Chris Hemsworth Was Shocked Thor Wasn’t In A Crucial Marvel Movie
Chris Hemsworth didn't believe he'd be able to make another Thor movie after he was left out of this one.
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Chris Hemsworth shared his anxieties around his future in the MCU after Captain America: Civil War excluded Thor from its storyline. When he found out he was missing from the movie, he got the impression that he was being “written out” of the cinematic universe. He explained, “I remember being on the Age of Ultron press tour, and everyone was talking about Civil War,” Chris Hemsworth said in a new behind-the-scenes book called The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Yahoo! News reports.
“I was like, ‘What’s ‘Civil War?” I asked, ‘Are you doing a side-project or something?'” Then, to Chris Hemsworth’s terror, he discovered everyone was in it but him. “They’re like, ‘Oh no, Captain America, y’know? The next one is ‘Civil War.” I’m like, ‘Wait… Iron Man’s in that?’ And it’s like, ‘Yeah, but there’s not just Iron Man. There’s Vision. There’s Spider-Man…'”
Captain America: Civil War was jokingly given the alternative title of Avengers 2.5 by fans, though Chris Hemsworth wasn’t the only one sitting on the sidelines for Marvel’s 2016 showdown. Mark Ruffalo was absent as Bruce “The Hulk” Banner. The pair had ended up banding together with director Taika Waititi for Thor: Ragnarok, a movie that Hemsworth doubted would even happen. The movie went on to become a fan-favorite.
Originally, Chris Hemsworth almost didn’t weild Mjolnir, and faced difficulties when securing an agency to represent him when first seeking out roles. His brother, Liam Hemsworth, and Marvel co-star Tom Hiddleston, were screen-tested for the role of Thor. Hiddleston was later cast as the Frost Giant Loki Laufeyson, son of Laufey and god of mischief.
Chris Hemsworth’s agents pressed for Marvel president Kevin Feige to let him read the script again, though Feige was unconvinced. It was Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard who had coached Hemsworth when working toward landing the lead in Thor, and their advice was the finishing touch that granted the emerging actor the rule over Asgard, deeming him worthy. Thor: Love and Thunder will bring back Waititi to write and direct, and will serve as a “passing of the torch” of the mantle of Thor from Hemsworth to Natalie Portman as Jane “Thor” Foster. Portman has been absent from the MCU since Thor: The Dark World in 2013, though her return is to be thunderous. Thor: Love and Thunder storms into theaters on July 8, 2022.
While Chris Hemsworth was shocked he wasn’t in Civil War, and that led him to believe he was being written out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s no one else fans today would accept in the role. God of Thunder, son of Odin, Prince of Asgard, Hearld of Thunder: Thor Odinson has gone by many names over the ages, but is now most commonly associated with the Marvel actor. Hailing from the infinite tales of Norse myths, introducing Thor into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was inevitable. Still, it was a risky move in 2011, as the tone of the superhero genre at the time consisted of gritty reboots and grounded character studies. Marvel making the decision to follow Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk with bringing in a literal god with Chris Hemsworth as its latest heroic addition was a daunting gamble, as it not only had to stand on its own two legs, but seamlessly work into the build-up of assembling The Avengers.
