Chris Hemsworth Continues Backtracking, Insists He Is Not Done With MCU

Recently, the online rumor mill has been working overtime perpetuating the story that Chris Hemsworth will no longer play his Marvel Cinematic Universe role, Thor, after the release of his fourth solo outing, Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8, 2022.

Related: New Marvel Star Accused of Cultural Appropriation, Fans Plan ‘Shang-Chi’ Boycott

The actor even perpetuated this rumor at one point, indicating that Thor 4 would likely be his last outing as the God of Thunder, “”It was a lot of nostalgia in [Thor: Love and Thunder] for me, as it was with the last Avengers film. Ten, eleven years I’ve been doing it.”

Then, however, on the heels of comments by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige — who indicated he isn’t ready to let the Thor cast retire from the MCU — Hemsworth began backtracking on his earlier statements, even saying he intends to continue playing Thor until he is “kicked of the stage.”

Related: ‘Thor’ Star Unexpectedly Walks Out of New HBO Movie, Network Pulls Plug

Now, Hemsworth has continued asserting that he actually isn’t leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe anytime soon. He told the Associated Press (AP):

“I love the experience, and I have from day one. Each time I’ve been asked back I’ve said ‘Absolutely let’s go.’ I’ve been lucky to have different directors and writers and cast to also inject different stories and energy into the films. Until the audience, the fans, the Marvel gods say, ‘No, we’ve had enough’ then I’ll keep showing up, I love it. It’s good fun.”

Related: ‘Iron Man’ Star Robert Downey, Jr. Goes Viral With Wild New Look

Thor: Love and Thunder, directed by Taika Waititi (JoJo Rabbit, Boy, Free Guy), has received praise from critics — who say it has more of an emotional, “rom com” vibe than they were expecting — after early screenings. Love and Thunder will see the returns of numerous fan favorites from prior Thor movies, including Hemsworth, Natalie Portman (Jane Foster/Mighty Thor), and Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie).

The fourth installment in the franchise will also feature appearances by multiple Guardians of the Galaxy cast members, such as Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord), Bradley Cooper (Rocket Raccoon), Vin Diesel (Groot), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer), and Pom Klementieff (Mantis).

Related: Marvel Star “Very Cautious” on Returning, Shoots Down ‘Avengers’ Reboot

Christian Bale and Russell Crowe will make their MCU debuts as Gorr the God Butcher and Zeus, respectively.

Hemsworth has previously played the Mjolnir-wielding son of Odin in Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Related: ‘Loki’ Star Received Warning Texts From Kevin Feige’s “Burner Phone”

There are also some reports, though they remain unconfirmed, that Hemsworth may make a cameo appearance alongside Tom Hiddleston in Loki Season 2 on Disney+.

More on Thor: Love and Thunder

Related: Marvel Writer Spits in the Face of Fans, Does Not Care if MCU Erases Character’s Heritage

One description of the latest Thor movie reads:

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor attempts to find inner peace, but must return to action and recruit Valkyrie, Korg, and Jane Foster—who has become the Mighty Thor—to stop Gorr the God Butcher from eliminating all gods.

You can watch the full trailer for the latest Marvel movie below:

Are you excited to see Thor: Love and Thunder in theaters?

You can stream Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and the seven series in Marvel’s Phase Four so far — Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany’s WandaVision, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, Marvel’s What If…?, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight, and Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel— on Disney+ anytime.