Avengers 5 Theory: Thor Will Be The ONLY Original Team Member

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is preparing for a new era of movies and TV shows, with both old and new characters. The MCU’s future could include a fifth Avengers movie, which could have Thor in its team, making him the only original team member – here’s how that could work. The MCU as it’s now known began in 2008 with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, which introduced viewers to Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man and set the basis for the arrival of the Avengers through a post-credits scene.

Since then, the MCU has produced over 20 movies, with its first three phases – collectively known as the Infinity Saga – coming to an end with Spider-Man: Far From Home, which gave the audience a look at the world post-reversed snap and without Iron Man following the events of Avengers: Endgame. The fourth Avengers movie also saw the end of the arcs of other original Avengers, but there’s one that will continue being an active part of the MCU: Thor. The God of Thunder will be the first MCU character to get four solo movies, with Thor: Love and Thunder expected to arrive in 2022.

After a rough start, Thor has now become a favorite among MCU fans, who are eagerly waiting to see what he will be up to in his new solo movie, which will also see the return of Jane Foster, Valkyrie, and Korg, and will welcome the Guardians of the Galaxy in some capacity. Of course, Thor’s future beyond Thor: Love and Thunder is unknown, as well as the MCU’s slate past those titles releasing in 2022 (the last one on the list at the time of this writing is Captain Marvel 2). But if the MCU’s future – whether phase 4 or 5 – is to include a new Avengers movie, Thor should be part of the team, making him the only original team member still active. Here’s how that could work and how it would benefit the character.

Endgame Ended The Avengers’ Stories - Apart From Thor’s

Thor, Captain America and Iron Man prepare to fight Thanos in Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame saw the surviving heroes joining forces to collect the Infinity Stones from different places and points in time so they could reverse Thanos’ snap, which wiped out half of life in the universe at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Black Widow died during that mission, as she and Hawkeye traveled to Vormir in 2014 to get the Soul Stone. There, the Stone’s keeper, Red Skull, told them the Stone could only be acquired by sacrificing someone they love. After a fight, Natasha sacrificed herself so Hawkeye could take the Stone, go back to their time, and help reverse the snap. Although fans will get to see her one more time in Black Widow, the movie is set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, and it’s unlikely Marvel will bring her back from the dead.

The stories of the rest of the Avengers also ended in Endgame – some tragically, others not so much. Tony Stark sacrificed himself in order to save the world; Steve Rogers was given the life he didn’t get to live next to Peggy Carter, and passed on the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson/Falcon; Hawkeye will star in his own Disney+ TV show alongside Kate Bishop, who might or might not take his place; and the Hulk’s complicated rights make his MCU future unknown (and not quite possible). Thor, on the other hand, overcame his own demons and went back to his heroic self, and by the end of Endgame, he was ready to go on new adventures with the Guardians of the Galaxy (though that doesn’t mean he won’t go on his own way at some point). This makes Thor the only original Avenger with a real future in the MCU, which doesn’t have to be limited to just Thor: Love and Thunder.

Thor’s MCU Journey Is The Easiest To Continue Beyond Phase 4

Thor’s time in the MCU was given an extension, unlike the rest of the Avengers, especially Captain American and Iron Man. A lot was said about the contracts of the actors who played the Avengers, as they don’t cover beyond Avengers: Endgame, meaning that their characters’ time had already been set, and it showed. The arcs of Captain America and Iron Man were coming to a natural end, which is why fans were expecting to see them go in Endgame (though that didn’t make their goodbyes any less emotional). What allowed Thor to stay a bit longer is Thor: Ragnarok, which brought his trilogy back to life.

Out of the three original Avengers who got solo movies, Thor had the weakest introduction and an even worse second movie. Thor: The Dark World is considered by many to be the worst MCU movie to date, and it does have a lot of flaws, one of the biggest ones being that Thor didn’t go through any changes, compared to Iron Man and Captain America in their solo movies. Thor was a flat character with zero sense of humor and personality, an image that continued in The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, but Taika Waititi arrived and made some much-needed changes in Thor: Ragnarok. Thor was given a personality and Waititi seized Chris Hemsworth’s comedic skills, making the character interesting and fun to watch. This new and improved Thor continued in Infinity War and Endgame, and opened the door for him to get a fourth solo movie.

Thor can easily have a future beyond Thor: Love and Thunder even if characters like Jane Foster and Beta Ray Bill can replace him, as the audience wants to see more of him now that he changed for the better, and there are still many stories that can be explored as he isn’t human, meaning he can live longer than other characters.

Avengers 5 Would Be Better With One Original Team Member

MCU Most Powerful Avengers Team Doctor Strange Captain Marvel Thor Scarlet Witch

With five out of the six original Avengers either dead, retired, or involved in behind-the-scenes conflicts, the team in a potential Avengers 5 would have to be formed by characters that have already been introduced in the Infinity Saga, such as Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, etc, along with some from phase 4. Though most of these are characters that the audience is already familiar with, the new Avengers team could benefit from having the only remaining original Avenger. By having Thor, they would not only have a sort of mentor or leader, but it would give the audience a sense of familiarity and a touch of nostalgia as he’s a link to the team that started it all. Plus, the team could use his sense of humor.

Avengers 5 Can Properly End Thor’s MCU Story

The arcs of Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow came to an end in an Avengers movie, so it’s only fitting that Thor’s ends in one too. While it all might point at Thor: Love and Thunder being the end of Thor’s time in the MCU, as Jane Foster is expected to take on the mantle of Thor, the God of Thunder’s final appearance should be in an Avengers movie, as it happened with his colleagues Captain America and Iron Man. With Thor still part of the Avengers team in this new era in the MCU, he could be up for one more team adventure before finally retiring (from the MCU, at least), knowing well that the universe is in good hands with the new team.

Whether Thor could have a future beyond a fifth Avengers movie or not would depend on where the story takes him, as well as how open the Thor movies are to having him back (as Jane can easily take over). Thor has been given a proper future in the MCU, which shouldn’t be limited to just one more solo movie, and if his arc is to end soon, what better than leaving as the only original Avenger in the new team, and the only one who can brag about being part of two different versions of the Avengers team.

Next: Marvel's New Phase 4 Slate: Every MCU Movie Release Date (2020-2022)