Off the back of the blockbusting success of Thor: Ragnarok, Anthony Russo promises that the God of Thunder will continue his "radical transformation" in Avengers: Infinity War.
Since first picking up Mjolnir back in 2011, Chris Hemsworth has cemented Thor as an integral part of the MCU. Having played a major part of the first two Avengers movies and starred in three of his own solo movies, Thor is back once again with the rest of Earth's mightiest heroes to tackle the Mad Titan Thanos in the upcoming Infinity War. While there are sure to be some major casualties in the next two Avengers movies, it'ss doubtful that Thor is going anywhere just yet. It looks like the MCU has some radical plans for Thor after Thanos is toppled and things move into Phase 4.
Related: Rocket & Mantis Meet Thor in Avengers: Infinity War Image
Ragnarok dealt some serious blows to Thor (and saw the destruction of his home), but it doesn't sound like things are going to get any easier in the near future. The Russo brothers spoke to Marvel Studios Movies from the set of Infinity War, and it certainly sounds like Ragnarok is just the start of a hardened new version of the hammer-throwing adonis:
"I think it's very similar to Captain America's situation when we picked up his story in Winter Solider when Joe and I came on to do our first movie for Marvel. Cap was in a place where we were very much catching him up in the modern world and seeing what that meant to him, and figuring out how you move a character that far forward and that far away from where they started back during the 40s, so I think in Thor we have similar opportunities with that character in this movie is that he's going through a radical transformation and he's moving forward in a way where he can never go back, and that's always a fun place to be with a character as a storyteller."
It is interesting that Russo focuses on the idea of never going back. When the MCU last left Thor, he was adrift in space with the remnants of Asgard and looking for a new home. A handy post-credit scene set up the arrival of Thanos' Black Order, but it is currently unclear how the story gets from there to wiping Thor off the windscreen of the Guardians of the Galaxy's ship during the Infinity War trailer. Either way, the Russo Brothers seem to have a clear vision of how to make it happen.
Although Infinity War will have the most superheroes ever on screen at once, expect Hemsworth to have plenty of time to shine among the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo. Fans have already seen a new-look Thor sporting a shorter haircut and now an eyepatch that resembles his father's Odin's, but Infinity War promises to see more than just a physical evolution of the character.
As one of the best-loved additions to Marvel's cinematic slate, it will be great to see Thor back in action, picking up from the light-hearted Ragnarok and heading into a much darker chapter of the MCU and his own personal story arc. The Russo brothers may never have handled a Thor standalone, but they seem to know where to take the character to set him up for Avengers 4 and whatever lies ahead in Phase 4.
More: Leaked Infinity War LEGO Set May Confirm Thor’s New Weapon
Source: Marvel Studios Movies
