Marvel Studios inches closer and closer to Chris Hemsworth's return as the God of Thunder in July's Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth solo movie since he started the original Avenger in 2011. With nearly a decade of work under his belt already as this iconic character, naturally, questions arise pertaining to just how long he'll play the role within the MCU.
Love and Thunder will take Thor on arguably his biggest solo adventure yet, taking him past some of his troubles in Avengers: Endgame and setting him on a new journey of self-discovery. This will include a reunion with a newly-superpowered Jane Foster and the Guardians of the Galaxy, but the end of Thor's journey is still one of the biggest unknowns ahead of Thor 4's release.
After this movie, Hemsworth will have eight live-action MCU movies on his resume, more than nearly any actor outside of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, and this one could very well be his last if things line up a certain way. However, according to a couple of the biggest names behind Love and Thunder, this may not necessarily be the end for the Australian megastar.
MCU Boss and Star on Hemsworth's Future as Thor
In the latest issue of Total Film magazine via GamesRadar, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Thor: Love and Thunder star Chris Hemsworth discussed Hemsworth's future after his fourth solo movie.
Hemsworth reiterated how much he "[loves] playing the character" every time he gets the opportunity, and he's always open to "creative exploration" with each new entry. The biggest thing for him is that each new script has to be different than prior ones, and he admitted that he'd prefer to leave the role by choice rather than being forced out:
"Each time, if the opportunity comes up and presents itself, I'm just open to whatever creative exploration can happen, thanks to different writers and directors and so on. "But I love playing the character, I really do. It always comes down to: 'Is this script different to the last one? Are we repeating something?' And when it becomes too familiar, I think that's when I'd have to say, 'Yeah, no, this doesn't... I think I've....I'd like to exit before people tell me to exit."
Feige also kept the door open for another potential appearance for Hemsworth, saying that he and Marvel are "excited" about Hemsworth's future prospects thanks to the riches of stories left to adapt on the God of Thunder:
"I know this: there are many, many other Thor stories in the comics that we talk about a lot. And as we watch Chris Hemsworth continue to grow and evolve as a major acting talent, I would be excited to see how he keeps evolving this complex character."
No End In Sight for Thor's MCU Run?
Thor is certainly one of Marvel's biggest names amongst the Avengers, which is the case in both his 11-year tenure in the MCU and his 60 years of comic history. While he made history by becoming the first MCU solo hero to have four movies instead of the usual trilogy, it seems that his story could continue as long as Hemsworth and Feige both agree to keep the adventure fresh.
This new story keeps things fresh by giving Jane Foster her classic Mighty Thor mantle from the comics, providing Hemsworth's Thor with plenty of new emotional challenges to face after defeating Thanos. On top of that, Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher has already been teased as arguably one of Marvel's best villains to date, giving fans a new iconic antagonist to follow as all of the MCU's gods face the threat of extinction.
At the moment, Hemsworth's contract status with Marvel is unknown, but he realizes that he's potentially closer to the end of his journey. The actor still wants to keep this run going for as long as he can, even if he has some hilarious and interesting reasons for doing so.
Thor: Love and Thunder will debut in theaters on July 8.
