Chris Hemsworth's return to the MCU will reportedly come in one unsurprising Marvel film.
Hemsworth - who has played Marvel Studios' Thor for more a decade at this point - looked to be pondering superhero retirement after the less-than-stellar reception to 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder.
The Thor actor told fans shortly after Love and Thunder's release that he approached the film as if it was his "last time" playing the God of Thunder and that he was unsure about his future as the hero.
He has since rescinded those statements, admitting he would come back on the condition that whatever is next is "something unique" and would feature "a drastically different version" of the character, but he has not yet confirmed when/if this return would happen.
Chris Hemsworth's Marvel Return Seemingly Leaked
While speaking in a recent interview, Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi, looks to have let slip when Chris Hemsworth's Marvel return will happen.
While chatting with Inverse, Waititi unsurprisingly said he has heard Hemorwth is not done as the God of Thunder and will - to no one's surprise - next appear in the unannounced Thor 5.
This came as the filmmaker confirmed he likely will not be in the director's chair for the fifth Thor movie, remarking that he "needed a break from that:"
“[I] needed a break from that. It’s a very draining process working on these films for two and a half years and nonstop."
Despite this, he did not 100% rule out a return to the MCU for himself, opining "It’s just about when I would be able to fit that in."
While Chris Hemsworth himself has taken steps to alleviate worries he may be looking toward a Marvel Studios retirement, this marks the first time someone has commented on where his beloved Avenger could appear next.
Hemsworth has also teased what could change for Thor in a potential fifth solo movie, making it clear that he likely won't be as insanely extra-buff as he was for Love and Thunder.
Thor 5 has yet to be officially announced, but - at this point - it is starting to feel like an inevitability.
When Will Thor 5 Be Released?
While Marvel Studios has a handful of big-screen blockbusters currently on the slate, running all the way through May 7, 2027 (with Avengers: Secret Wars), there has been no mention from Marvel president Kevin Feige or any other MCU brass about Thor 5.
Seeing as Chris Hemsworth's Thor will logically play an important role in the upcoming Avengers duology (The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars), it would make sense for the next Thor movie to come out sometime before either of those.
Luckily, Marvel has some slots with unannounced titles sitting on its release calendar waiting to be filled with a project like Thor 5.
When Kevin Feige got on stage back at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, he (and the Marvel Studios team) almost intentionally left much of the Phase 6 slate blank, only showing off where it would start and finish (Fantastic Four and the Avengers films).
While release dates have shifted since that iconic Hall H presentation - and will likely continue to shift as a result of the strikes that hit Hollywood this year - there remain a few mysterious blank spots on the MCU calendar.
Given Hemsworth's popularity as Thor, Disney and Marvel Studios would be smart to fast-track Thor 5 into one of these dates (alongside other movies like Shang-Chi 2, Doctor Strange 3, and Eternals 2).
An exact release date is still hard to predict given the uncertainty of the dates already on the Marvel calendar, but fans can expect Thor 5 to likely release sometime before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, currently set to debut on May 1, 2026.
The entire Thor film franchise can be streamed now on Disney+.
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