With the possible exception of Star-Lord, no hero takes more blame from the fans for the genocide that concluded Avengers: Infinity War than Thor. And unlike the late Peter Quill, the God of Thunder is still around in Avengers: Endgame to see the consequences of his mistake.
In an interview with Empire, Endgame co-writer Stephen McFeely mentioned that Chris Hemsworth’s character is “not blaming anybody but himself,” and has “a lot of guilt” for failing to strike Thanos in the head. Indeed, even directors Anthony and Joe Russo have characterized Thor’s decision to go for the chest as an act of foolish pride, explaining on the Infinity War Blu-ray commentary track that the hero wanted to rub in his victory before the Mad Titan died.
To put it lightly, the death of half the universe’s population is a lot for a person to have on their conscience, and so McFeely also noted that Endgame’s first act isn’t the cheeriest of sections:
“I don’t want to say it’s a laugh riot. It comes from a darker place.”
This grim atmosphere definitely comes across in the film’s promotional footage, which has been filled with gloomy faces, moody lighting and empty streets. But in both last month’s Super Bowl TV spot and last week’s trailer, hope was conveyed in a scene of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes walking against a symbolic sunrise.
As it stands, we’ve yet to hear word of any future outings for Thor, who might well be finishing his run in the saga with Avengers: Endgame. But should this be the case, here’s hoping he can at least make up for his oft-ridiculed mistake when the film hits theaters on April 26th.
