While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is barreling toward a major franchise turning point with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, fans have a lot of questions about where the movies and their favorite characters might be going. Chris Hemsworth recently gave fans a scare with what many thought was a farewell to his days as Thor. I'd personally been wondering about what it meant and, finally, the actor clarified his intent with that clip.
Back in May, Chris Hemsworth posted a video celebrating the legacy of Thor in the MCU. Considering it came just a few weeks after Hemsworth was officially confirmed as part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast, many wondered if the video indicated that the upcoming Marvel movie would be his last time wielding the hammer. Hemsworth recently spoke with THR and clarified the situation, saying…
I had a few people ask me about it, and someone on my team said, ‘Ugh, we’ve given the wrong impression here.’ We didn’t do any [damage control]; there was no damage control necessary. But a lot was read into a little. I was [already] off starting another chapter of this character, and this journey has been the biggest part of my career. So [the video] was a moment of gratitude, and it wasn’t anything else. But it definitely got misconstrued and perceived in a different way.
Hemsworth’s video certainly got fans talking. Some wondered if he was simply saying goodbye to Thor then and there. Others, knowing about his Avengers: Doomsday casting, seemed to be getting prepared for Thor to be killed off in the movie or otherwise see the story reach some sort of ending.
While the Australian actor says there was no need for “damage control,” it’s still good to hear him clarify his thought process behind the video. Whatever else Chris Hemsworth does in his career, it’s difficult to imagine he’ll ever do anything that will be quite as big as Thor. With that, I think his decision to honor the character is a worthy endeavor.
Also, certainly when we see Thor in Doomsday, he’ll be a very different sort of character than he was in the last Avengers movie. While 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder wasn't as well-received as its predecessor, it was a major turning point for Thor as a character. It seems that was at play in posting the video, as it celebrated the first chapter of Thor, with a new one on the horizon.
Of course, we still can’t entirely discount the possibility that Thor’s days may be numbered. He’s one of the few original Avengers still kicking around in the MCU. If most of the Asgardian warrior's days are behind him, I wouldn’t exactly be shocked. With the news that Avengers: Secret Wars will function as some sort of MCU reboot, it’s difficult to know just which characters will make it to the other side, and which ones will be played by the same actors, as recasting Marvel heroes is absolutely on the table.
That's still a little ways off, though, and fans can still look forward to seeing Chris Hemsworth as Thor, at the very least, in Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters on December 18, 2026. In the meantime, stream the God of Thunder's various movie appearances using a Disney+ subscription.
