While Avengers: Endgame saw two of the original characters bow out with goodbyes from Iron Man and Captain America, one of the original Avengers that is confirmed to be sticking around for a little longer is Chris Hemsworth’s Thor.
The God Of Thunder has been one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with three dedicated movies as well as appearances in several other Marvel films, but the company made a huge change to his character in the latest Avengers movie.
Struggling with the fact he failed to topple Thanos, Thor begins to change and the Bro Thor character was born, as someone who preferred to eat snacks and drink beer, being more like a student than a superhero, but whether the character will be staying that way remains to be seen.
To Stay: It’s Fun
The one thing that has always been consistent about movies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that they are fun. While they’re never flat out comedies, they certainly provide tons of laughs throughout, and that has been especially true for the character of Thor.
This has been one of the main reasons the MCU has been so successful and it has helped distinguish them from other superhero films, and the Bro Thor character is undoubtedly a whole lot of fun.
Marvel is very unlikely to be changing its formula in the next phase, so there is no reason to take Thor in a different path, and keeping him in this character and exploring it further would be a fun idea.
We Don’t: Thor Should Be Serious Again
With Captain America, Black Widow and Iron Man gone, there is certainly a claim to be made for Thor possibly leading The Avengers down the line, given that he is one of the most powerful characters left and has lots of experience.
However, one thing the three previously mentioned characters all have in common is how seriously they were presented throughout their time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is why they work in leadership roles.
If Marvel has any plans for Thor to ever be in that position, then he would need to also return to a more serious character, which unfortunately would mean ditching Bro Thor.
To Stay: Body Positive
One of the main reasons that Bro Thor was such a surprise to people was because of the weight gain that the character has, which was incredibly extreme considering how ripped he has always been in previous movies.
While this change was mainly used for comedic purposes, it was brilliant to see Marvel embrace the idea that a superhero doesn’t have to fit the stereotypical images that the world thinks of, with Thor being just as much of a bad-ass with the extra weight.
People look up to these characters as major inspirations now, and providing a character of a different weight is certainly not a bad thing, as breaking down stereotypes and providing a different type of hero can only be seen as positive.
We Don’t: It’s Hard To Take Seriously
When you see Bro Thor lining up with the likes of Hulk, Spider-Man, and other classic superheroes, it does become hard to take him seriously as a major threat as he busts out of his armor due to being too heavy or downs another can of beer.
Marvel must make sure they tread the line of comedy with its characters, after all, it is hard to imagine Batman ever being portrayed in this manner, and he is always taken as a threat.
Seeing Thor return to a previous look and dropping the gaming and alcoholic tendencies might not be such a bad idea for the character, who is meant to be a superhero after all.
To Stay: Comedy With Star-Lord
Throughout the previous two Avengers movies, Star-Lord and Thor have formed quite the friendship, which has been a lot of fun to see develop as the two alpha males are always desperate to one-up each other and prove they’re the best.
There is a strong chance we could see Thor pop-up in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, and keeping him as Bro Thor for that movie would be a wise decision as it would open up the script for some massive comedic moments.
Previously the rest of the group have pointed out Thor’s incredible shape as a reason for why he is better than Star-Lord, so having him in his current shape would allow for some fun one-liners between them as a callback.
We Don’t: It Isn’t How People See Thor
One of the most basic reasons that people don’t want to see Bro Thor return is simply because that isn’t how they picture Thor or how he is portrayed in the comics, with many fans wanting to see him return to his original look in the first movie.
While it’s great that Marvel is willing to take risks with its characters and have break new ground with them, at the same time paying respect to the original source material is key, especially with such a diehard audience. Therefore returning him to his more traditional look in his next appearance would be a welcome return for some.
To Stay: Future With Jane Foster
We already know that in the next official Thor movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, Natalie Portman will be making her return to the franchise to become the female Thor, bringing the popular comic character to life on the silver screen.
Obviously, there are tons of questions regarding that story and how it will come to be that Jane Foster ends up with powers and becomes a superhero, but one avenue that Marvel could take might utilize the Bro Thor character.
Perhaps with the people not believing that he can perform to the same level in that state might lead to a passing of the torch moment, plus, it really will create an interesting dynamic shift in their relationship, perhaps setting up a real reason for him to get back into shape.
We Don’t: They Defeated Thanos
The whole reason that the Bro Thor character happened was because of Thor’s failure to kill Thanos during Avengers: Infinity War, with the character slumping into a world of depression and self-doubt.
The world was totally changed due to the snap and Thor believed that it was all his fault, and that storyline was a very interesting one for Marvel to take, and they certainly did a great job of it during Avengers: End Game, making Thor a compelling character.
However, the Avengers do end up defeating Thanos and the snap is turned around with the world back to normal, therefore Thor really has no reason to still be slumping around.
To Stay: It Opens Up More Story Ideas
The main reason that Marvel should keep Bro Thor the same moving forwards is because it opens up so many different story ideas for him as a character. Because Thor has been around for so many years now Marvel has already done a lot with him, so anything that opens up creativity is a good thing.
There are so many different ways Marvel can now take this character, from a comedy by keeping it to a road to fitness within a movie or having him take a massive beating and need to change to overcome the odds.
Fans are now unable to predict what is next for Thor and that is all down to how he was presented in Avengers: Endgame, and keeping him that way, at least for the start of his next appearance would keep people guessing.
We Don’t: A New Change
One of the main reasons that Thor has been so successful throughout his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is because the character hasn’t been allowed to become stale, with Marvel constantly changing him up.
The first big visual change came from Thor: Ragnarok and the movie really benefitted from the switch-up, which was then changed again in Avengers: Endgame to the Bro Thor that we last saw him as, and that is why Marvel should change him once again.
While Thor doesn’t need to go straight back to the ripped god that we have seen in previous instalments, changing it up ever so slightly will continue to keep him fresh and make each of his appearances unique.
