Marvel’s God of Thunder is undoubtedly one of the most established characters in the entire MCU. And it’s a credit to Taika Waititi and the writing team behind Thor: Ragnarok that our beloved Norse god underwent a radical transformation after four screen appearances.
That’s not to say that Chris Hemsworth’s Phase One Avenger was devoid of personality; rather, Waititi’s threequel stripped the character down to the bare bones, and crushed Mjölnir in the process, in order to create Thor 2.0. Gone was the stoic brute of Phase One and Two and in his place was a broken soul still reeling from the death of, well, his entire family.
All of this comes to a head during Thor’s heartfelt exchange to Sweet Rabbit Rocket Raccoon during Avengers: Infinity War, and it’s arguably one of Hemsworth’s finest moments in the role.
Speaking of which, the folks over at CBM have today uncovered a slew of rare concept art that chronicles the evolution of Thor, from his first appearance back in 2011.
Some of the photos included in this gallery also shed light on some of the alternate designs that Marvel Studios had considered before casting Chris Hemsworth in the part. And similar to how Brie Larson is seemingly made for Captain Marvel, we can’t think of another actor better suited to the God of Thunder – you know, despite the fact that his brother Liam was originally in contention for what has since been described as the role of a lifetime.
For the MCU, Infinity War is still playing in theaters worldwide, though the future of Thor is still up for question. Hemsworth himself recently hinted at another appearance as the Asgardian beyond 2019, so it remains to be seen whether Marvel Studios extends his contract after Avengers 4.
