Chris Hemsworth has recently sent the names confirmed to be starring in Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, 2026.

Thor is one of the MCU's most popular and bankable characters, with Thor: Ragnarok, in particular, being cited as one of the best MCU movies ever made. Thor: Love and Thunder also had a relatively open ending, setting Thor on a new path as a single father while Zeus was seen directing his son, Hercules, to deal with Thor after being embarrassed by the God of Thunder and perceiving his overall power over humanity to be undermined. Despite this, fears have been reignited about Thor's potential demise in Avengers: Doomsday.

Thor's MCU Story Is Set Up In A Way That Could Warrant His Sacrifice In An Avengers Movie

He Might Follow In The Footsteps Of His Fellow Founders

Despite being one of the most powerful Avengers, Thor arguably seems to be on a doomed trajectory in the MCU. Three of the six founding Avengers have either died or retired after particularly heroic moments, leaving Thor, Hulk, and Hawkeye to follow suit lest their MCU legacies be underscored by a comparatively weak fizzling out of the zeitgeist. Of these three, I think Thor, one of the MCU's so-called "Big Three," is the most vulnerable to a heroic sacrifice in the MCU.

Iron Man, Yondu and Aunt May
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He has, after all, experienced a particularly epic character arc. Since debuting in 2011's Thor, the titular hero has experienced significant character growth, growing to embrace his responsibilities as the ruler of Asgard and honing his powers and identity as the God of Thunder. Looking at where Thor is now as the adoptive father of Love, it is difficult to see where he can go next, and I imagine that a heroic sacrifice in the same vein as Iron Man and even his own brother, Loki, is the only tenable next step.

I Totally Get Why Chris Hemsworth's Thor Video Reignited Fears The MCU Hero Will Die, But I Can't See It Happening In Avengers: Doomsday Or Secret Wars For More Than 1 Reason

Thor Only Just Embarked On His New Role As A Father

Chris Hemsworth recently seemed to vindicate this expectation with a rather cryptic video posted via YouTube last week. This video pays homage to Chris Hemsworth's tenure as Thor, depicting scenes from his numerous solo movie appearances and culminating in a title card for Thor: Love and Thunder. The video is entitled "Thank You! The Legacy of Thor," with an accompanying message penned by Hemsworth that reads thus:

Playing Thor has been one of the greatest honors of my life. For the last 15 years I've held Mjolnir and then Stormbreaker as the God of Thunder, but what made it truly special… was sharing it with all of you. Your ion, your cheers, and your love for this character have meant everything to me.

Thank you for making my journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe unforgettable.. Next up, Doomsday!

Needless to say, the heartfelt nature of this video smacks of a farewell message. Indeed, this is a sentiment shared by many who viewed it, with the top comment on YouTube, by @reallynotnoone, at the time of writing stating, "Got scared for a second that this was announcement [sic] that you were retiring from the character." This comment does point out, however, that Chris Hemsworth stopped short of revealing that this was goodbye, with Hemsworth himself ending the message with a nod to his next cinematic appearance.

Making the ultimate sacrifice additionally flies in the face of Thor's unique character arc, as it was more likely to be something he would have done in his younger warrior phase, whereas now he has everything to live for.

While I understand the raised eyebrows surrounding the timing and tone of this video, I find it hard to believe that Thor will die in Avengers: Doomsday. Thor's arc has only just introduced Love, to whom he must be a father for much longer than as part of a side-story in a much larger movie for it to have any impact. Making the ultimate sacrifice additionally flies in the face of Thor's unique character arc, as it was more likely to be something he would have done in his younger warrior phase, whereas now he has everything to live for.

If Thor Is Going To Die, I Think Thor 5 Would Make A Lot More Sense For His Story

Thor Has Unfinished Business And A Profitable Franchise

Given that Marvel's release slate, this fifth sequel can only take place after that climactic movie, and may even follow Avengers: Secret Wars. Short of depicting this story in a Black Widow-style prequel, it would therefore make no sense to have Thor die in either Avengers movie.

The mixed reception to Thor: Love & Thunder means Thor also deserves a better send-off solo movie.

It is possible, of course, that the Hercules tease will just be one of many MCU post-credits scenes that are never paid off. Nevertheless, even the mixed reactions to Thor: Love and Thunder didn't stop it from grossing a tidy $760 million worldwide, which severely disincentivizes Marvel from writing this obviously popular character out of the MCU for good. Instead, I'm hoping that Chris Hemsworth's video was simply a heartfelt homage ahead of his next two appearances in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, with plenty more appearances still to come.

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Source: YouTube/Chris Hemsworth