Thor may be an immortal god of thunder, but Chris Hemsworth is not. He’s already starred in more solo movies than any other MCU character, but his time may soon be coming to an end.
With “Thor: Love and Thunder” in the rearview mirror and no solo film officially greenlit (or at least not announced), Hemsworth talked to Vanity Fair about the future of the character he’s portrayed for more than a decade.
The Avengers have already lost half of their original numbers, with both Iron Man and Black Widow dying and Captain America opting out of the superhero life, leaving only Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye still in the superhero game.
Hemsworth had previously said he’d be open to playing Thor as long as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its fans will have him, but now he seems to be thinking about the Norse god’s own endgame.
He’s also being a little more discriminating about how he’d approach future Thor projects, telling VF that he’s ready and willing to jump back in “if there is something unique and fresh and unexpected to do with the character and the world.”
Director Taika Waititi delivered just that with the third film in the franchise, “Thor: Ragnarok,” reinventing the Norse god with a more playful and lighter tone that was a huge hit with critics and fans alike.
But they found diminished returns when Hemsworth re-partnered with Waititi for “Love and Thunder.” The film holds a tepid 64 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes (and only 77 percent from audiences). Compare that to 93 and 87 percent, respectively, for “Ragnarok.”
The constantly changing experience has been a big part of the draw for Hemsworth to keep returning as Thor for eight films. “I’ve been very thankful I’ve been able to do something different each time,” he said.
While the actor does believe there is more to say with the character, should the opportunity arise, he also believes it might be time to start shutting off the lights on the franchise.
“I feel like we’d probably have to close the book if I ever did it again,” he said. “I feel like it probably warrants that. I feel like it’d probably be the finale, but that’s not based on anything anyone’s told me or any sort of plans.”
The way he sees it, though, “You have this birth of a hero, the journey of a hero, then the death of a hero, and I don’t know — am I at that stage? Who knows?”
Thor and the rest of the Marvel heroes are getting ready to head into Phase Five of the over-arching MCU saga after the recent release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
It is the continuation of “The Multiverse Saga” established in Phase Four that will conclude in Phase Six. While there is currently no “Thor” film announced as part of either of the upcoming phases, Phase Six does have three MCU films scheduled that have not yet identified.
It’s all building up to back-to-back “Avengers” films in 2025 and ’26 to wrap up their battle with Kang the Conqueror.
With the MCU supposedly transitioning into a new generation of heroes, those films might be a good place for an official passing of the torch from Hemsworth, and possibly Ruffalo and Renner, as well — assuming all three of their Avengers are still around by then.
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