Boy, it feels like forever since we Marvel fans have seen the Avengers band together for the first time since 2012. What a way to bring the biggest Marvel heroes together for the first time. The Marvel Cinematic Universe only grew from there and it’s getting bigger. Even after the events of Endgame, there are more Marvel heroes coming. We can’t, however, forget about the heroes who got this magnificent fictional universe up and running.
Let’s do a little recap on the current status of the original Avengers. It all started with Iron Man and Black Widow, the mother and father of the MCU. These two heroes sacrificed their lives in Endgame to save the universe and they’ll be forever remembered as such. Captain America, the former leader of the team, has retired and passed on the shield to Falcon. Good thing. He deserves it and he even went back in time to live the quiet life with past Peggy Carter. The man managed to prove Ultron wrong and managed to live without the war. What a satisfying end.
Then there’s Hawkeye and the Hulk. Clint Barton is probably still operating as Hawkeye, as evidently seen in his upcoming series. With the emergence of Kate Bishop, he’ll be working his last days as Hawkeye in order to pass the torch down to a new hero. As for Bruce Banner, he’s still living as Professor Hulk. Come to think of it, will we ever see the Hulk be the actual Hulk again? The best time we would’ve seen him come out again would be at the mere sight of Thanos. It would’ve been cool to see that rematch, but then again, Thanos probably would’ve won the second time.
I like the new approach to the Hulk and it allows him to use his brains and brawn all at once. And let’s not forget that his cousin She-Hulk is coming to the MCU soon, so we’ll be getting a fresher Hulk to be the muscle for the Avengers. Professor Hulk can be the big mentor for the team now and serve as the intelligent moral support for them. Two retirees, two dead members, and one big green science guy who will stick around to be the voice of reason. The original team has passed on.
But wait, let’s not forget about the most powerful Avenger. No, not the strongest, because that’s still the Hulk. I’m talking about the God of Thunder. Out of all the Avengers, our man Thor is the only one still being operational. As of now, he’s off having fun with the Guardians of the Galaxy seeing all kinds of planets and meeting strange aliens. With the news that the Guardians are confirmed for Thor: Love and Thunder, it seems that he’s been with them for a while.
Speaking of Thor: Love and Thunder, that makes Thor to be the only original Avenger to have a fourth solo movie. That also means that he’s the only original Avenger to still be doing his thing. Go figure that the immortal one would be the one to have the longest-running franchise, right? This does make me ask one big question: How will Thor’s journey end in the MCU? I imagined it would be ending soon, but Chris Hemsworth himself even said to expect more Thor for a while. You know what? I don’t mind.
This character has gone through quite the journey during his time in the MCU and I’m anxious to see where Love and Thunder takes him. He began as the arrogant blowhard who learned the importance of humility, then ended as one of the heroes who defeated Thanos. And out of all the Avengers, Thor’s story is the most tragic. He lost his adopted brother, his best friends, his mother, his father, and his home. Even as the king of Asgard, he felt lower than he ever was. Hey, how was he supposed to know to go for the head? He spent those five years getting fat and playing video games with Korg and Miek. C’mon, at least that was funny to see.
Everything that Thor has suffered throughout the years has led to Fat Thor. He lost his nerve, but after talking with his mom (past mom), he confidence was restored. The rest was an epic final battle where he had a hammer and an axe. And now he’s a Guardian. But it seems there’s still more to his story to tell.
With everything that he’s been through, I figured his journey would be coming to a close. But with his former flame, Jane Foster, on her way to becoming the new Thor, it looks like he’ll have to pass down the torch. If that’s the case, one of two things can happen: Thor will retire or he will die.
Let’s look back at the source material, because we could be seeing that transpire in the MCU. Comic book Jane Foster became the Mighty Thor, but regular Thor didn’t just stop being Thor. While Jane Foster, aka the Mighty Thor, was on Earth fighting alongside the Avengers, Thor Odinson got himself a new weapon, an axe called Jarnbjorn, and lost his left arm in a battle with Malekith the Accursed. And just like he lost his eye and got it replaced, he had his left arm replaced with a prosthetic one made of black uru. He spent a lot of time fighting solo (he fought the Juggernaut!) and eventually fought alongside the Avengers again. With a new weapon and a new golden arm, he had a really awesome look.
With Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor coming to the MCU, along with Gorr the God Butcher, it’s safe to assume that Thor just might endure the same fate as his comic book counterpart. Sure, he already has the mechanical eye Rocket gave him, but with a golden arm and a new axe to make him look cooler? How can you say no to that? Now let’s say all of that happens due to a brutal fight with Gorr. He loses the arm, gains the new weapon, but Jane needs to come and help him. They win the day, all is save, but what happens to Thor after that?
He can either perish in battle or retire, but I don’t either of those suit Thor. Gorr’s motivation is to exterminate all gods because they ignored his prayers to save his family. Once he meets Thor, he’ll blame him for all of the tragedies that have befallen on him and let Thor know that. This could make Thor realize that being a God was less meaningful than he originally thought. He’s already been through the humbling journey, but encountering Gorr could change his whole outlook on his past life. Rather than wallowing away into self-pity again, he could use his experience to venture out into other realms and fight against all kinds of evil. If he gets that new arm and axe, he’ll look more awesome than he’s ever been and he’ll scare the bad guys just by showing himself.
But what about the Avengers? Well, if Jane Foster’s Thor is around, she can fill in that gap for them. The Avengers will have their God of Thunder back and Thor doesn’t have to worry about helping them. He’ll be out helping others across the universe as a hero and not worshipped as a god. That would be his character development coming full circle and his journey will reach an end worthy of his character. Not retirement and not death, but serving as a hero for all beings in the universe. And if the heroes of Earth need his help again, he can always return. We just can’t have it be right away. We need time to get used to Jane Foster being Thor.
What do you think, Marvel fans? How do you think Thor’s journey will end? I can’t wait for Love and Thunder. Another reason to be excited for 2022.
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