‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Confirms How Long the God of Thunder Can Stay in the MCU

THOR: Love and Thunder confirms how long Thor (Chris Hemsworth) can still be in the MCU.

After the Infinity Saga, only three of the original Avengers remain active in the franchise. That includes the God of Thunder, who is set to continue his personal arc in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Taika Waititi’s second Marvel Studios film will see the God of Thunder on a healing journey after suffering years of consecutive trauma.

The trailers for Thor: Love and Thunder show the Asgardian Prince working on his physical and mental health. Part of this journey is figuring out who he really wants to be after turning down being the King of Asgard and passing the mantle to Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). Throughout this, Thor: Love and Thunder has also inadvertently revealed more or less how long Thor can remain as an active player in the MCU.

Plot specifics for the film, especially with regard to the God of Thunder’s personal arc, are being kept under wraps. This is understandable since the blockbuster will also see the return of Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who will become Mighty Thor.

Waititi previously revealed, however, that Thor will be going through “a midlife crisis” in the story of Thor: Love and Thunder. The director didn’t go into specifics about what this entails, but it indicates that Marvel Studios can keep him in the MCU for as long as possible, considering the Asgardian’s long life span.

For context, the God of Thunder is roughly 1,500 years old in the franchise. So he could stay for a long while — unless, of course, the God of Thunder is unexpectedly killed in battle or sacrificed himself for the greater good, like what happened with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in Avengers: Endgame.

For what it’s worth, there’s really no rush to write out Thor from the MCU at this time. Among all the remaining founding heroes, it feels like the Thor’s MCU arc is really just beginning in many ways, following Waititi’s overhaul of the character in Thor: Ragnarok.

As the franchise evolves and more characters get introduced, it’s best to age out Thor in the franchise instead of finding a way to send him off. Killing him in a battle that isn’t as big as Avengers: Endgame might feel unearned and cheap, especially since he is one of the strongest Avengers in the franchise.

He could remain in the MCU and function as an elder statesman. Thor doesn’t even need to be the center of focus all the time. This way, Hemsworth can maintain his place in the franchise as an original Avenger while also getting some time to pursue other projects outside of Marvel Studios.

Taking all of this into consideration, it’s safe to say that Hemsworth isn’t going anywhere after hisThor: Love and Thunder. It might even be the start of a new trilogy for the character, although there is no official word yet from Marvel Studios about his future.

The important thing is that this almost guarantees that an original Avenger will remain in the MCU for the foreseeable future. (source: screenrant.com)

(ROHN ROMULO)