Introduction
In the wake of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel has embarked on a challenging new era, and at its heart is Thor: Love and Thunder. Chris Hemsworth’s character, the hero, has come a long way, securing his fourth standalone film, complete with a mixed review premiere. The collaboration between Hemsworth and director Taika Waititi has proven to be fruitful and amicable. However, a closer look reveals that even Hemsworth believes Thor: Love and Thunder have become “quite foolish” (as he put it) in hindsight. He shared that if he were to make another Thor, it should have a “distinctly different version in tone, everything, just for my own vanity.”
The Evolution of Thor: Love and Thunder
Nevertheless, according to the official movie special book of Thor: Love and Thunder (via Screenrant), Waititi has some thoughts up his sleeve. He ponders, “What’s left for him to do? It should be something that feels like the character is evolving, but still giving him things in a fun way and still giving him things that make him feel like he’s constructing those obstacles that he needs to overcome. In the book, Weta talked about the potential for Thor 5, saying, “I don’t think we can have a villain weaker than Hela. I think we need to move forward and come up with a villain who is more challenging in every possible way.'”
Hemsworth's Reflections on Thor's Journey
Waititi is clearly invested in uncovering the hidden Norse mythological tales behind Thor’s origins, or at the very least, exploring its potential. He remains interested in pitting the superhero against “stranger and crazier creatures, monsters, and aliens” because in the MCU, his role “leans into the weirder and wilder creatures and aliens from various worlds.”
Waititi's Creative Insights for Thor's Future
The film’s producer elaborated, saying, “[Thor] has an element of fun and arrogance when he goes through these worlds and encounters these aliens, and he’s got a cockiness and a sort of arrogance about him that you won’t get until he’s actually journeying through space and discovering the universe.”
Exploring Norse Mythology and Cosmic Challenges
Hemsworth has mentioned that he wasn’t even sure he’d be invited back to portray this character again, although if he wanted to, there’s little doubt that Marvel would roll out the red carpet once more. “I’ve always said with any of the films that we’ve made, our interest is in character development to some extent, [but] it’s mostly about maintaining the experience with the actor, maintaining the experience with the character. I think about all my actors not as individual characters but as Marvel players who could step into the character, develop it, and change it,” as Marvel boss Kevin Feige stated in 2022. “And if we look at comics as our guide, there are many other avatars of Thor that we still need to see.”
Thor's Cosmic Encounters and Character Development
While Feige teased that there are “plenty” of stories about Thor that he’d want to explore, should Hemsworth return – which Hemsworth has indicated he’s ready for – this might be the last time. “I think if I do it again, it will be the last time, probably, and it will be, ‘What’s the point of the book end? You know what I mean?'” the actor shared in an interview with Vanity Fair last year. “I think it’s sort of a necessity. I think it needs to wrap up, but also, I don’t know – who knows?”
Conclusion
Embracing Change and Exciting Possibilities
