It’s Time For Marvel To Move On From Thor

Thor is one of the most important characters within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal helped build the franchise into what it is today. Marvel has created four Thor movies to this point, and he’s also played vital roles in all of The Avengers films and appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

No character within the MCU has been changed as much as Thor, with Marvel having worked hard to keep the God of Thunder feeling fresh and unique. However, after over a decade within the MCU, is it now time for Marvel to move on from Thor as a character?

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Thor’s One Of The Remaining Old Guard

When people think of The Avengers, it’s often still the original group that comes to mind, as it was before the Marvel Cinematic Universe became too bloated or convoluted. Those were the characters people fell in love with, from their individual franchises to the crossover appearances. They were what people wanted to see, and Thor was a huge part of that. Not only because he was one of the most powerful but also because his character was so different from the rest of the group due to where he was from. Each character brought something fresh, but over time, they have been lost in the shuffle with new additions such as Spider-Man or Ant-Man, who have proven popular.

Those characters have also just ended their shelf lives within this particular iteration of Marvel’s storytelling. There’s a reason why most of the old guard have been shifted on and are no longer part of the franchise, but Thor has clung on and continues to do so. Unfortunately, people aren’t as enthusiastic about seeing more stories from Thor as they once were. This isn’t helped by the fact that his film franchise is amongst the weakest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though the character itself has always been entertaining.

His Stories Have Been Explored

Something Marvel has done an excellent job at with all of the longstanding characters is giving them storylines that actively change their characters. Whether it’s Tony Stark losing confidence and dealing with doubt or Captain America starting to question authority, all of them have had the scope to change so audiences never become bored. However, none of the original Avengers have been through as drastic a set of changes as Thor, who has been tweaked heavily over the years.

Initially starting as the brash, arrogant character who believed he was better than everyone, his character has matured throughout the movies. Whether it has been through finding love, losing family members (repeatedly), gaining weight, losing weight, and learning to be a team player, Marvel has exhausted fans with Thor’s journey to the point where all of the options have been explored. He’s been a serious leader, a hermit, a comedy character, and a romantic, and at this stage, audiences are ready to take a step back from him.

It also feels like Marvel has explored all of the potentially exciting stories within his own world. His entire family has been tapped into, as well as the backstory of Asgaard and its downfall. He’s been in space, battled against Hulk, and created unexpected bonds with the Guardians of the Galaxy. At this point, Marvel will be clutching at straws to develop a genuinely interesting storyline for Thor 5 that would be compelling enough for people to rush to the cinema to view it.

It’s Time For Newer Characters To Thrive Within The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Another big reason why Thor’s character should be put on the back burner for a while is simply how many others are now available. At the start, the MCU was built up of a handful of heroes, and audiences clung to each movie release because it told a huge chunk of the overall story. However, with Disney+ shows and a consistent barrage of movies, that’s no longer the case.

Marvel hasn’t held back in introducing new characters, and while not all of them have worked, many have proven to be popular. Plus, because they’re fresh, audiences are naturally more interested in them, as they want to see new stories told that are completely different. Everyone understands Thor’s powers and knows what a Thor movie would look like, but that’s not the case with the fresher characters such as Shang-Chi, whom Marvel is taking risks on.

On top of that, there are some huge additions around the corner for the MCU in the form of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. These characters have fresh powers, huge personalities, and extensive backstories and come with many villains to tap into. Marvel should have movies ready for the next decade from those characters alone, let alone the others that are now part of the MCU. Audiences want to see mutants and the Fantastic Four done right, and a big part of making that happen is giving them enough screen time not just in their movies but in broader Avengers projects. Having older characters like Thor hang around isn’t helping that, and while the character will always have a place in the MCU, it’s now time for Marvel to move on.