Reports have surfaced recently saying that Taika Waititi has signed on to direct a fourth Thor movie for Marvel Studios, with Chris Hemsworth reprising his role as the God of Thunder. While that may surprise some, Hemsworth and Waititi have been vocal about their interest in returning to the franchise and continuing Thor's story in the MCU.
When we last left Thor, he had decided to leave Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy following the fight with Thanos' forces in Avengers: Endgame. Many speculated that Hemsworth would now play a crucial role in the James Gunn-helmed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; however, that doesn't appear to be the case. So, as the self-proclaimed strongest Avenger once again ventures out on his own, let's discuss some characters we would like to see appear in Thor 4.
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ENCHANTRESS
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Enchantress is one of Thor's most iconic enemies. A powerful sorceress, the character was introduced in 1964 as a love interest for Thor who attempted to lure him away from Jane Foster. Enchantress was eventually exiled from Asgard by Odin and joined up with Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil.
BETA RAY BILL
An alien of the Korbinite race, Beta Ray Bill is one of the few Marvel characters that has been able to wield Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. After a power struggle for possession of the weapon in the pages of Marvel Comics, Bill was a granted a hammer of his own, Stormbreaker, which, of course, is the name of the ax that Thor uses currently in the MCU (though its look and origins are very different).
Bill has been a popular name among fans in recent years when discussing what characters they would like to see join the MCU. The alien warrior was almost introduced in Thor: Ragnarok before being cut after Marvel Studios deemed his small role a disservice to the character. He still had a cameo as part of a statue tribute to past warriors, but if Waititi wanted to take another crack at Beta Ray Bill, this film would be the perfect opportunity.
ARES
Based on the Greek god of the same name, Ares debuted in Thor #129 in June of 1966 as an enemy of Thor. He's also appeared as an adversary of Hercules and the Avengers. In recent years, the Greek God of War was reimagined as more of an antihero than a villain, eventually being recruited by the Avengers.
The addition of Ares to Thor 4 would provide a foil for Hemsworth's titular character, and could become a long-term addition to the MCU. At one point in the comics, Ares was a member of Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers, which is a property that has been rumored to be in development in recent months.
HERCULES
Another Lee and Kirby creation, Hercules is based on the divine hero in Greek mythology. The character possesses the typical powers of an Olympian god, including superhuman strength, speed, durability, stamina, enhanced reflexes, and endurance. Hercules has been a member of the Olympians, Champions, Defenders, Heroes for Hire, and Avengers since his debut in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 in 1965.
According to recent internet rumors, Hercules could be making his MCU debut in Chloe Zhao's The Eternals. If Kevin Feige and co. want to connect their cosmic franchises moving forward, having a character crossover between movies seems like the way to do it. Hercules could also inject a dry sense of humor in Thor 4 that may be missing following Tom Hiddleston's exit from the franchise.
SILVER SURFER
With the Disney/Fox merger complete, Marvel Studios will be able to begin integrating a new stream of characters into the MCU in the coming years. With Thor 4 unlikely to release until 2021 or later, using the film as an avenue to expand the universe's cosmic presence using Fox characters is a no brainer. So who better to introduce from the Fox catalog than the Silver Surfer.
Readers were introduced to Norrin Radd, aka Silver Surfer, in The Fantastic Four #48 in March of 1966. Originally an astronomer on the planet Zenn-La, Radd saved his planet from destruction when he agreed to become a herald for the planet devourer, Galactus. The character was portrayed in live-action by Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Introducing Silver Surfer would give the God of Thunder's next outing the cosmic feel that made Thor: Ragnarok one of the MCU's best. It could also potentially set up the character for a future appearance in a Fantastic Four movie or even a solo project.
Both Waititi and Thor star Chris Hemsworth appear in Avengers: Endgame, which also stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Danai Gurira as Okoye and Bradley Cooper as Rocket, with Gwyneth Paltrow Pepper Potts, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Benedict Wong as Wong, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Josh Brolin as Thanos. The film is set for release on Digital HD on July 30 and Blu-ray and 4K UHD on August 13.