Chris Hemsworth is best known as Thor, but his role in the upcoming Furiosa shows he's transitioning from his MCU role into action movies. The prequel to 2015's post-apocalyptic action hit Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa will focus on the origin of Charlize Theron's heroine, with Anya-Taylor Joy assuming the role. Hemsworth will reportedly portray the villain of the film, and this signals the shift he's making in his career.
Hemsworth first broke out as Thor in the MCU, playing the Asgardian Avenger nine times, including in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder. However, outside of his signature role, Hemsworth largely hasn't experienced similar success in commercial terms. That began to change with the 2020 release of the action movie Extraction, released on Netflix during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Extraction became Netflix's most streamed movie ever at the time, with its 12-minute one-take action sequence in particular thrilling viewers. Hemsworth drew widespread praise for his performance as the movie's grizzled mercenary anti-hero Tyler Rake, and he's set to return to the role in the upcoming Extraction 2. By taking on the villain role in Furiosa, itself the prequel to one of the most acclaimed action movies ever made, Hemsworth is making a true leap to becoming an action star.
That's not to say that Hemsworth's portrayal of Thor should be forgotten, but the MCU is also entering a very new phase. With numerous original Avengers either dying or retiring in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has begun adopting new flagship characters. Tom Holland's Spider-Man in particular has become the arguable face of the franchise after Spider-Man: No Way Home. Though Hemsworth will return as a Thor in Love and Thunder, Hemsworth having trained hard for it, it's not fully clear how much longer he intends to continue in the role.
At the same time, Hemsworth has shown he has the charisma and physicality to carry action movies that don't involve superpowers or sci-fi elements. The aforementioned one-shot action scene in Extraction was a very impressive display - not just of technical perfection and fight choreography, but also of what Hemsworth can bring to an action film. By joining Furiosa, Hemsworth is also set to bring all of that to a villain role, as well.
Chris Hemsworth has certainly had a memorable run as Thor in the MCU. However, much longer he intends to carry on it the role, his recent career in action films shows him stretching his legs. With Extraction, Hemsworth showed he could anchor an action movie with a more weathered, down-to-Earth vibe. In addition to continuing that with Extraction 2 after Tyler Rake's apparent death, Furiosa demonstrates the re-invention Hemsworth seems intent on making to his non-Thor career. After establishing himself in the role of a Norse god and an Avenger with Thor, Chris Hemsworth might finally solidify himself as an action hero with Furiosa (even if he's portraying a villain to do so.)