Although Thor: Love and Thunder will mark the first time any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s superheroes have starred in their fourth solo movie, not a lot of fans seem to be considering the idea that it could also be Chris Hemsworth’s last. Based on what we know so far, all of the pieces could be falling into place for Thor to join many of his fellow original Avengers in stepping back and letting the new generation lead the franchise into the future.
Iron Man and Black Widow are dead, Captain America is old and retired, Hawkeye seems to have been moved into a supporting role on Disney Plus and the Hulk isn’t contractually allowed to headline his own movie, leaving Thor as the last Phase One member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes left standing. With Valkyrie now King of Asgard, Loki seemingly out of the picture in this timeline at least and Jane Foster set to inherit the mantle of Thor, there’s a real possibility that Love and Thunder could mark the title hero’s swansong unless he becomes a full-time Guardian of the Galaxy.
Fan favorite character Beta Ray Bill is heavily rumored to play a major role in the movie after previously being teased in Ragnarok, and now a new theory claims that he could end up acting as one of two replacements for Hemsworth’s Thor. Avengers: Endgame saw the Odinson dual-wielding both Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, and in the comics, the latter has always been Bill’s weapon of choice, which offers an easy route to tie him into the story.
If Love and Thunder does indeed mark Thor’s last stand and this theory turns out to be true, then the future of Asgard’s defense looks set to be in good hands regardless. Having Jane Foster wielding Mjolnir and Beta Ray Bill in possession of Stormbreaker both sets up the respective big screen futures for those characters, as well as making sure the kingdom remains under protection if its favorite son is out of the picture.
