Thor: Love and Thunder is about to open, with fans anxiously awaiting the return of the God of Thunder. Chris Hemsworth will finally reprise his role as Thor after a three-year gap that succeeded the events of Avengers: Endgame and a delay provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic. And after taking a long break, everyone has been asking about the actor’s future with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But while Hemsworth has recently said he’s not closing the door on possibly returning, it might be time for Thor to move on.
Many expect Love and Thunder to be a sort of closing of Thor's MCU arc. In fact, it would be in line with what happened with other Avengers during the MCU’s first three phases that culminated with the events of Endgame. Audiences witnessed the death of Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff, sacrificing themselves to save humanity, and Steve Rogers choosing to remain in the past after retrieving the Infinity Stones.
These decisions saw the legacies of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson remain intact as they stepped away from the franchise and gave way to other actors to take over prominent roles. Nothing is stopping them from eventually returning with cameos, especially now that the multiverse is a reality, but the idea is to have the main MCU storyline evolve. However, the franchise will have difficulty doing that if it keeps Hemsworth around.
The best evidence to support this comes from issues surrounding Anthony Mackie's Captain America. Since his debut in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson has been missing from action, which isn't the case for another Captain America variant. Captain Carter appeared in both What If...? and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, forcing the MCU's new Cap out of the spotlight. And the franchise risks doing the same thing to Mighty Thor if Hemsworth is still around.
Introducing new heroes needs to get handled with care. When the MCU's heroes first appeared, the franchise immediately hinted at the gigantic task of creating a combined universe. But Phase Four has been slowly shifting the focus to individual characters, giving them time to shine before preparing for another event.
Some of these characters will play a larger role, but the MCU will have to reinvent its approach in order to keep up interest in its stories and avoid audience superhero fatigue. And in a way, that has already started. Wanda Vision and Loki are excellent examples of how the MCU has adapted to the ever-changing media landscape while bringing former supporting characters to the forefront. And that approach prepared the multiverse narrative that led to an event film in Multiverse of Madness.
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Kevin Feige already hinted at more versions of Thor joining the MCU, stating that “there are plenty of other incarnations of Thor that we have yet to see." That means it's is a matter of when rather than if Hemsworth could return as another iteration. However, the current version has seen his story evolve like his fellow Avengers, meaning it's time to clear the way for Mighty Thor.
To see if Thor ends his MCU story, Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters July 8.