Chris Hemsworth joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2011 when he took on the title role in Thor. A relative unknown at the time, the Australian actor made his mark as the God of Thunder and has gone on to become one of the franchise's most popular characters.
His stint as Thor has been full of ups and downs. The Asgardian had a stellar role to play in movies like Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame; unfortunately, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Thor: Love and Thunder didn't reach anywhere near those same heights.
Talking to BroBible for his new movie, Crime 101, Hemsworth looked back on his time as Thor—the good and the bad—and how that's left him in a much different position heading into Avengers: Doomsday this December.
"Thor’s role changed in every film. I remember the first [one] I did with Kenneth Branagh — that was a complete starting point and jumping-off point," the actor shared. "I was in the arms of one of the best directors and most detailed, collaborative partners, and it was brilliant."
"Then I worked with different directors. Some had a clear handle on who they thought the character was, and some didn’t. Even to their own admission — I remember Joss Whedon saying it’s a tricky character to write, especially once he’s acquired that strength. It was really around working with Taika where I was kind of sick of what I’d been doing, and he was like, 'Yeah, so am I. Let’s explore a different space.'"
Explaining his hopes that the collaboration with Waititi brought some "unpredictability" to Thor, Hemsworth revealed what it felt like to be on the Avengers: Doomsday set with the MCU's newer additions.
He also opened up on how the last decade-and-a-half playing the hero has helped him evolve the character, the impact of which will be felt in the upcoming ensemble.
"In the more recent films since then, I felt like the character had earned his seat at the table. Before that, I felt like the new guy. I remember sitting around on Doomsday with all these new characters, people in their first Avengers film, and thinking, 'I have a bit of agency here. I should have a bigger voice or opinion as the character.'"
"Owning that a little more, he does feel like one of the elders. He’s 2,000 years old or something, so we tried to play into that more than we had before," Hemsworth explained. "You reach a point in life where there’s an exhaustion and weariness, and we really leaned into that."
The Thor teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday featured an emotional, wary take on the character, readying himself for war. It's clear the Russos are taking the character seriously after the comedic Thor: Love and Thunder, something Hemsworth likely had a say in after previously admitting that the Odinson became too silly during his last appearance.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to help.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.