One major MCU superhero will endure another dose of on-brand trauma when he returns in Avengers: Doomsday. Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is the only OG Avenger confirmed to return in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, with Chris Evans' Steve Rogers all-but-certain to join him too. While Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. will be back, he will be switching sides to play the villainous Doctor Doom. With Marvel’s Big Three reunited for Avengers 5, it looks unlikely Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow will be back, and the jury is still out on Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk (who will return for Spider-Man: Brand New Day) and Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye.
During the November edition of The Cosmic Circus’ Q&A, scooper Alex Perez revealed Chris Hemsworth’s Thor “really goes through it” in Avengers: Doomsday, before speaking further to his role in the 2026 blockbuster.
The MCU has offered a brief 17-year glimpse into Thor's 1,500+ year life and, to quote Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, it seems fans are "joining at a bit of a low point."
So far, Thor has seen his mother (Frigga) killed by Dark Elves, his father (Odin) vanish into dust, his brother (Loki) die at least three times, his sister (Hela) turn evil before dying herself, his best friend (Heimdall) slain by Thanos, his girlfriend (Jane Foster) succumb to cancer, and his homeworld (Asgard) levelled in Ragnarok.
Perez noted that, much like in Avengers: Infinity War, which paired Thor with Rocket and Groot on a quest to build the Thanos-killing axe Stormbreaker, his role "starts as a subplot." However, he was clear that the God of Thunder merged into the main story "at a much earlier moment than the third act this time."
After pointing out that "it always seems like [Thor] has a lot to lose in these movies," the scooper teased, "What’s a god to a non-believer?" This is actually a Frank Ocean lyric from 2012’s “No Church in the Wild,” a Kanye West and Jay-Z song on which he featured.
Said non-believer may well be Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, who has been known in Marvel Comics to see himself as a god or more. He once proclaimed to Reed Richards' daughter, "I was a god, Valeria… I found it, beneath me."
Thor will have a major role in Avengers: Doomsday, which lands on December 18, 2026, with rumors stating he will be the flick’s second lead behind Doctor Doom.
Thor's Role in Avengers: Doomsday Could Be His Most Tragic Yet
It's tough to tell what Thor's quest will involve in Avengers: Doomsday, but one has to imagine he will be eager to make up for his self-prescribed failures in defeating Thanos by going all-in to vanquish Doctor Doom from the get-go.
That said, much like in Avengers: Infinity War, it seems Thor will be starting out on a solo adventure before joining up with other superheroes. Perhaps he will be travelling the cosmos with his adopted daughter, Love, when he encounters some Multiversal event that leads him back to Earth.
At this point, one has to wonder what there really is left for the God of Thunder to endure in the MCU going into Avengers 5. Having lost almost all of his friends and family in the last few decades of his long life, one would think that the Asgardian Avenger has been traumatized as much as possible.
To some extent, the sun will shine on Thor and Loki again soon, as the Sons of Odin are expected to reunite in Avengers 5. However, as Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief tends to end up being killed off in the MCU, one has to wonder if the Loki that fans met in his Disney+ show of the same name isn't long for this world.
There were also reports that Loki will have a major "MacGuffin" role in Doomsday, with the Avengers and Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom racing to reach him and the branching Multiversal timelines that he is holding together.
Sadly, with Doctor Doom likely to end Doomsday victorious, setting up the Avengers' comeback in Secret Wars (similar to Thanos across Infinity War and Endgame), Loki may have to die so that the villain can fulfill his master plan.
On the topic of the green-wearing baddie, Doctor Doom's resemblance to his fallen friend, Tony Stark, ought to stir up its own trauma for Thor. There's no denying that fighting an MCU villain who looks exactly like Iron Man, someone he respected and fought beside for years, will be no easy task for the Asgardian.
Doomsday could also finally explain why Thor was crying over Deadpool on a TV screen in Deadpool & Wolverine, adding to this trauma to come.
Lastly, there have been rumors that Marvel Studios wants to give Thor a "big, proper death" in an upcoming Avengers movie. If Thor were to fall in battle, that could finally earn him a place in Valhalla as his hammer hits the ground one last time, making the ultimate sacrifice to defeat Doctor Doom.
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