15 years ago, Chris Hemsworth debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thor, turning one of Marvel Comics’ lesser-known superheroes into one beloved by the general public. Hemsworth’s take on the Norse God of Thunder is still going strong in the MCU, and he’s next set to appear in the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday. However, he hasn’t always been the easiest character to handle in the franchise, and Hemsworth recently reflecting on how Thor “earned his seat at the table” makes me more excited to see him back for one of the final 2026 movie releases.
In an interview with BroBible to promote his new movie Crime 101, Chris Hemsworth was asked how he sees Thor’s role in the MCU and what part of the character’s growth he’s most proud of after 15 years. The actor started off by saying how grateful he was to have worked with Kenneth Branagh on the first Thor movie, calling him “one of the best directors and most detailed, collaborative partners.” Hemsworth continued:
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.’ I hope that brought something unpredictability to the character.
Those first six years of Thor in the MCU were definitely unsteady at best. That’s not to say he was a bad character, but he didn’t stand out as much compared to other heroes like Iron Man and Captain America. Then Taika Waititi came along for Thor: Ragnarok and capitalized on the humor that Thor had shown here and there in his previous appearances. That decision paid off, with Ragnarok excelling both critically and commercially.
But it’s not just through humor that Thor has shined in more recent years, as Ragnarok, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, all added more serious emotional weight to the character’s journey. Granted, Thor: Love and Thunder wasn’t as well received in 2022, and Chris Hemsworth admitted he “didn’t stick the landing” with his performance. Overall though, he’s pleased with where Thor’s ended up and how he’ll be used in Avengers: Doomsday, explaining:
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.
While I certainly don’t want Thor to be humorless, I am looking forward to seeing a more serious Thor again in Avengers: Doomsday, as indicated in the teaser focused on him. We see him praying to his late father Odin for a safe return to his adoptive daughter, Love, before he heads off into battle. Whether that he’s about to start swinging Stormbreaker at Doctor Doom or another adversary remains to be seen, but I’ll be rooting that he makes it out of Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars alive. I don’t want Love to have to experience losing a father again.
It’s also fitting that Chris Hemsworth referred to Thor as an elder in Avengers: Doomsday, not just because of his age, but because he’s the only original Avenger confirmed to appear. Fortunately, he’ll get to reunite with plenty of familiar faces, including a variant of his brother Loki. Catch Thor’s grand return to the MCU on December 18.
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