The Original Avenger Who Was Deemed Too Risky for The MCU (& Almost Cut)

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As a huge movie fan, it’s easy to look at the massive success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe now and forget just how risky it all was at the beginning. Seriously, building a whole universe where heroes crossed over from different films? That was a total gamble! And to make things even harder, they couldn’t use their biggest comic book stars – Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men were all tied up with other studios. So, they had to convince audiences to get excited about heroes like Iron Man, Black Widow, and Hawkeye instead. But get this – even *among* those characters, one of the original heroes was considered so difficult to get right that they almost cut his role way down.

Zak Penn, the screenwriter of *The Avengers*, recently shared that he initially worried about how audiences would react to Thor in the film. He told *The Hollywood Reporter* he even tried to minimize the character’s role. However, those concerns vanished as soon as Chris Hemsworth was cast. Penn recalled being immediately struck by Hemsworth’s presence, realizing he perfectly embodied the God of Thunder. Hemsworth’s casting dramatically changed how the creative team viewed Thor’s potential, and Penn quickly stopped trying to reduce the character’s screen time, recognizing he would be a key part of the team.

Thor Went On to Become One of the MCU’s Biggest Names

Making Thor a central figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a huge win. His movies have earned over $2.6 billion worldwide, proving the character can be successfully reimagined. The first *Thor* film cleverly brought the character’s complex, mythological background to a modern audience, earning $449 million globally. However, after the poorly received *Thor: The Dark World*, the series needed a change. That change came with 2017’s *Thor: Ragnarok*, where director Taika Waititi completely revamped Thor’s personality, adding a lot of humor. This risky move paid off big time, bringing in over $855 million and showing that the MCU could handle significant changes in tone. The next film, *Thor: Love and Thunder*, continued this success, establishing Thor as a consistently profitable character, even if critics aren’t always thrilled.

Chris Hemsworth is the main reason this has been so successful. He’s brilliantly brought Thor to life, preventing the character from becoming a simple stereotype. He started by capturing Thor’s proud and boastful side, but then showed the hero’s inner goodness and, later, his emotional fragility, especially after the events of *Avengers: Infinity War*. Even more importantly, Hemsworth’s excellent comedic skills, which weren’t fully used until *Ragnarok*, allowed him to truly shine as Thor. He made the God of Thunder feel real and human, which was important because many worried a mythical character wouldn’t connect with audiences.

As a longtime fan, I’m really excited to see what Marvel has planned for Thor. He’s one of the last of the original Avengers still around, and it’s clear they have big plans for him – he’s going to be a major player in the next big crossover event, *Avengers: Doomsday*. There’s even talk of another solo movie after the Multiverse Saga wraps up! What’s interesting is that while characters like Iron Man and Captain America might eventually be recast, Thor’s story feels different. Those heroes got pretty definitive endings in *Endgame*, but Thor’s path is still open. Some fans, myself included, are wondering if *Doomsday* or *Secret Wars* might give him a really fitting send-off, but honestly, I’m just glad he’s still part of the MCU!

Replacing Chris Hemsworth as Thor is a huge challenge. He’s become so strongly associated with the character over the past ten years that it’s hard to picture anyone else playing him. The fact that it feels so strange to think of another actor with Mjolnir proves how successful Thor has become, especially considering he was once considered a risky character to adapt for film.

Thor will return when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.

With *Avengers: Secret Wars* on the horizon, do you believe Chris Hemsworth will continue playing Thor? Or does Marvel Studios make a good point in potentially finding new actors to take on the roles of the original Avengers? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion now on the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-10-07 00:17