style production, complete with a crudely edited title card, designed to feel like a real documentary made by the New Zealand Film Board. Thor spent his time visiting kindergarten classrooms, attempting to send emails to Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, and maintaining an investigative board that connected the Infinity Stones to the Avengers. When Bruce Banner appeared at a café, the conversation revealed that Stark and Rogers were ignoring Thor, prompting the god to start his own team, Team Thor, with Banner and Darryl. The film was screened first at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, where it was met with laughter and applause, setting the stage for a series that would eventually include two more shorts and a character who would outlive the Blip.
The Roommate From Another Dimension
Darryl Jacobson was not a superhero, nor was he a villain, but he was the only person who could keep up with Thor's chaotic schedule. In the second installment, Team Thor: Part 2, released on the 2nd of February 2017, the focus shifted to the domestic struggles of living with a god. Darryl found himself stuck with most of the cleaning while Thor, who was out of touch with time, tried to pay rent using Asgardian currency. The frustration mounted as Darryl suggested Thor get a job, only to be met with laughter and a counter-suggestion that they get a servant. The film, which was also known as Team Thor: Part 2, Where Are They Now?, included additional footage from Thor's visit to the kindergarten classroom, showing the god's attempts to connect with children. The interview ended with Thor feeling he did not need anyone else in his life besides Darryl, and he suggested that Darryl get a superhero outfit. The short was released on the home media of Doctor Strange, and it was praised for its humor and the chemistry between Hemsworth and Pearson. Critics like Ethan Anderton of /Film and Germain Lussier at io9 found the film hilarious, with Lussier noting that Ragnarok would be amazing if it had even a small amount of this humor. The film was also seen as a perfect capture of Waititi's irreverent sense of humor, with Collider's Tommy Cook praising Hemsworth's comedic abilities. The short was a sequel no one could accuse of suffering from sequelitis, and it set the stage for the final installment of the series.The Grandmaster's New Assistant
After Thor moved out of Darryl's apartment, the office worker found himself in Los Angeles, rooming with the Grandmaster, the only person who responded to his ads. In Team Darryl, released on the 20th of February 2018, Darryl's life took a turn for the bizarre as he performed menial tasks for the Grandmaster, such as taking out the trash and driving him around. The Grandmaster, played by Jeff Goldblum, believed Darryl would be a good replacement assistant, but he also had issues understanding Darryl's personal space and had his own anger issues. The Grandmaster stated he had grown accustomed to Earth and planned to take it over, with Darryl standing at his side. He created a video explaining his plan and posted it to the internet, but after receiving no views, he planned to advertise the first video by posting a second video with a musical guest. He hired Darryl's friends to help him but melted one of them when his expectations were not met. Darryl confessed he was unsure if the Grandmaster also wanted to melt him, and admitted he missed Thor as his roommate. The film was released on digital download for Thor: Ragnarok and on Blu-ray on the 6th of March 2018. It was set after the events of Thor: Ragnarok and was a continuation from the film's post-credits scene. The short was praised for its humor and the chemistry between Pearson and Goldblum, with Alexandra August at Comic Book Resources calling it just as hilarious as the Team Thor installments before it, if a little more disturbing.The Mockumentary That Redefined Thor
The Team Thor series was not just a collection of short films, but a strategic move by Marvel Studios to introduce fans to the irreverent tone of Thor: Ragnarok. Before the shorts were released, many fans were unsure of Waititi's new tonal approach for the film. Waititi felt that Team Thor helped them a lot by giving fans the opportunity to see just how irreverent they were going to be, and just how different they were making Thor and Bruce Banner. In September 2016, Waititi said that 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. 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. The three shorts were made available on Disney+ in January 2022, at which point Marvel classified them as One-Shots. The series was praised for its humor and Hemsworth's performance, with critics like Don Kaye at Syfy Wire calling Team Thor one of the best movies Marvel has ever made. The shorts were also seen as a great replacement for the Marvel One-Shots, with Collider's Adam Chitwood noting that there were a number of really funny touches and that Hemsworth and Waititi were a good comedic fit.The Aftermath of the Blip
In August 2018, Daley Pearson released a video reprising his role as Darryl to state he survived the Blip, as seen in Avengers: Infinity War. The video showed Darryl forced to work weekends since many of his co-workers did not survive. He also wished Thor a happy birthday and asked him if he could transfer any money, as Darryl was now in debt. This short clip, which was not part of the original Team Thor series, showed that Darryl's life continued even after the events of the Blip. In April 2019, Hemsworth expressed interest in doing more Team Thor short films, with the possibility of doing a television series. Pearson appears as Darryl in Thor: Love and Thunder, released in 2022, as a New Asgard tour guide. The character's journey from a clueless office worker to a survivor of the Blip and a tour guide showed the depth of the character's development. The shorts were also seen as a way to connect the MCU films, with Team Thor: Part 2 being released on the home media of Doctor Strange and Team Darryl being released on the home media of Thor: Ragnarok. The series was a testament to the power of short films to expand the MCU, and to the creativity of Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth.In the quiet suburbs of Australia, a god who could level mountains with a lightning bolt found himself unable to pay his share of the rent. This was the reality Chris Hemsworth's character, Thor, faced in the summer of 2016, not as a superhero saving the world, but as a clueless roommate struggling to understand human currency. The short film Team Thor, released on the 28th of August 2016, introduced audiences to a version of the Norse god who was more interested in his daily life than his divine destiny. Filmed just one month before production began on Thor: Ragnarok, the mockumentary served as a tonal test run for director Taika Waititi, who wanted to show fans that the upcoming film would be irreverent and different from previous Marvel entries. Thor, played by Hemsworth, moved in with a local office worker named Darryl Jacobson, portrayed by Daley Pearson, and the resulting dynamic became the core of a series that would redefine the character for a new generation. The film was presented as a grainy, VHS-style production, complete with a crudely edited title card, designed to feel like a real documentary made by the New Zealand Film Board. Thor spent his time visiting kindergarten classrooms, attempting to send emails to Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, and maintaining an investigative board that connected the Infinity Stones to the Avengers. When Bruce Banner appeared at a café, the conversation revealed that Stark and Rogers were ignoring Thor, prompting the god to start his own team, Team Thor, with Banner and Darryl. The film was screened first at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, where it was met with laughter and applause, setting the stage for a series that would eventually include two more shorts and a character who would outlive the Blip.
The Roommate From Another Dimension
Darryl Jacobson was not a superhero, nor was he a villain, but he was the only person who could keep up with Thor's chaotic schedule. In the second installment, Team Thor: Part 2, released on the 2nd of February 2017, the focus shifted to the domestic struggles of living with a god. Darryl found himself stuck with most of the cleaning while Thor, who was out of touch with time, tried to pay rent using Asgardian currency. The frustration mounted as Darryl suggested Thor get a job, only to be met with laughter and a counter-suggestion that they get a servant. The film, which was also known as Team Thor: Part 2, Where Are They Now?, included additional footage from Thor's visit to the kindergarten classroom, showing the god's attempts to connect with children. The interview ended with Thor feeling he did not need anyone else in his life besides Darryl, and he suggested that Darryl get a superhero outfit. The short was released on the home media of Doctor Strange, and it was praised for its humor and the chemistry between Hemsworth and Pearson. Critics like Ethan Anderton of /Film and Germain Lussier at io9 found the film hilarious, with Lussier noting that Ragnarok would be amazing if it had even a small amount of this humor. The film was also seen as a perfect capture of Waititi's irreverent sense of humor, with Collider's Tommy Cook praising Hemsworth's comedic abilities. The short was a sequel no one could accuse of suffering from sequelitis, and it set the stage for the final installment of the series.
The Grandmaster's New Assistant
After Thor moved out of Darryl's apartment, the office worker found himself in Los Angeles, rooming with the Grandmaster, the only person who responded to his ads. In Team Darryl, released on the 20th of February 2018, Darryl's life took a turn for the bizarre as he performed menial tasks for the Grandmaster, such as taking out the trash and driving him around. The Grandmaster, played by Jeff Goldblum, believed Darryl would be a good replacement assistant, but he also had issues understanding Darryl's personal space and had his own anger issues. The Grandmaster stated he had grown accustomed to Earth and planned to take it over, with Darryl standing at his side. He created a video explaining his plan and posted it to the internet, but after receiving no views, he planned to advertise the first video by posting a second video with a musical guest. He hired Darryl's friends to help him but melted one of them when his expectations were not met. Darryl confessed he was unsure if the Grandmaster also wanted to melt him, and admitted he missed Thor as his roommate. The film was released on digital download for Thor: Ragnarok and on Blu-ray on the 6th of March 2018. It was set after the events of Thor: Ragnarok and was a continuation from the film's post-credits scene. The short was praised for its humor and the chemistry between Pearson and Goldblum, with Alexandra August at Comic Book Resources calling it just as hilarious as the Team Thor installments before it, if a little more disturbing.
The Mockumentary That Redefined Thor
The Team Thor series was not just a collection of short films, but a strategic move by Marvel Studios to introduce fans to the irreverent tone of Thor: Ragnarok. Before the shorts were released, many fans were unsure of Waititi's new tonal approach for the film. Waititi felt that Team Thor helped them a lot by giving fans the opportunity to see just how irreverent they were going to be, and just how different they were making Thor and Bruce Banner. In September 2016, Waititi said that 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. 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. The three shorts were made available on Disney+ in January 2022, at which point Marvel classified them as One-Shots. The series was praised for its humor and Hemsworth's performance, with critics like Don Kaye at Syfy Wire calling Team Thor one of the best movies Marvel has ever made. The shorts were also seen as a great replacement for the Marvel One-Shots, with Collider's Adam Chitwood noting that there were a number of really funny touches and that Hemsworth and Waititi were a good comedic fit.
The Aftermath of the Blip
In August 2018, Daley Pearson released a video reprising his role as Darryl to state he survived the Blip, as seen in Avengers: Infinity War. The video showed Darryl forced to work weekends since many of his co-workers did not survive. He also wished Thor a happy birthday and asked him if he could transfer any money, as Darryl was now in debt. This short clip, which was not part of the original Team Thor series, showed that Darryl's life continued even after the events of the Blip. In April 2019, Hemsworth expressed interest in doing more Team Thor short films, with the possibility of doing a television series. Pearson appears as Darryl in Thor: Love and Thunder, released in 2022, as a New Asgard tour guide. The character's journey from a clueless office worker to a survivor of the Blip and a tour guide showed the depth of the character's development. The shorts were also seen as a way to connect the MCU films, with Team Thor: Part 2 being released on the home media of Doctor Strange and Team Darryl being released on the home media of Thor: Ragnarok. The series was a testament to the power of short films to expand the MCU, and to the creativity of Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth.