Chris Hemsworth Recalls Touching Praise From RDJ During Endgame Filming

Chris Hemsworth recalls Robert Downey Jr.'s touching praise for how he played Thor in Avengers: Endgame. More than three years since Joe and Anthony Russo culminated the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios is moving forward with the Multiverse Saga, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever recently wrapping up Phase 4. Despite this, Avengers: Endgame remains a fan-favorite, as it was the final outing of the original Avengers as a complete team. While the film is special for many reasons for die-hard MCU followers, the cast themselves look back at their time working on the film fondly, including Hemsworth.

As one of the three remaining original Avengers in the MCU, Hemsworth is deemed an elder statesman in the franchise. He recently appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder, which is his franchise-most fourth standalone film as the God of Thunder. In a new interview with Sad Happy Confused podcast, Hemsworth opts to talk about filming Avengers: Endgame as one of the highlights of his time in the MCU. He particularly recalls Downey praising his improv as he filmed an emotional scene as Thor. Read Hemsworth's full story below:

Yeah, you’re always like, ‘Is this gonna work, you know?’ I mean, I remember that scene [in Avengers: Endgame] where I sort of start breaking down, pitching everyone the mission, and talking about my family, and who died, and so on… just little moments like that in your career where just everything lines up, and there was a bit of improv, and so on. And I think it ended with me saying, ‘I want a Bloody Mary,’ to Downey, and he said to me, ‘How do you feel?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I forgot, it’s pretty special.’ He goes, ‘Every now and then, a little like… a few times in your career, you have little moments where you hit the bullseye and it’s like… you’re in the sweet spot.’ And he said, ‘Oh, enjoy it.’ And… I really appreciated that, because I definitely felt something special about that moment… but who am I to judge, you know? And so, to have the godfather lean over and say, ’Well done, son…’

Phase 4 Has Only Deepened Robert Downey Jr.’s MCU Importance

Iron Man prepares to time travel in Avengers: Endgame

While Hemsworth's Thor survived into Phase 4, Iron Man didn't. Tony Stark's death in Endgame is one of the most tragic losses in the MCU thus far, although it's also the best ending for the Avenger. Sacrificing himself for the greater good highlighted how much he had grown from the self-centered industrialist in Iron Man to the MCU's biggest hero in the Infinity Saga. Aside from losing Iron Man on the screen, however, Downey being no longer involved in the franchise also has repercussions. In its first decade, the actor was the face of the MCU, and he also served as the leader of the ever-growing cast of actors.

Despite not having any physical presence in the MCU Multiverse Saga, he and his actions continue to shape the franchise. There have been several references to him in Phase 4, but moving forward, Marvel Studios is set to fully explore his legacy through Don Cheadle's Armor Wars, which was recently reworked to be a film instead of a Disney+ series. Meanwhile, Riri Williams will headline her own show in Ironheart. Between these and the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars film, there are also ongoing rumors that Marvel may be gearing to bring Downey back into the MCU.

At this point, it's still uncertain who might be able to take over Downey's role as the MCU ringleader. While there are a couple of candidates to succeed Iron Man as the next leader of the Avengers, it doesn't seem like Marvel Studios is positioning any of their current actors to spearhead its now-bigger cast. Despite the clamor to bring either Downey or Stark back following his death in Avengers: Endgame, it's probably for the best that they keep him out of the MCU to maintain its focus on its current storytelling.

More: Marvel Fatigue Proves Kevin Feige’s Phase 4 Approach Was Wrong

Source: Happy Sad Confused