Two years after Kang the Conqueror revealed that he’d already killed Thor, I’m even more worried about Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder as theMCUmoves ever-closer toAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars. As an original Avenger, Thor is one of the longest-running characters in the MCU, which makes me wonder why Marvel hasn’t confirmedChris Hemsworth’s return in Phase 6. Even though it hasn’t been officially announced, I think it’s likely Thor will have a central role inDoomsdayandSecret Wars, but this could spell bad news for the God of Thunder.
Chris Hemsworth has currently starred in four soloThormovies in the MCU, but these have been met with varying degrees of success. His most recent adventure in 2022’sThor: Love and Thunderwas incredibly divisive (I quite enjoyed it), which has thrown Thor’s future into jeopardy, though there has been speculation that Marvel is moving ahead with anas-yet-unannouncedThor 5.I think the most likely place Thor will reappear is inAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars, but I’m worried that these crossover movies could actually mark the end of Thor’s MCU journey.
Kang The Conqueror Already Killed A Thor Variant In The MCU
Ever since his debut back in 2011’sThor, the God of Thunder has proven himself to be one of the MCU’s most powerful characters. This made it even more shocking in February 2023 whenKang the Conqueror claimed to have killed variants of several Avengers, including"the one with the hammer,“while speaking to Scott Lang inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This throwaway line was a great way to demonstrateKang the Conqueror’s strengthand apathy in the face of killing innocent individuals, proving that Kang is stronger than Thor.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniagave us a glimpse at Kang the Conqueror’s destruction of branching timelines across the multiverse, but didn’t show him fighting any notable MCU heroes. He did claim, however, thathe’d killed so many Avengers that"they all blur together after a while,“though it seems Thor stood out in his mind, perhaps suggesting he put up more of a fight. Now thatKang the Conqueror and his villainous variantshave seemingly been removed from the MCU, I want the Multiverse Saga’s new villain to prove his worth in a similar way.
Doctor Doom Must Be More Powerful Than Kang & His Variants
Doctor Doom Is Replacing Kang & His Variants In The Multiverse Saga
FollowingJonathan Majors' arrest and conviction in 2023, Kang the Conqueror was removed from the MCU, even though there were calls for the variants seen in the Council of Kangs to be recast. Marvel Studios later revealed that the formerly-titledAvengers: The Kang Dynastyhas been retitledAvengers: Doomsday, and the eponymous Doctor Doom will be the movie’s, and the Multiverse Saga’s, new main villain.I can’t wait to see Robert Downey Jr. bring Doctor Doom to life in the MCU, but he needs to be proven to be a worthy replacement for Kang.
LokiSeason 1
2021
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
2023
LokiSeason 2
The fact that Marvel Studios hasreplaced Kang the Conqueror with Doctor Doomsuggests the latter is more powerful and a more sinister threat. While Kang tried to show his strength by simply claiming he’d killed Avengers, I want Marvel to show Doctor Doom using his power to bring down the MCU’s most iconic heroes.Since Kang put Thor on the chopping block, I reckon Doctor Doom could do the same, which makes me think Chris Hemsworth’s Thor could be in trouble, should he be confirmed to be returning inAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars.
Thor’s Perfect Ending Could Be In Avengers 5 & 6
Chris Hemsworth’s Future As Thor Is Uncertain Now
TheThorfranchise has been one of the MCU’s most diverse and tumultuous chapters, seeing hits, such asThor: Ragnarok, and misses, such asThor: The Dark World, which have seen Chris Hemsworth’s hero adopt a number of different styles and tones.Even though there is speculation thatThor 5could be in development, there hasn’t been any official confirmation, which makes me think that Thor could still be killed off in Phase 6. I could easily see Doctor Doom killingThor inDoomsdayorSecret Warsto ensure that we know how powerful he is.
Marvel Already Set Up Thor’s Perfect MCU Ending
Thor’s time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be coming to an end, and Love and Thunder provided the perfect way to close the character’s story.
A number of original Avengers lost their lives in the battle against Thanos duringInfinity WarandEndgame, soI’m expecting more to sacrifice themselves while fighting Doctor Doom, and Thor is the perfect candidate. Since Kang has already killed at least one Thor variant, Doctor Doom could take out the MCU’s main God of Thunder to prove himself even stronger than the multiversal villain and his variants. I’d be sad to loseChris Hemsworth’s Thor, but his death inAvengers: DoomsdayorAvengers: Secret Warscould help to make Doctor Doom an even more memorable MCU villain.
