Chris Hemsworth has been wielding Mjölnir in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for fifteen years, outlasting many of his fellow original Avengers as one of the franchise’s most enduring stars. He’s already set to return in Avengers: Doomsday, and while it might seem like the perfect opportunity for the God of Thunder to take a final bow, Hemsworth has suggested he’s not ready to step away just yet.
Hemsworth on More Thor
While speaking on the SmartLess podcast (via The Playlist), Hemsworth told co-host Sean Hayes that he still has a “couple more times” as Thor beyond Avengers: Doomsday. One of those appearances will come in Avengers: Secret Wars, and there’s always the possibility that Marvel could move forward with Thor 5.
Playing Thor for so long has given Hemsworth the rare chance to explore multiple creative interpretations of the same character across different filmmakers and tones. “It’s been so much fun,” he said. “And what I’ve really enjoyed it—unlike a lot of what the other characters that the [actors] were given, they have had to be pretty consistent— whereas working with Taika Waititi on his films versus Kenneth Branagh with those films and then with the Russos, all [the films] had quite a different sort of tonal opinion.“
Hemsworth explained that this variety has kept the role creatively fresh for him over the years, “But [the Russos] also let me try different things. It’s the same with my tattoos, I’d be getting really bored [with] the same thing and having a real need to kind of throw [the performance] in different directions. I was talking to Kevin Feige about it, and he said it’s cool because the audience now expects dramatic turns with the character. And whatever we do next—we’ve got some ideas to do something pretty unique again and hopefully be [different].“
Hemsworth Knows Thor: Love and Thunder Went Too Far
Of course, experimentation can be a double-edged sword. While Thor: Ragnarok successfully reinvented the character with a lighter, comedic tone, its follow-up pushed that approach even further, dividing audiences. Hemsworth acknowledged that the reaction to Thor: Love and Thunder served as a reminder to strike the right balance when evolving a long-running character.
“When we made ‘Ragnarok,’ it was quite a twist, with Taika’s [film]. And it was so fun,” he said. “There was a huge appreciation for the shift. And then [with] ‘Love And Thunder,’ it was kind of like a Monty Python sketch, and we took the piss probably a little much, and then there was some backlash. There was this real kind of, ‘Why is he a goofball and why is it like this?’ And, [audiences] violently offended and we were like, ‘Oh, we’re just having fun or trying to try something different.’“
Chris Hemsworth will return in Avengers: Doomsday, which will debut on December 18.
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