It's been 15 years since Kenneth Branagh helped usher in Chris Hemsworth's Thor to the MCU in his 2011 Shakespearean-style take on the comic book character. The thespian never returned to direct a sequel with Alan Taylor directing the second and then Taika Waititi taking on the mantle for films 3 and 4, changing the tone of Thor on screen.
However, all these years later, it turns out Branagh does have a great idea for another movie that would prove the perfect farewell to the character.
"Part of me would love to finish my relationship with that character," the director told Business Insider. "I'd always wanted to do more and indeed had a couple of ideas, more in the territory of James Mangold's brilliant Logan. I would love to see Chris Hemsworth and the others have their own individual final story that takes Thor into a glorious twilight."
Logan was supposed to be just that for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine (before Deadpool 3 came into the equation…) and was a more grown-up, gritty, and poignant take on the character. As much as I've loved seeing Thor as more of a comedic character in his solo movies, this sounds like a perfect way to honor Hemsworth's incredible on-screen work as the character and say a proper goodbye to one of the best MCU characters.
Hemsworth could certainly carry a movie like this – and if it tackled his on-screen relationship with Tom Hiddleston's Loki, it would be a hugely satisfying character journey for the God of Thunder. This feels especially true given the mixed reception to Thor: Love and Thunder, which felt like a poor imitation of Ragnarok's unique tone. I'd love to see Marvel go back to Thor's more serious first introduction to say goodbye.
I'm particularly won over by how Branagh puts it too in the new interview. "I have such a high regard for what Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston and all of them involved have done," he told the publication. "And there's also this unique relationship with a large cinema audience that those characters now have that, for people who have grown up with them and their arc, I think it would be something very beautiful to take those characters into their own particular sunset. It could be a beautiful thing."
Now, it's hard to know whether this would work with Marvel's plans. Thor is coming back for Avengers: Doomsday and I have a feeling that could be Hemsworth's final performance in the role. I wouldn't be mad if it was as I'm sure the Russo brothers would do a great job with an epic farewell, but I can't help but think it would be lovely if Thor was given his own space to say goodbye. Now, who has Kevin Feige's number…
For more on all things MCU, check out our breakdown of how to watch the Marvel movies in order, as well as what you need to know about the official Marvel timeline.
