Earlier this year, Marvel Studios proved they still know how to put the internet in a stranglehold thanks to their four teaser trailers for Avengers: Doomsday. In addition to confirming that Chris Evans would return as Steve Rogers and that Ben Grimm would meet the Wakandans, the Doomsday teasers revealed Thor’s current place in the MCU. Picking up from the events of Thor: Love and Thunder, it appears that the god of Thunder has finally met his match, hoping for a final battle that will allow him to exit gracefully.
After this teaser, it seemed like Thor might be meeting his maker for real in the film, but since then, it seems less likely. In a recent interview, Chris Hemsworth himself seemed to tease that he would be back for the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars, even indicating later that he will return a “couple more times” and they have ideas for what to do next with the character. Given all that teasing, it’s clear what Marvel has in mind for the hero next: The Thor Corps.
Avengers: Secret Wars Movie May Finally Bring the Thor Corps to the MCU
The upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars, despite sharing a name with an iconic ’80s crossover, will be taking its cues more from the 2015 version of that comic book event. As readers may recall from the pages of Secret Wars, Doom has not only become God Emperor but reshaped the entire multiverse into one place dubbed Battle World, composed of pieces of annihilated universes that have become a patchwork planet. In order to maintain his stranglehold of power, though, he needs enforcers, among them, a collective of Thors from across the multiverse that act as his own private police force.
Bringing the Thor Corps to life in Avengers: Secret Wars allows for three distinct things to occur in the MCU that have not been done before. The first is seeing Chris Hemsworth’s hero in a totally new light, one of subservience. Though the first Thor film saw the hero bending the knee to his father, he remained confident about his place in the universe, one he’s maintained for multiple films. By being forced to work under Doom’s rule, Thor would have a new shade to explore on screen and be given a path toward redemption.
The second thing it offers is in seeing Thor variants that the MCU itself can’t give us. Sure, we’ve already seen Jane Foster as the God of Thunder with a tease of Throg in Marvel’s Loki, but characters like Storm as Thor, Thor as a lizard, Thor as a wolf, the Fantastic Four as Thors, and countless others are seen in the pages of Secret Wars, including Beta Ray Bill. Right now, with Secret Wars having not been filmed at all, there’s endless potential for the movie, and opening up a full can of unique Thors is one path it could take.
Avengers: Secret Wars Could Plant Seeds for Thor’s Future
The third element that the Thor Corps could introduce in Avengers: Secret Wars is the potential future for Thor in the MCU. There are two other distinct Thors who appear as part of the group in Secret Wars that could be introduced as a bridge for what comes next. In the pages of the comics, one of them was the Ultimate Thor, who could perhaps be introduced in the film as a fresh starting point for the new MCU. Another is the Unworthy Thor, who has lost his ability to wield Mjolnir, potentially introducing another storyline that could be explored in a solo movie.
One of the most important Thors found in the group during the crossover is the Old King Thor, the one-eyed ruler of Asgard who hailed from a potential future for the God of Thunder. Secret Wars, as a movie, will have a lot on its plate, but the lingering “soft reset” of the MCU will no doubt be on its mind. As a result, the film could introduce the elder version of Hemsworth’s character, either as a tease for what the next movie starring the character could be or as a warning for what his future holds, something that could haunt him in new stories.
At this point, the future of the MCU past Avengers: Secret Wars is largely a question mark for nearly every character. Though it seems likely several heroes will be recast, and the greatest change being that the X-Men and Fantastic Four are put into the MCU proper alongside the Avengers, the one constant that almost seems guaranteed is that Chris Hemsworth will still be bringing the thunder as Thor. Before that happens, the hero will be tested by two Avengers movies, and, hopefully, they put him on the right path.