The newest Avengers: Doomsday footage has raised concerns about the fate of one beloved MCU character. Marvel Studios' big December film release will feature characters from across the MCU, ranging from the original Avengers lineup to the most recent additions from the Multiverse Saga. While Marvel has kept details about Avengers: Doomsday close to the chest, recent trailers have given a glimpse at what to expect when the Avengers go up against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
Following the official trailer release of Avengers: Doomsday in mid-July (which had been screened at CinemaCon months prior), Marvel Studios screened additional exclusive footage to attendees at San Diego Comic-Con. I attended Marvel's panel in Hall H on Saturday, July 25, and was impressed by the new footage from Avengers: Doomsday. It was similar to the trailer Marvel released weeks prior, but with additional embellishments that offered further insight into Doctor Doom's history, his shared history with the Fantastic Four, and some very epic set pieces.
Thinking back on the footage, one thing has stuck with me, and that's a nagging feeling that Chris Hemsworth's Thor is in grave danger in this movie.
Hemsworth is one of the original MCU actors and has played the God of Thunder for 15 years. Avengers: Doomsday will be his ninth MCU movie, and he's one of the only Avengers from the original lineup confirmed to appear.
In the initial four Avengers: Doomsday teasers, one is dedicated to Thor, and we see Hemsworth's hero praying to his father, Odin, to lend him strength so he may return home safely to raise Love, the child he adopted in Thor: Love and Thunder.
"Father, all my life, I have answered every call. To honor, duty, to war. But now fate has given me something I never sought: a child. A life untouched by the storm. Lend me the strength of the All-Fathers, so that I may fight once more. Defeat one more enemy and return home to her..."
Thor is then heavily featured in the official Avengers: Doomsday trailer, in which he warns the Avengers that "we're going to need a miracle" to beat their enemies in the film. These words, coming from a seasoned Avenger and Norse god like Thor, are serious.
We then see why Thor has reason to fear, as he goes head-to-head with Doctor Doom in combat, using all his godly might and his axe, Stormbreaker, to come at Downey Jr.'s villain, only for Doom to stop him mid-swing with two fingers.
What the Comic-Con footage shows, which the official trailer did not, is the aftermath of that moment. After Doom blocks Stormbreaker with ease, he retaliates against Thor, using his magic to hit the Avenger and send him flying, where he lands heavily and painfully.
There is also an ominous exchange between Thor and Doom, where the Norse God warns that Doom will "beg for hell long before I grant it," only for Doom to respond, "Hell answers to me."
The sequence ends with Doom using his magic to raise a group of Sentinels (giant robot superweapons from X-Men lore) to aid him in the fight against Thor. It's safe to say things aren't looking too good for Hemsworth's character in Avengers: Doomsday.
Could Marvel Really Kill Off Thor in Avengers: Doomsday?
Doctor Doom beating one of the strongest Avengers to a pulp in Avengers: Doomsday's trailer doesn't bode well for the superhero team, and there's a solid chance Marvel may actually follow through on the threats it's presenting to Thor.
For one, Avengers movies traditionally feature major deaths. Avengers: Endgame saw Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow meet their ends in various ways, halving the original Avengers team's headcount. Thor was one of the few surviving original Avengers from the Infinity Saga, and with Hulk and Hawkeye sitting out Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Studios may wish to use Thor, a character that audiences have been invested in for so many years, to send a message. It's something that Hemsworth even seems to be leaning into.
Doom killing Thor, particularly after he's shown rallying the new Avengers teams in the trailer–who are at odds due to the rival Avengers teams led by Yelena Belova and Captain America–would also be an effective way to deliver the characters in the movie a warning. Like Phil Coulson's death in The Avengers, Thor's demise could be the thing that forces the Avengers to work together to beat Doctor Doom.
Thor could be killed off in Avengers: Doomsday, but that doesn't mean it's irreversible. Scarlett Johansson returned in Black Widow after her death in Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. is back playing Doctor Doom after Iron Man, and Chris Evans will miraculously return as Steve Rogers in Avengers 5. There are a multitude of ways that Hemsworth could continue to appear in the MCU, even if Thor meets his end in this upcoming film.
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