Doomsday Is Bringing Back The MCU's Best Version Of Thor

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has been ever-evolving throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that’s no different in Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel has written him to be Shakespearean, overly serious, hilariously funny, and more throughout his tenure.

In recent years, it is the Russo brothers and Taika Waititi who have most defined the hero. The latter injected him with some much-needed humor in Thor: Ragnarok. He doubled down on that approach for Thor: Love and Thunder, which didn’t work nearly as well, with even Hemsworth admitting it was time for a tonal change once more.

Based on the Thor-focused Avengers: Doomsday trailer, the Russo brothers have done just that by putting the character in familiar territory tonally.

Avengers: Doomsday Is Making Thor More Serious & Less Comedic Than Before

It might be less than 90 seconds of footage, but the tone that Doomsday has associated with Thor is telling already. He is a desperate god, one pleading to his father for protection during the fights that lie ahead. It’s strikingly different from Thor’s overly comedic portrayal in Love and Thunder.

This may wind up being the most serious version of Thor the MCU has put to screen. That development perhaps should not be a surprise considering the Russo brothers’ involvement and how excellently they brought the god of thunder to life previously.

The early look suggests Thor’s tone could be more in line with Avengers: Infinity War than anything else. That movie put Hemsworth’s character through the wringer, with him losing his brother and his best friend, not all that far removed from losing Asgard altogether.

This approach led to an amazing portrayal of Thor (I’d argue the best version). He still had his comedic moments, but Hemsworth really delivers the pain that his character is feeling. And while Avengers: Endgame made him tragically funny, the hurt beneath his larger belly and messy appearance conveys the torment in Thor’s soul for not going for Thanos’ head.

After having so much success with this characterization and audiences losing some interest in the heavily comedic version of Thor, it makes sense that Doomsday would shift his tone once again. It should benefit Doomsday in the long run, and it shows how Marvel has listened to its stars, as Hemsworth expressed a desire for a new tone for Thor after Love and Thunder.

That said, there will certainly still be some humor associated with Thor in Doomsday. Hemsworth has great comedic timing, and that was used well in Infinity War without becoming overbearing. The footage suggests a similar approach will be used, with Thor’s more serious tone reflecting the larger stakes at play for the multiverse, as well as potentially his personal stakes.

It’s clear that the Russos want to bring Thor back to his Infinity War era, retconning his appearance and weapon to more align with how he looked there. Reusing the same tone is just another way for Avengers: Doomsday to copy what worked before and expand on it in a new way.