Marvel Icon Slammed for Promoting “Unnecessary” Medical Procedures to Fans

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Thor (Chris Hemsworth) stands shirtless with sparks flying around him, set against a blurred background that suggests a mystical or ancient setting. His intense expression and the dramatic lighting highlight his powerful presence.

Credit: Marvel Studios

Following director Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) has stayed resolutely out of the Marvel picture. He’s now (spoilers) a dad, after all.

Two characters stand in a grassy area. The female character on the left has long blonde hair, wears armor, and holds a hammer. The male character on the right has long blonde hair, wears armor with a red cape, and appears to be looking in the distance.
Credit: Marvel Studios

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The story of his adoptive brother Loki Laufeyson/Loki Odinson (Tom Hiddleston), however, has now taken a Multiverse-spanning turn, as a variant of the original (deceased) Loki, who died at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin) during the start of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), has now officially branched off into a story of his own.

Natalie Portman in an elaborate superhero costume, including a helmet with wings and a red cape, holds a large, detailed hammer with both hands. The background appears to be a chaotic scene with dark, fiery elements.
Credit: Marvel Studios

In fact, as Marvel Studios grapples with the future of the interconnected cinematic universe following the firing (and guilty verdict) of Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors, Loki as a franchise is uniquely situated to deal with the whole “Kang problem”.

With Hiddleston’s Loki now sitting at the base of a new, Multiversal “World Tree” as the MCU’s God of Stories, the fan-favorite character is almost certain to turn up again in relation to what used to be Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and the allegedly Multiverse-erasing Avengers: Secret Wars.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) using powers
Credit: Marvel Studios

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With the door open for Thor to come back into the MCU picture, and with a whole Odinson family reunion possibly in the balance where Aunt Sylvie and Uncle Loki meet Thor’s adopted daughter Love (Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher’s biological daughter).

Chris Hemsworth (left) and Thor in grayscale (right)
Credit: Inside the Magic

Many Marvel fans would love to see a sequel to Thor: Love and Thunder, perhaps with a new family dynamic, and many fans have also been wondering if Thor Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder directorial icon Taika Waititi will return to the franchise. Also playing the iconically rocky alien Korg in the MCU, Waititi has a fair share of Marvel fans in his corner, despite Love and Thunder‘s middling critical reception.

However, his most recent social media post has fans up in arms.

Taika Waititi is currently getting flak on social media after promoting full-body MRI scans at a private clinic.

Waititi recently posted several images to Instagram of himself getting ready to enter a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine, which would have immediately (naturally) worried fans. The star was quick to make it clear that he was not actually ill but getting an MRI done at a private clinic to check for any possible health issues.

Stating it was for “peace of mind” and”preventative action”, while dropping a discount code, the star indicated that this was a paid sponsorship from Prenuvo:

Nobody freak out! I did this full body scan at @prenuvo to get a better understanding of my life health status. There’s this amazing app which shows you the results and findings of all the different parts of your body. The aim is to see everything and deal with anything that might pop up. Preventive action baby. Peace of mind bubba!
Honestly, I was a bit freaked out at first but the staff are incredible and it was easy. As someone who doesn’t ever want to know, I just had to know, and now I’m glad I know, and now YOU know. Y’know? Big thanks to @prenuvo for everything. As I suspected there were no catastrophes and I’m going to live forever. The only thing they found that caused everyone a bit of panic was that I’m maybe too good looking to be hidden away in a scanning machine. 🍕🎉🤗 {Paid Partnership} #paidpartnership
Here’s a discount code if you’re interested in checking it out. www.prenuvo.com/TAIKA

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before a flood of comments from fans upset and disappointed by the star’s actions began.

User @ando_conqueso shared:

Awesome man. Took me 4 months to get approved for an MRI for an active issue. Being rich seems great.

Another fan @shakespearius chimed in, noting that the original post was not originally marked as an ad:

not your best moment Taika. I admire your work a lot but you should know better than shove sponsored health stuff only rich people can have – in america at least – without even marking the post as an ad

User @vortie pointed out how the Radiology Society does not approve of these scans and that they could actually be more detrimental than helpful:

The Radiology Society does not endorse these scans or consider them efficacious. They can actually have a cascade of negative implications, and the likelihood of them identifying anything that isn’t already symptomatic is extremely rare. But yay let’s all support another celebrity backed money spinner with no evidence base under the guise of ‘wellness’. How else will these celebrities maintain their lifestyles unless they keep trying to prise money out of the hands of poor people, most of whom struggle to access even basic healthcare, but here’s something else for them to feel pressured into thinking they need. The initial unedited post not declaring the paid sponsorship was a major creep move. Stop giving these people a free pass just because you like their movies or whatever.

Others were kinder, like @kilakalorie, who added that they “love” Waititi, but that this ad was “tone deaf”:

Love you Taika , but this is so tone deaf. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Probably 99.9% of the people who follow you cannot afford and will never be able to afford this. This isn’t health, it’s wealth.

What do you think of Taika Waititi promoting this sort of non-essential scanning service? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

More on Thor:

Thor Odinson has been a pivotal character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since his debut in Thor (2011). Throughout the years, he has played a key role in major films such as The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). Thor’s character arc has seen him transform from a reckless, arrogant warrior into a more mature and introspective hero.

The most recent Love and Thunder saw Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie become King Valkyrie of Asgard, while Natalie Portman played Mighty Thor/Jane Foster, under Kevin Feige’s new Multiverse Saga.

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