Marvel recasts Thor, Chris Hemsworth leaves ailing franchise

The Marvel Cinematic Universe desperately needs to revive the interest of turned-off fans, and it turns out that replacing Chris Hemsworth as Thor is just part of the plan.

Chris Hemsworth and Thor

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth has played Thor, the Norse god of thunder, Odinson and party animal of a parallel universe, since the first film of the same name in 2011. That’s thirteen long years in which he spoke pseudo-Shakespearean dialogue and played second fiddle to Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and it seems to have taken its toll on Hemsworth.

Thor was originally a largely dramatic character, used by noted Shakespearean director and actor Kenneth Branagh for his more serious themes of responsibility and familial loyalty. Chris Hemsworth has admitted that this annoyed him at times, saying:

“Sometimes I felt like I was a security guard for the (Avengers). I would read everyone else’s writing and think, oh, they have way cooler stuff. They have more fun. What is my character doing? It was always, ‘You have the wig. You have the muscles. You have the costume. Where’s the lighting?’ I’m part of this big thing, but I’m probably pretty interchangeable.”

This changed around the time of Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Director Taika Waititi gave the Asgardian’s adventures a sillier tone, earning him critical acclaim and leading to a new perception of the character as a comedic Avenger.

Related: ‘Thor 5’ will take a ‘Mad Max’ twist, character will likely be killed off: report

Chris Hemsworth may have let this happen a little too easily, because when he reunited with Taika Waititi for Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), even he felt the reduced returns. Hemsworth has revealed that he was not satisfied with the fourth Thor film and said: “I got carried away by the improvisation and the madness and became a parody of myself. I didn’t make the landing.”

The actor has begun exploring other franchises, including his own Netflix extraction Series, Mad MaxAnd Transformersbut despite his willingness to return as Thor, it seems that those in charge at Marvel want to replace him with another, crazier Disney icon.

“It’s not a dream”

Marvel has announced that the role of Thor – at least in the Disney corporation’s comic book division – has been recast with Donald Duck, perhaps the craziest cartoon waterfowl.

In September this year, MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF…? DONALD DUCK WAS THOR #1a new comic featuring Donald as an Asgardian hero battling Saturnian Stone Ducks. It sounds… pretty crazy. Here’s the official description:

MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF…? DONALD DUCK BECAME THOR #1 is inspired by Thor’s iconic first appearance in Marvel Comics: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #83 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Larry Lieber. Created by a team of acclaimed Disney comics writers – writers Steve Behling and Riccardo Secchi and artist Lorenzo Pastrovicchio – MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF…? DONALD DUCK BECAME THOR #1 puts a quack twist on this staple comic book story, with pop culture’s most iconic duck wielding Thor’s hammer in an epic battle against alien invaders!

Is this fowl worthy of Thor’s hammer?! When Donald Duck accompanies Huey, Dewey and Louie on an archaeological trip to search for ancient Viking artifacts, he finds more than he bargained for! He encounters the Stone Ducks from Saturn, who are preparing for an invasion.

But everything changes when he discovers an enchanted stick that causes an extraordinary transformation and grants him the power of Thor! Can he learn to use his new abilities in time to save Duckburg before he transforms back? Find out in this mind-shattering retelling of the mighty Thor’s epic origins!

Over the last year, Marvel Comics has been working overtime to act as a bridge between the MCU and Disney, resulting in an earlier comic in which Donald Duck temporarily replaced Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. For some reason, the Duck family seems to be a favorite for Marvel crossovers, with Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime #1 also upcoming.

Related: Donald Duck gets first cartoon in 61 years

Marvel editor Mark Paniccia says, “When we saw the designs for the Stone Ducks of Saturn and The Destroyer, we literally laughed out loud. I can honestly say I never thought I would experience anything like this again in my career. I have to pinch myself to make sure this isn’t a dream.”

When it comes to the synergy between Disney and Marvel, we would never call anything a dream.

Why does Donald Duck replace so many Marvel characters? Share your multiversal theories in the comments below!