Summary
- Chris Hemsworth struggled with Thor: Love and Thunder, feeling he became a parody of himself.
- Some fans felt Love and Thunder leaned too heavily into silliness, leading to tonal inconsistencies and wasted characters.
- Despite occasional frustrations with his role, Hemsworth's portrayal of Thor has been praised by co-star Robert Downey Jr.
Marvel star Chris Hemsworth says he still cannot forgive himself for the 2022 MCU sequel Thor: Love and Thunder. In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Hemsworth reflects on the divisive response to the fourth Thor outing, which was met with a mixed response from both critics and audiences alike. According to Hemsworth, he took the improvisations too far into parody...
“I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself. I didn’t stick the landing.”
Released on July 8, 2022, as part of Phase Four of the MCU, Thor: Love and Thunder finds Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi back at the helm for this tale of the Asgardian defender and his battle with Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher, as well as his surprise reunion with a now-superpowered Jane Foster, played once again by Natalie Portman. Unfortunately, while the comedic stylings of Thor: Ragnarok quickly made it a franchise favorite, many felt that Love and Thunder leaned too heavily into the silliness leading to tonal inconsistencies and wasted characters.
Before the MCU, Chris Hemsworth Was on a Very Different Path
Before Chris Hemsworth was a superhero, he was a very intimidating and mysterious thug in 2009's A Perfect Getaway.As well as looking back Thor: Love and Thunder, Hemsworth also revealed his occasional frustrations with the role of Thor, which he describes as often feeling like “a security guard” for the rest of The Avengers.
“Sometimes I felt like a security guard for the team. I would read everyone else’s lines, and go, Oh, they got way cooler stuff. They’re having more fun. What’s my character doing? It was always about, ‘You’ve got the wig on. You’ve got the muscles. You’ve got the costume. Where’s the lighting?’ Yeah, I’m part of this big thing, but I’m probably pretty replaceable.”
Iron Man Star Robert Downey Jr. Heaps Praise on Chris Hemsworth’s Work as Thor
Avengers: Endgame
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
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- Release Date
- April 24, 2019
- Director
- Anthony Russo , Joe Russo
- Cast
- Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , Mark Ruffalo , Chris Hemsworth , Scarlett Johansson , Jeremy Renner
- Runtime
- 180
- Main Genre
- Superhero
- Writers
- Christopher Markus , Stephen McFeely , Stan Lee , Jack Kirby , Jim Starlin
- Tagline
- Part of the journey is the end.
While Hemsworth may have some regrets about his time as Thor, his MCU co-star Robert Downey Jr. has nothing but high praise for his portrayal of the Asgardian. The Iron Man star calls Hemsworth’s work in Thor: Ragnarok and both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame “a formidable hat trick.”
“First off, Thor as a character was super tricky to adapt—lots of implied limitations—but he and Ken Branagh figured out how to transcend, make him somehow relatable but godlike. Hemsworth is, in my opinion, the most complex psyche out of all us Avengers. He’s got wit and gravitas, but also such restraint, fire, and gentleness.”
At present, Hemsworth’s future as Thor is unknown. Rumors continue to swirl that he will reprise the role for a fifth Thor outing, in which he will face Brett Goldstein’s Hercules, as well as join The Avengers once again for Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Chris Hemsworth can next be seen on the big screen in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which is scheduled to be released in theaters in the United States on May 24, 2024.