Chris Hemsworth Confirms Thor Future After Avengers Doomsday

Chris Hemsworth reflects on the Love and Thunder backlash while planning Thor’s 2026 return.

Chris Hemsworth Confirms Thor Future

When Thor first landed in the MCU in 2011, he was a Shakespearean prince with bleached eyebrows and a chip on his shoulder.

Fast forward to 2022, and he was screaming with goats and losing his clothes in a scene that felt more like a Saturday Night Live sketch than a cosmic odyssey.

Hemsworth knows it. In a recent appearance on the Smartless Podcast, the actor admitted that Thor: Love and Thunder pushed the comedy into “goofball” territory that left audiences violently offended.

The Russo Reset

The magic of Thor has always been his malleability. Unlike Captain America or Iron Man, who remained relatively consistent in their moral centers, Thor has been a playground for directors.

• The Branagh Era: Formal, regal, and operatic.
• The Russo Brothers: A tragic, broken hero dealing with massive weight gain and PTSD.
• The Waititi Twist: A neon-soaked reinvention that saved the franchise with Ragnarok but, as Hemsworth notes, perhaps “took the p***” a bit too much in the sequel.

Hemsworth finds this constant evolution vital. “I’d be getting really bored with the same thing,” he shared, comparing the performance shifts to his ever-changing tattoos.

What’s Next for the God of Thunder?

The horizon is dominated by Avengers: Doomsday, set for release on December 18, 2026.

This film marks a significant transition for the MCU as it pivots toward a more “dramatic and serious tone” under the returning Russo Brothers.

Key Takeaway:

Hemsworth and Kevin Feige are actively planning a “dramatic turn.” The goal is to move away from the sketch-comedy vibe and return to something “unique” and “different” that honors the character’s weight.

The Myth of the “Funny” Superhero

There is a specific danger in the “Ragnarok” formula: the law of diminishing returns. When Thor: Ragnarok debuted, the humor was a defense mechanism—a way for a man who had lost his father, his eye, and his home to cope.

By Love and Thunder, that humor became the character’s only personality trait.

This deep dive reveals that Thor’s best moments aren’t when he’s making a joke, but when he is the straight man in a chaotic universe. The comedy works as a contrast to his godhood, not as the foundation of it.

To save Thor in the Super 8s of the MCU’s Phase 6, Marvel needs to rediscover the tragedy. A god who has lived for 1,500 years shouldn’t act like a frat boy; he should act like a man who has seen everything end and still chooses to stand.

Stop Making Him Human

The prevailing advice for the MCU has been to make heroes “relatable.” We want to see them eat shawarma, struggle with rent, or deal with dad bods.

But here is the counter-intuitive truth: Thor is most compelling when he is terrifyingly alien. The “goofball” backlash happened because we stopped fearing Thor. If he can be mocked by everyone he meets, he ceases to be a mythic force.

For Thor 5 or his Avengers: Doomsday appearance to land, the creative team must lean into the divinity. Kill the jokes about his physique or his confusion with technology.

Make him the ancient, powerful, and slightly frightening entity that can shatter planets. Reliability is for Spider-Man; awe is for Thor.

The 2026 Horizon

Beyond Asgard, Hemsworth is diversifying. He is set to star in the crime thriller Crime 101 alongside Mark Ruffalo, proving that while the hammer is still in his hand, his eyes are on a much broader cinematic landscape.