Marvel Studios Admits Defeat With Thor’s Avengers: Doomsday Redesign

Marvel Studios is going back on a big decision about Thor's redesign for his return in Avengers: Doomsday. The God of Thunder is one of the MCU's longest-running heroes, with stories told over the last 15 years in solo movies and team-up crossovers before his return in 2026. This has come with multiple different visual looks for star Chris Hemsworth, showing his adaptability with the role over the years.

Marvel Studios publicly released the second official trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, which is centered on Chris Hemsworth's return as Thor. Seen in the trailer next to his adopted daughter Love (played by his real-life daughter, India Rose Hemsworth), the Thor star is seen donning a short haircut and his usual thick beard.

Hemsworth began using this look in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, when the late Stan Lee's barber forced him into a haircut ahead of his battle in the gladiator ring on Sakaar. He kept this look throughout the rest of that movie and the entirety of 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, going back to his long hair after the opening scene of 2019's Avengers: Endgame. The long hair returned in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder, which was Hemsworth's most recent live-action credit in the MCU.

Additionally, the Doomsday trailer shows Thor on his knees and praying as he holds Stormbreaker in front of him on a hill. Thor first helped to forge Stormbreaker in Infinity War after Hela destroyed Mjolnir in Ragnarok, and he continued using Stormbreaker through Endgame as well. At the end of Love and Thunder, he started using the revived Mjolnir again, while Love carried Stormbreaker into battle before the credits rolled.

Avengers: Doomsday will be the MCU's fifth Avengers outing and the third movie released in Marvel Studios' Phase 6 slate. Hemsworth will lead a cast of at least 29 confirmed stars, which will bring the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four together into an epic battle for the multiverse against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. Avengers: Doomsday is set to debut in theaters on December 18, 2026.

You can watch the second trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, featuring Thor, below.

Explaining Marvel's Decision to Change Thor's Look in Avengers: Doomsday

Chris Hemsworth and Marvel are coming off a rough period for Thor, as Love and Thunder became one of the MCU's biggest critical disappointments. While the sequel performed better than one may believe at the box office, it earned plenty of negative reviews for its overuse of humor, rushed story (in a sub-two-hour runtime), less-than-ideal use of CGI, and underutilization of Jane Foster and Gorr the God Butcher.

Symbolically, many feel Marvel wants to cleanse itself of that experience by going back to a visual for Thor that garnered almost nothing but praise. Ragnarok is still one of Hemsworth's biggest critical successes in the MCU, and The Russo Brothers utilized the God of Thunder about as well as they could have in Infinity War with his short hair and the introduction of Stormbreaker. Hemsworth also spoke openly about wanting an easier time with his hair when the initial change was made for Ragnarok, which is sure to be a relief for the MCU veteran in Doomsday.

As one of the OG Avengers, Hemsworth is expected to play a major role in Doomsday. Reports have already teased an interaction between the God of Thunder and the legacy X-Men stars, adding new chapters and layers to his own Marvel lore well over a decade into his tenure.

Throw in a renewed sense of purpose and stakes for Thor in this movie, and the stage may be set for a reset many feel the character desperately needs. With plenty of new team-ups and character combinations on the table (including a long-awaited reunion with Tom Hiddleston's Loki), Thor has a chance to be one of Doomsday's biggest standouts.