Thor 5 Probably Shouldn’t Happen – Yet
In 2019, a saga that had been going on for as long as most of us could remember (actually, since 2008’s Iron Man) came to an end with Avengers: Endgame.
It was a tale of good triumphing over a strangely charismatic evil, a figure that just wanted balance for all things in the universe. It also saw the end of dozens of character arcs, actor and director contracts, and (probably) a few Disney+ accounts.
Structureless
Not everything ended for Marvel’s superfolk in 2019, though. Characters like Loki, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Venom, Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye continue to find work in the post-Thanos MCU.
Unfortunately, this ongoing, seemingly structureless, chapter in the MCU has led to more than a few concerns about superhero fatigue, not least because the quality of the company’s output seems to have declined dramatically since 2019. Just look at the middling reviews for 2023’s The Marvels.
Does this mean that Marvel will wind up tinkering with a release schedule planned right through 2027? The Avengers will return once again in four years to close the Multiverse Saga, otherwise known as MCU phases 4-6.
Probably not. It’s far more likely that the comic book company will just let this one run its course. After all, Marvel’s superhero films have a captive audience larger than most small countries, regardless of what – or who – they’re putting to cellulose.
Love and Thunder
Thor, currently played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, is another character to have survived the Endgame turmoil. Once again, the God of Thunder’s last outing, 2022’s Love and Thunder, wasn’t particularly well received. It has a score of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Still, Thor looks like the one character that could keep the dreams of Phase 1-3 alive, partly due to the unexpected flexibility of the Asgardian (Thor: Ragnarok was a solid comedy film) and partly because Thor’s mythological inspiration is a permanent fixture of pop culture.
Just in the last few years, the Odinson has appeared in the video game God of War: Ragnarok, as well as in Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The NJ online casino site PlayStar also has a six-reel slot named after Thor, namely, Thor 10k Wins.
While Thor 10K Wins only features its namesake occasionally, it includes many of his Marvel hallmarks, such as his helmet and hammer, Mjolnir. It’s one of several mythology-themed games hosted by PlayStar, alongside Athens Megaways (featuring Zeus) and Arthur Pendragon.
On the Fence
Thor’s future in the MCU is currently unknown. The one tidbit fans do have is that longtime writer Taika Waititi will not return to the Thor character for the fifth instalment, leaving the Asgardian rudderless.
Worryingly, Chris Hemsworth has also been on the fence about playing Thor again. The actor said, back in May 2023, that he didn’t want to continue until there’s “a feeling of exhaustion in the audience”, something that may have already passed.
Some months later, as Waititi reiterates his absence, Hemsworth may or may not be in talks with Marvel about a return to the role. This kind of speculation isn’t likely to change any time soon, as the MCU has nothing pencilled in for Thor, even beyond 2027.
Overall, nobody seems to want much to do with the Thor job at the moment (even Hemsworth said that he’d only return if the job was “drastically different”). With turmoil in the heart of the MCU, it might be time to call it quits for a while.