Everyone seems to agree that Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder was far from impressive. Fans had high hopes at first. After all, Thor: Ragnarok was a vast improvement over the Norse hero’s previous solo outing. Furthermore, Waititi seemed to be able to do no wrong in anything he did. Yet, the 2022 film was a letdown. With that, many had decided they were done with the New Zealander’s involvement with Thor. Chris Hemsworth himself seemed to be among that camp as he stated that a new film would need a far different tone.
Update September 7, 2023: This article has been updated following recent rumors of Thor 5 as well as to reflect recent developments in the MCU.
The question is: should there be a Thor 5? No hero in the MCU has ever gotten four solo films before, let alone a fifth, and Love and Thunder seemed to be a send-off of sorts. The MCU, as a whole, has been moving in a new direction, and for the most part, it hasn’t seemed to need The God of Thunder. Thor is among the last vestiges of the original line-up of Marvel heroes, and each has slowly been fazing out. It’s only a matter of time before it happens to Thor. Taika Waititi has hinted at the possibility of Thor 5, but does the MCU need that, or should it move on?
An Underwhelming Past
For starters, Thor’s track record as a solo act has been anything but stellar. 2011’s Thor was a solid first entry directed by Kenneth Branagh, however Thor: The Dark World is considered by some among the worst MCU films to date. Thor Ragnarok broke the Asgardian’s streak by being a thoroughly entertaining and pertinent installment that finally gave fans hope that The God of Thunder could carry a series on his own. Alas, Taika Waititi failed to maintain his momentum with Love and Thunder, leaving fans crushed.
Waititi arguably found the perfect formula to make Thor stand alone with the right balance of embracing the weirdness of the source material and the momentous destruction of Asgard. Despite his complete disregard for the source material, the movie stood on its own by not taking itself too seriously and by letting some family melodrama run through the story. However, Love and Thunder didn’t take itself nearly seriously enough. After four films, maybe it’s time to put stories of Thor and Asgard to bed.
Thor’s Story Is Mostly Resolved
There has been a common theme in each of Thor’s outings up to Love and Thunder. At the start of his journey, Thor was naive and cocky and took those closest to him for granted. As time passed, he had to learn to cherish those in his life and learn responsibility, with the pain of loss as his greatest teacher. Throughout The Infinity Saga, Thor loses his parents, his friends, Loki (twice), and even his home. The pain of his losses followed him to Love and Thunder. His entire development has been defined by those he’d lost and how he handled his grief through rage, depression, and vengeance.
All this changed in his latest movie. Although he lost the love of his life, Jane Foster, Thor found a new purpose in his loss by becoming a surrogate father for Love, the daughter of Gorr the God Butcher. In this sense, despite all he had lost, he still chose to put his pain aside for love. A love he can keep and protect. A new purpose after all else is gone. This is why Love and Thunder may be the best possible ending for the God of Thunder. He found a chance to finally put down his hammer for good and protect what is most important by taking himself off the board, similarly to how Steve Rogers did in Avengers Endgame.
Chris Hemsworth’s Health
In the months following the release of the latest Thor movie, Hemsworth was sadly hit with the news that he possesses two copies of the APOE4, which significantly increases his chances of developing Alzheimer’s. The revelation led him to decide to take time away from acting. However, the actor claimed that this is in no way his retirement.
Hemsworth plans on taking preventative measures to make sure he doesn’t develop the disease and states that the news does not mean his getting Alzheimer’s is definite. Disease or no disease, Hemsworth has stated that whether there is a Thor 5 or not, his next appearance as the character should probably be his last. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hemsworth had this to say:
“I feel like we’d probably have to close the book if I ever did it again, you know what I mean?” he said. “I feel like it probably warrants that. I feel like it’d probably be the finale, but that’s not based on anything anyone’s told me or any sort of plans. You have this birth of a hero, the journey of a hero, then the death of a hero, and I don’t know—am I at that stage? Who knows?”
Hemsworth’s time as Thor may very well be winding down. If he does retire from the MCU, he will join the likes of Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and Scarlett Johannson, who have all finished their character’s respective stories. But maybe there’s a better alternative for his character’s ending?
A Tony Stark Capacity
Fans will remember that despite Tony Stark’s last solo film being in Phase 2, his presence continued throughout the MCU with guest appearances in a variety of movies. In this way, Tony was an anchor to the looming threat while everyone else was busy handling their own business. Perhaps Thor can do the same? Thor could show up in a number of Marvel Studios projects as a supporting player.
Considering that Kang the Conqueror will likely become a major Thanos-level threat if he isn’t one already, the world will need Thor more than ever. Perhaps he can pop up in other movies as a reminder of what will come. It would be a great way for Thor to interact with newer heroes. Thor wouldn’t have to have any huge parts in these movies, but he could be used to keep pushing the main story along.
His real final battle can be against Kang himself in The Kang Dynasty. There has always been a part of Thor that wished he could have sacrificed himself for his friends in Endgame if nothing else, so that others could have lived. Thor is one of the few people in the MCU who can give Kang a real fight, and fans would undoubtedly love to see it. This battle could be the one that sends Thor out in a blaze of glory, the only way he should go out. Fans will have to wait and see how Thor’s story concludes.
Pair Thor With Other Heroes
Thor: Ragnarok smartly paired Hulk, a character who did not have a solo film since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, with the god of Thunder. If Marvel Studios does decide to do Thor 5, maybe the best course of action is to make it less of a straightforward Thor film and instead a team-up between Thor and a variety of characters the MCU doesn’t quite know what to do with. It is unclear what the future holds for The Eternals, and their film ended on a major cliffhanger. Thor could team up with the team, and Thor 5 could be a final entry for the Thor franchise, as well as a stealth Eternals 2.
If Thor is to move forward without Chris Hemsworth, the best to do so is to inherit the role from someone else, just as it’s been done with Captain America, Black Panther, Black Widow, and more recently with Iron Man and Hawkeye. This has been teased with his adopted daughter Love, who could become a powerful MCU character herself.
Hercules, who was teased at the end of Thor: Love and Thunder, could also be the new resident god on the Avengers team. Given Hercules in the comics has connections to characters like She-Hulk and the soon-to-be-introduced Ghost Rider, it makes sense for the franchise to transition Thor out and put Hercules front and center.
This combination of elements could make for a great Thor film, especially since Taika Watiti seems eager to redeem himself with a final entry in the saga, and Chris Hemsworth wants to experience the final stage of Thor’s journey.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
