Chris Hemsworth is one of the MCU's longest-serving Avengers, having first joined the franchise in 2011 with Thor. While the actor has always been excellent in the role, his tenure has been defined by highs (Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War) and lows (Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Love and Thunder).
The Odinson is getting another reset heading into this December's Avengers: Doomsday. After the slapstick comedy of his last solo outing, the character will be portrayed far more seriously with the Russo Brothers at the helm. That was evident from the Thor-centric Avengers: Doomsday teaser.
Talking on the SmartLess podcast (via The Playlist), Hemsworth said he still has a "couple more times" as Thor beyond the next Avengers movie, though we already know that at least one of those is Avengers: Secret Wars.
"It’s been so much fun," he shared. "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."
"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."
Hemsworth added, "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]."
Pointing to the comic books as an example of how much Thor has evolved and changed over the years, the Crime 101 star admitted that "you need to be careful" with the God of Thunder. That's a lesson he learned from Thor: Love and Thunder.
"When we made 'Ragnarok,' it was quite a twist, with Taika’s [film]. And it was so fun. There was a huge appreciation for the shift," Hemsworth noted. "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?'" he continued. "And, [audiences] violently offended and we were like, 'Oh, we’re just having fun or trying to try something different.'"
It remains to be seen what comes next for Thor. Looking at the source material, there are countless possibilities, and no end of acclaimed runs to draw inspiration from. Regardless of the creative direction, it seems Thor 5 is definitely in the works based on this latest update from Hemsworth.
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.