When it comes to the MCU’s god of thunder, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) really has been to Hela and back. With most of his family dead and the only one left keeping all of time under control, the hammer-chucking legend has had a lot to learn and landed as many hits as misses during his time of playing hero. The most notable and divisive entry was Taika Waitit's Thor: Love and Thunder which took a severe pummeling from fans and critics alike (even though we loved it). With such a rollercoaster time in the role, Hemsworth recently explained that much of it came down to directors having a very different grasp of Thor, for better or worse.
“Some had a clear handle on who they thought the character was, and some didn’t,” Hemsworth explained in a recent interview with Brobible. “Even to their own admission — I remember Joss Whedon saying it’s a tricky character to write, especially once he’s acquired that strength. It was really around working with Taika where I was kind of sick of what I’d been doing, and he was like, ‘Yeah, so am I. Let’s explore a different space.’ I hope that brought some unpredictability to the character.”
So, where does that leave us with Thor in the upcoming Avengers movie that will see him potentially reuniting with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and company to face off against Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.)? According to Hemsworth, it sounds like we’ll be getting a more seasoned son of Odin dealing with these people that are so petty and tiny (Thor’s words, not ours).
“In the more recent films since then, I felt like the character had earned his seat at the table. Before that, I felt like the new guy. I remember sitting around on Doomsday with all these new characters, people in their first Avengers film, and thinking, ‘I have a bit of agency here. I should have a bigger voice or opinion as the character,” Hemsworth explained while still not giving away just which new Avengers he was sitting with. “Owning that a little more, he does feel like one of the elders. He’s 2,000 years old or something, so we tried to play into that more than we had before.”
As the recent trailer revealed, the Thor we’re catching up with does seem fearful of the impending danger that’s heading his way, and what feels like a final hurrah (even if Hemsworth has assured he'd consider a fifth Thor movie). “You reach a point in life where there’s an exhaustion and weariness, and we really leaned into that.”
We’ll see how Thor handles this new danger when Avengers: Doomsday arrives on December 18. For every other Marvel story heading our way, check out our upcoming MCU guide here.
