Chris Hemsworth, who starred in Thor: Love and Thunder, desires that if Thor makes a comeback in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his character will take on a radically different tone. Once Taika Waititi took over the direction of Thor: Ragnarok, the style of the story about the god of thunder underwent a complete transformation as humor was given priority. Because of the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the change, the comedic version of Thor was kept for the sequel. The humor was amplified in Thor: Love and Thunder, however, audiences and critics disagreed more over the film’s humor. Thor’s future in the MCU is a little unknown following the unexpected turn of events.
Hemsworth is starting to share more of his thoughts on the movie and what he hopes to see from Thor if he returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that it has been a few months since the release of Thor: Love and Thunder. The actor recently discussed Thor’s future with Josh Horowitz for the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, thus the subject unavoidably came up. After portraying the character in so many different ways, Hemsworth was questioned about what lies ahead for the thunder god. He acknowledged that the tone of Thor’s return to the MCU should be significantly different from what viewers have previously witnessed.
You look at Thor 1 and 2, they were quite similar. Ragnarok and Love and Thunder are similar. I think it’s about reinventing it. I’ve had such a unique opportunity with Infinity War and Endgame to do very drastic things with the character. I enjoy that, I like keeping people on their toes. It keeps me on my toes. It keeps me invested. I’ve said this before but when it becomes too familiar, I think there’s a risk in getting lazy then because I know what I’m doing. I don’t know if I’m even invited back, but if I was, I think it would have to be a drastically different version in tone, everything, just for my own sanity… [laughs] Thor lost his mind that last one. He’s got to figure it out now.
Why Thor Needs To Change His Comedic Tone After ‘Love & Thunder’
Chris Hemsworth has always added a humorous element to Thor, and even the first Thor made use of his appearance as a fish out of the water to amuse viewers. Through his roles in the Avengers films and his solo sequel, this tone was mostly upheld. Even though viewers generally adored the humor in Thor: Ragnarok, some critics felt that the humor in Thor: Love and Thunder went too far for Marvel films. This not only applied to Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher (who should have added a threat level) but also to all the other characters in the sequel, giving Thor 4 an unduly ludicrous tone.
The less enthusiastic response to Thor: Love and Thunder seem to indicate that viewers are not as fond of the completely humorous Thor. Hemsworth has previously expressed his love for the new approach in a very open manner, but it appears that even he is not entirely on board with the tone staying the same for upcoming performances. If so, the comical tone of Thor must be changed if Marvel Studios wants to retain Hemsworth on board. That might prevent Taika Waititi from returning for Thor 5.
The direction of a potential tonal shift for the character is very obvious given that Hemsworth recently hinted that he might be ready to leave the Marvel Cinematic Universe and witness Thor’s demise. Although Waititi’s first two Thor films were more dramatic, they were not nearly as serious as other MCU entries like the Captain America flicks. If Hemsworth gets his request to murder Thor from Marvel, the ensuing film needs to have a tone that can support an emotionally gratifying conclusion. Another possible explanation for Hemsworth’s desire for the shift is the comic tone of Thor: Love and Thunder, which does not entirely suit in that sense.
