Thor's MCU Future Suddenly Looks Brighter Than Ever

The god of thunder has been one of the central characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for 15 years. With Chris Hemsworth returning as Thor for Avengers: Doomsday later this year, it’s long been assumed that this movie would be the beginning of the end to his time playing the Asgardian hero. The actor fueled this belief with an emotional tribute to Thor last year that came across as his goodbye to the MCU.

Even after Hemsworth clarified the intention of the video, the chances of Thor dying in Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars still seemed high. Especially in light of Thor: Love and Thunder‘s divisive response. Now, that’s certainly not the case if Hemsworth’s latest Thor comments are true, giving the god of thunder an incredibly bright future

Marvel Entertainment

Hemsworth has presented real optimism that Thor’s story is not ending in the upcoming Avengers movies. He said that he’ll play Thor a “couple more times” after making his ninth MCU appearance in Doomsday. This comes as he’s been talking up the likelihood that Thor 5 happens and how it will reinvent the character again:

Hemsworth: “I was talking to Kevin Feige about it, and he said it’s cool because the audience now expects dramatic turns with the character. Whatever we do next—we’ve got some ideas to do something pretty unique again and hopefully be [different].”

Given Marvel Studios’ current priorities in closing out the Multiverse Saga and ushering in a reset MCU timeline, that fifth solo film won’t come until after Secret Wars. This suggests that Thor will survive the coming multiversal battle with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom and remain a fixture of the MCU post whatever reset occurs in Secret Wars.

While it’s possible the MCU’s current version of Thor could die, and Hemsworth could return through the reset, that would feel quite cheap. If Marvel is already working with the actor to figure out what he’d like to do next after these two Avengers films, any death that could come to him obviously won’t stick.

With previous reports suggesting Hemsworth was the second lead of Doomsday, all signs point to Thor being a major force in the Multiverse Saga’s conclusion and remaining around to be part of the MCU’s next chapter.

Thor Being Around Post-Secret Wars Opens Up Endless Possibilities

Chris Hemsworth as Thor holding Stormbreaker in Thor Love and Thunder

This is an incredibly exciting development for Thor. Even if he did die in Doomsday or Secret Wars, it’d feel too soon for the MCU to recast Hemsworth with a new actor to play the god post-reset. Now, there’s some confidence that he’ll be the one who can carry the character into the future and dive deeper into the character.

There’s a greater chance than ever that we’re going to get the Thor Corps in the MCU with Hemsworth sticking around for the long haul. We could see him battle Roxxon’s leader Dario Agger, Brett Goldstein’s Hercules and other Olympus Gods, or his uncle Cul Borison. Hemsworth playing the MCU’s version of King Thor at some point is even realistic now.

We could finally see the payoff to Thor: Love and Thunder‘s credits scene. Thor journeying to Valhalla and bringing Jane Foster back, allowing her to resume her place as The Mighty Thor, would be a great to incorporate into Thor 5. Plus, there’s always the opportunity for fresh crossovers.

So long as Hemsworth isn’t lying about his MCU future to protect Doomsday or Secret Wars spoilers, Thor could be on the verge of the start of a brand new chapter of his story. The possibilities are endless, especially with the actor and studio being so willing to change up his tone so he’s adaptable to any environment or story.