Fans will, once again, get to see Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson with the upcoming release of Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8th, 2022, who is forced out of retirement to fight against Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale). With some appearances from other beloved actors, such as Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson, the heroes will stop the extinction of the gods.
Over the years, Hemsworth has had many roles in film, from the iconic Thor in the Marvel franchise to depictions of James Hunt in Rush. With the filming of the anticipated Mad Max spin-off prequel, Furiosa, also on the horizon, Ranker weighs in with what are some of Chris Hemsworth's best movies, so far.
Note: Ranker lists are live and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.
The Cabin In The Woods (2011)
Directed by Drew Goddard in 2011, The Cabin in the Woods is a well-beloved horror movie surrounding a group of five college friends arriving at a remote cabin controlled by scientists underground that manipulate the monsters the protagonists face for a greater purpose.
Chris Hemsworth plays one of the main five, taking on the role of Curt, the jock stereotype. Fans enjoy Hemsworth's portrayal in the film, being one of the few horror movies he has starred in. His portrayal of Curt also added to his career breakout, as Joss Wheadon, director of Thor 1, questioned why Hemsworth hadn't got further in the auditioning process for the role of the God of Thunder, considering his comedic acting abilities in the horror film.
Bad Times At The El Royale (2018)
The American neo-noir crime thriller film, Bad Times at the El Royale, is written and directed by Drew Goddard. The premise for this film surrounds seven strangers at a Californian hotel, the El Royale, in the 1960s. They all harbor dark secrets that come to light.
As the main antagonist of the film, Hemsworth plays a sadistic but charismatic cult leader that hunts innocence to join the ranks of his religion. His persuasiveness comes to light in the film and, with the role being written for the actor by Drew Goddard, Hemsworth could add his additional flair to the portrayal they wanted.
In The Heart Of The Sea (2015)
The 1820s historical adventure drama from 2015, In The Heart of the Sea, was directed by Rod Howard and surrounds a ship's encounter with an albino bull sperm whale. The movie's real-life events inspired Herman Melville's book, Moby Dick.
Chris Hemsworth plays the main protagonist, Owen Chase, in this voyage tale alongside a star-studded cast, including Tom Holland, Cillian Murphy, and Brendan Gleeson. Hemsworth's portrayal of Chase meant that he had to face many challenges for the role, including losing over 30 pounds to look like the stranded, shipwreck survivor. Hemsworth's leadership as the first mate allowed fans to see the rugged stance of the actor and the dedication he would go to.
Snow White And The Huntsman (2012)
A twist on a classic fairy tale, Snow White and the Huntsman, directed by Rupert Sanders, sees Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) send a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to kill her stepdaughter, Snow White (Kristen Stewart). In a change of plans, the Huntsman turns into Snow White's protector and mentor to help rid the world of the Evil Queen.
Some fans disliked Hemsworth's fake and vaguely Scottish-sounding accent that he demonstrated during his time as The Huntsman, but this didn't stop his overwhelming popularity from delivering the character's own spin-off film, The Huntsman: Winter's War. Chris Hemsworth did what he could while acting alongside a ton of CGI effects and green screen to bring the magic alive.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron is the second installment of the Avengers franchise films directed by Joss Wheadon. It focuses on the team's mission to defeat Tony Stark's (Robert Downy J.R) artificial intelligence system, Ultron (James Spader), who aims to wipe out the human race.
As one of the main Avengers, Chris Hemsworth plays the God of Thunder, Thor. Throughout this film, Thor has been sent on his own mission and is the first to connect the dots with the infinity stones - a catalyst for the MCU's Phase 4. Fans enjoyed Hemsworth's role in this film as Thor got to show his use to the Avengers and forward his character's story arc.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Being the sequel film to the original Thor, Thor: The Dark World focuses on the reunion of Doctor Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Thor while attempting to defeat Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) and his destruction of the nine realms.
In the film, fans get to see a more heartfelt and personal view of their hero, as well as a closer look at his relationships with this family, especially his adopted brother, Loki. Chris Hemsworth's developed version of Thor shines a light on his more down-to-earth side.
Rush (2013)
Another film directed by Ron Howard, Rush is a biographical Formula 1 film depicting the rivalry between a British driver, James Hunt, and the Austrian driver, Niki Lauda, from the 1970s to 1976 races.
Chris Hemsworth headlines the movie as James Hunt with a fabulous portrayal, demonstrating the character's real-life counterparts' ambition when it comes to striving to succeed. Many fans believe the film to be moving due to these performances, and easily relatable to many real-life struggles, and that he and his co-star, Daniel Bruhl, did an excellent job at recreating these motorsport heroes.
The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers, directed by Joss Wheadon, is the first team up for the Marvel heroes, Thor, Tony Stark, Black Widow (Scarlett Johanson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Thor, and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) as they try to defeat an invading alien army led by Thor's brother, Loki.
While the Thor film had already been released, the Avengers was the first time the audience gets to see Chris Hemsworth's Thor join and interact with other intellectual and supernatural beings to defeat a direct threat. Hemsworth's performance allowed viewers to see his confusion but also his fighting skills against those who he considers his own family.
Thor (2011)
After being banished from Asgard, The first Thor film focuses on the titular character finding a way to live as a human. While on Earth, he falls in love with Doctor Jane Foster and becomes one of Earth's defenders against dark forces opposing peace.
Thor is Chris Hemsworth's break-out role just after The Cabin in the Woods, which catapulted him into modern stardom. Hemsworth is able to accurately portray the inner character journey which Thor goes through, from his arrogant, self-centered but naive self to the now honest, sincere, and straightforward God of Thunder.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Being the third film in the Thor movie franchise, Thor: Ragnarok, directed by Taika Waititi, showed a Thor without his hammer Mjolnir, having to find his way back from the other side of the universe to save Asgard from his sister, Hela. With the new director, fans got to see a new side to Chris Hemsworth's Thor with a more comedic stake on the character.
Without his weaponry, the character is still arrogant, but his confidence is turned into a running joke across the films. Throughout the film, fans get to see the character put through multiple situations in which he is ridiculed and taken down from his podium, something Hemsworth convincingly brings to the screen.