AfterThor: Love and Thunder’s mixed reception, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor could have a well-deserved change of direction inAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, not necessarily inThor 5. Throughout fourteen years' worth of movie appearances,Thor Odinson’s MCU journeyhas gone through multiple highs and lows. While the Infinity Saga concluded on a high note for Thor thanks to his successful efforts to overcome loss inAvengers: Endgame,Thor: Love and Thunderset him back by sending him on a carefree quest to defeat Gorr the God Butcher, who failed to be a threatening villain on every front.
Thor’s abrupt character regression inThor: Love and Thundercalls for a drastic change in tone for his next MCU appearance. Expectations are high forThor 5, to the point thatChris Hemsworth himself wantsThor 5to take a bold direction. Little is known aboutThor 5’s plot and cast, but Hercules' introduction inThor: Love and Thunder’s post-credits scenesuggests that the MCU’s nextThormovie will see the Norse God of Thunder duke it out with the Olympian demi-god. It’s important to note, however, thatThor 5may be put on hold for a while, as the MCU’s slate for is pretty crowded.
The Avengers Movies Have Been Essential For Thor’s Evolution
The Best Parts Of Thor’s MCU Evolution Have Come In Avengers Crossovers
Though a strong installment, Kenneth Branagh’sThorstruggled to match the popularity of Phase 1’sIron Man,Captain America: The First Avenger, andThe Avengers.The Avengers, in turn, established Chris Hemsworth’s Thor as a powerful and charismatic member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Then,Thor: The Dark Worldbecame one of the worst-received MCU projects at the time.Avengers: Age of Ultronalleviated the blow with another team-up, andThor: Ragnarokmade a huge splash as a massive hit in Phase 3.Avengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgamefinished cementing Thor as one of the MCU’s main starsshortly after.
Why Marvel Wasn’t Really Ready For Thor Until Ragnarok
Ragnarok was a breath of fresh air after previous drab-looking and overly earnest MCU entries, revitalizing Thor’s character for future Marvel movies.
Looking back, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has been at his best when he’s part of a team.Thor,Thor: The Dark World, andThor: Love and Thunderwere among the least popular installments of their respective phases, whileThe Avengers,Avengers: Age of Ultron,Avengers: Infinity War, andAvengers: Endgamegave Thor a sizable role in the plot. EvenThor: Ragnarok, which centers around an extremely personal story for the God of Thunder, is technically a team-up with Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, as it adapts a large portion of Marvel’sPlanet Hulkstoryline and sets up key plot points for both heroes.
Avengers: Doomsday And Secret Wars Can Help Thor Leave Love And Thunder’s Flaws Behind
Avengers 5 & 6 May Have Big Things In Store For Chris Hemsworth’s Thor
Avengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Warscould restore Thor’s popularity beforeThor 5arrives to take the God of Thunder’s MCU story in a brand-new direction. Not only is Thor one of the most experienced Avengers still active in the Multiverse Saga, but he’s also one of the few heroes powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with Doctor Doom.Thor could take his battles seriously once again once he realizes he’s facing a threat much bigger than Hela and Thanos. The end of the MCU multiverse could remind Thor of the pain he went through when he witnessed Asgard’s collapse.
Some time after 2015’sSecret Wars, Thor becomes Galactus' Herald — a storyline that could fit a future MCUThorsequel perfectly afterThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsintroduces the MCU’s Galactus.
So far,no official Avengers team has been assembled in the Multiverse Saga. Iron Man, Black Widow, and Scarlet Witch are dead. Steve Rogers and Clint Barton have retired. Spider-Man is no longer an active member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. As an original Avenger, Thor could easily take the role of a leader inAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars. The wisdom Thor has acquired from several battles with the Avengers makes him an excellent candidate to inherit that role from Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, and his knowledge of both Earthly and cosmic threats is just the cherry on top.
RDJ’s Doctor Doom Casting May Be A Hint To Thor’s Doomsday And Secret Wars Role
Thor Plays An Important Role In Marvel Comics' 2015 Secret Wars Storyline
Marvel’s 2015Secret Warscomic storyline will likely provide a large part of the source material forAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, as the source material centers around the multiverse’s destruction through incursions, features Doctor Doom as the main antagonist, and uses Molecule Man in a similar capacity asthe MCU’s anchor beings introduced inDeadpool & Wolverine. The MCU’s two-partSecret Warsadaptation may also draw inspiration from 1985’s originalSecret Warscomics and other parts of Marvel Comics' lore, but it’s safe to say that Phase 6’s team-up events will give its heroes similar roles to the comics.
Chris Hemsworth’s Thor could either fight Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom to prevent the Thor Corps from being created or find himself forced to work for the supervillain
In the comics, Doctor Doom acquires the Beyonders' power and create his own reality following the death of the Marvel multiverse. As Battleworld’s ruler, God Emperor Doom orders Sheriff Strange to form a police force composed of dozens of Thor variants. The “Thor Corps” serve God Emperor Doom and fend off any individual who could threaten the stability of Doom’s post-apocalyptic empire. In the MCU’sAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor could either fightRobert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doomto prevent the Thor Corps from being created or find himself forced to work for the supervillain.
The MCU’s Thor Corps Can Introduce And Bring Back Several Thor Characters
Doomsday And Secret Wars Could Give Thor His Own Multiversal Crossover Moment
In Marvel Comics' 2015Secret Warsevent, the Thor Corps comprises many multiversal Thor variants, as well as Thor-related characters who have possessed his power and wielded his weapons.Members of Marvel’s Thor Corps include Beta Ray Bill, Jane Foster, Loki, and the Storm variant who wields Mjolnir.Similarly, the MCU’s version of the Thor Corps, assembled by Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, could bring back characters such as Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston’s original Loki, Anthony Hopkins’s Odin,Lokiseason 1’s Throg, andWhat If…?’s Party Thor, and it could also introduce Thor-related characters like Beta Ray Bill and Thunderstrike.
What If…?season 3 introduces a Mjolnir-wielding Storm as the Goddess of Thunder, meaning that Phase 6’s Thor Corps could also feature a live-action version of Storm, possibly played byX-Menstars Halle Berry or Alexandra Shipp.
Several Multiverse Saga installments have taken advantage of the MCU multiverse to present scenes — or full-fledged movies — focusing on multiversal fight scenes starring different variants of the same character. For instance,Lokifeatured a group of Loki variant survivors in the VoidandSpider-Man: No Way Homecentered around the MCU’s Spider-Man joining forces with two of his multiversal variants. Even Phase 3’sAvengers: Endgamesaw Chris Evans' Steve Rogers fight his own variant while time-traveling.Avengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars' Thor Corps could offer Chris Hemsworth’s Thor the chance to join in the multiversal fun beforeThor 5.
