Thor could have taken the throne of Asgard following Odin’s death, but the God of Thunder has chosen to stay far from the role of king – and here’s why. For over a decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been bringing various characters (both heroes and villains) from Marvel Comics to the big screen, and in 2011, it was the God of Thunder’s turn. The Asgardian prince, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), made his MCU debut in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, and a year later, he became a member of the Avengers in the team’s debut movie.
Thor returned for a second solo movie in Thor: The Dark World, often considered the weakest MCU movie, and re-teamed with the Avengers in Avengers: Age of Ultron. His third solo adventure, Thor: Ragnarok, made some necessary changes to the character, buying him some extra time in the MCU after his appearance in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, as he will return with a fourth movie, Thor: Love and Thunder. Now, Thor has come a long way since his days as the arrogant and immature heir to the throne of Asgard, and he has actually avoided ruling Asgard for a while now.
From a young age, Thor was prepared by Odin to take his place as king of Asgard, which in turn created friction with his brother, Loki. In Thor, just as he was about to be named king and after he swore to protect all the Nine Realms, his big moment was interrupted by an invasion from the Frost Giants. As a result, Thor led the Warriors Three, Sif, and Loki to attack Jotunheim, igniting a conflict between that realm and Asgard, which in turn made Odin decide to banish Thor to Earth, where he learned humility and other valuable lessons. After that, Thor showed no desire to rule Asgard, and at first, he renounced his claim to the throne and returned to Earth so he could stay with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman).
In Thor: Ragnarok, it was revealed that Thor and Loki had an older sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), thus the heir to the throne, but when she arrived at the throne room and found Thor sitting in it, he told her he “would love for someone else to rule” but it couldn’t be her because she was “the worst”. Thor never really had interest in ruling Asgard, though he was determined to protect the Nine Realms, and this was further confirmed during his time as ruler of New Asgard. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, he handed the reign of New Asgard to Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), telling her it was “time for him to be who he is” (a protector of the Nine Realms) rather than “who he’s supposed to be” (a king), and that she’s a leader, and thus a more fitting king for New Asgard.
Thor doesn’t have any desire to be the ruler of Asgard/New Asgard because he knows he’s not made for that, even if Odin trained him for it. Deciding not to rule Asgard and instead leave it to someone capable of it, like Valkyrie, is another sign of development and maturity for Thor, and he found his place as a protector of the Nine Realms and more rather than a king.
