A spoiler-free discussion.
From left: Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), a.k.a. The Mighty Thor, and Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson
With the recent release of the teaser trailer for the fourth installment in the Thor series of films, Thor: Love and Thunder, fans were given glimpses as to what the film’s plot might entail in its 90-second runtime. Upon first viewing, it would appear that, once again, Thor is on a journey to “find his place in the universe”, literally the same narrative arc the character has been through throughout each and every Thor film that came before this one.
At first glance, it would appear as if there is a bout of lazy writing taking place within the MCU’s phase four, and one would not be entirely wrong to assume as such. After all, how many times can the same old story be repeated before it ultimately becomes a bore to most paying audiences when the film is released.
Having said that, this is not the issue that will upset fans the most. Instead, what we believe will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back in this instance will be the highly likely fact that Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor will indeed be replacing Chris Hemsworth’s Thor as the main superhero going forward in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
KNEEL BEFORE THOR, THE GOD OF THUNDER
As it has been foreshadowed many times over, the studio is on a course that is hellbent on either character assassinating or demonizing its male characters that made up the bulk of the MCU’s phases one to three – and Thor looks like he is going to be next on the chopping block.
It would seem that the film intends to be a final farewell to the character of Thor Odinson, as the teaser itself shows him leaving the Guardians of the Galaxy to go on his own way. The character, as we remember in Endgame, also relinquished his role as the king of Asgard, handing it over to yet another female character, Valkyrie, before joining the Guardians on their whacky adventures.
Following that trajectory, it would come as no surprise that Thor Odinson would be sadly written out of the MCU going forward, as he is one of the last few masculine white-male characters left in a cinematic universe that intends to reshuffle itself to be more diverse.
Even the recent Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness went to extreme lengths to make its titular character no more than a supporting role to Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch in the film. Therefore, we believe the same will happen with Thor.
Our prediction is that Jane Foster will replace Chris Hemsworth as the main Thor in this new multiversal story arc, and what we believe is to come true, then it would certainly be a sad day for die-hard fans of Hemsworth’s character over the years.