Chris Hemsworth's Thor may not survive the MCU's next Avengers films, at least if recent rumors are to be believed. While Hemsworth's reminisces about his Thor tenure have fans nervous, a current comic arc reveals that even if Thor dies, it could pave the way to the best possible conclusion for his character's arc.
Hemsworth's Thor has long been one of the major centerpieces of the MCU. He debuted in 2011's Thor and appeared in nine MCU films before his upcoming role in Avengers: Doomsday. A number of rumors pointed to the character's last days in the MCU, fueled by Hemsworth's own video celebrating 15 years of Thor. Some rumors even suggest a finale inspired by Thor's self-sacrifice in New Avengers (Vol. 3) #32, or that Thor 5 may follow Secret Wars, suggesting the God of Thunder survives forthcoming team-ups for a solo finale. An entirely different current Thor arc may pave the way for Thor's death, while also providing the best possible wrap for Hemsworth's time as the character.
Thor's Mortality Was Odin's Secret Plan
Thor's relationship to his divinity has been central to his arc within the MCU. His introduction in Thor centered around Odin (Anthony Hopkins) stripping Thor of his godly powers and enchanting his hammer, Mjolnir, to be usable only by the "worthy."
Thor proves himself so, reigniting his powers, and the worthiness to hold the hammer has been key throughout his arc, as well as for other characters like Vision (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Captain America (Avengers: Endgame), and Jane Foster (Thor: Love and Thunder). A current comic arc reveals that it may have been a bigger moment for Thor's MCU future than we realized.
Al Ewing and artist Martin Coccolo started the Immortal Thor title in 2023, introducing brand new godly threats stemming from Earth's past. Immortal Thor develops the mythos of Those Who Sit Above In Shadow, essentially Gods above the Asgardians who reside in a mythical realm, Utgard (aka the Land-of-True-Things, first introduced in 1985's Alpha Flight #1), and live off their cycles of Ragnarok, death, and rebirth. Here, Odin's initial act of sending Thor to live among mortals was an effort to ultimately disrupt this endless fateful cycle.
Read more about rumors of Chris Hemsworth's Thor's run ending in the MCU.
In Immortal Thor, Thor's Death Has a Surprising End
Immortal Thor also houses the mysterious Gods of Utgard, Toranos, Kemur, Mejed, Nrgl, and Utgard-Loki. These deities are Elder Gods (like Gaea, Oshtur, and the corrupted Set and Chthon) who survived ancient wars among Earth's first Gods by taking refuge in Utgard. Immortal Thor #25 sees Thor conclude his glorious battle against the Utgardian deities, leading to Thor's heroic death.
Here's where it gets interesting for the MCU. As Moon Knight and Thor: Love and Thunder expanded our understanding of the MCU's gods, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced the corrupted Chthon, the stage is set to introduce the Elder Gods explicitly. While Thor dies in Immortal Hulk #25 (July 2025), it leads into Thor #1:
"The Norse Myths tell of Gods who walked the Earth, doing great deeds for the mortals who believed in them. But Asgard isn’t real, and never was. The Gods never soared in our skies, never stood with our heroes, never fought for kindness or justice. It was all just a story. Nobody’s coming to help us. But somewhere in the city... a man is waking up.
A man with a hammer."
It sure seems like Marvel is setting up Thor to die heroically in a stand against powerful deities, just to receive a surprising rebirth in a world where Asgard wasn't, but Thor becomes something entirely different. Mortal? A new kind of immortal? Impossible to say yet, but it clears a path to the MCU killing Thor off before ending his tale with a fresh, unprecedented life... hammer in hand. Because he's worthy. And if the rumors are true and Thor is going to die, his death may not be the end, after all. Either way, characters adjacent to the MCU's Thor are gearing up for potential roles in 2026's Doomsday.
