While every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is important in its own way, some have definitely been more consequential than others. Captain America: Civil War is one of those entries, with the Phase 3 launcher including so many superheroes that it might as well have been called Avengers 2.5. However, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor didn’t take part in the Civil War action, and there was a period where the actor thought this meant he was being fired by Marvel Studios.
This revelation came to light in the new book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (via Comicbook.com), which details the behind-the-scenes production history of Marvel’s first three Phases, i.e. the film slates that collectively made up the Infinity Saga. When Chris Hemsworth learn he wasn’t being include in Captain America: Civil War, he briefly worried if this mean he was “being written out.” In Hemsworth’s words:
I remember being on the Age of Ultron press tour, and everyone was talking about Civil War. I was like, 'What's Civil War?' I asked, 'Are you doing a side-project or something?' They're like, 'Oh no, Captain America, y'know? The next one is Civil War.' I'm like, 'Wait... Iron Man's in that?' And it's like, 'Yeah, but there's not just Iron Man. There's Vision. There's Spider-Man.
12 superheroes would ultimately make up Captain America: Civil War’s superhero lineup, with newcomers Black Panther and Spider-Man joining established folks like Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Ant-Man. Meanwhile, Hulk and “friend from work” Hulk were only briefly mentioned in the movie, though given their impressive power levels, had they participated in the battle at the Leipzig Airport, it likely would have concluded a lot sooner. Interestingly enough, neither Thor nor Hulk participated in the original “Civil War” comics storyline either, with the former still being deceased at the time and the latter having crash-landed on Sakaar after being banished from Earth by the Illuminati. However, a cyborg clone of Thor called Ragnarok was unleashed by Iron Man during the conflict, and it killed Bill Foster, a.k.a. Goliath.
Fortunately for Chris Hemsworth and Bruce Banner/Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo, Marvel Studios soon informed them that their absence from Captain America: Civil War was because their two characters would be embarking on their own special journey elsewhere in the MCU cosmos. That adventure unfolded in Thor: Ragnarok, which loosely adapted the “Planet Hulk” storyline. As a bonus, though, a mockumentary-style short film called Team Thor was shot that explained that the reason Thor wasn’t involved in Civil War was because he was taking time off in Australia. It was a funny bonus feature attached to Civil War’s home media release, and was followed by Team Thor: Part 2 and Team Darryl. Just don’t consider any of these shorts as official MCU canon.
As for Thor’s future, Chris Hemsworth’s character will return for Thor: Love and Thunder, which is now dated for July 8, 2022 and will see the God of Thunder batting Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher and reuniting with Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, who will transform into The Mighty Thor. As always, check back with CinemaBlend for updates on other upcoming Marvel movies.
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