Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga star Chris Hemsworth explains how his post-apocalyptic warlord villain Dementus is different from his well-known Marvel hero role of Thor. Set roughly two decades before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller’s latest chapter in the franchise diverts its focus from the warrior and concentrates on the defining moments of Furiosa’s origin, played by Anya-Taylor Joy. Dementus is a new character in the franchise with a pivotal role in Furiosa’s tale.

With Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga set to shine a light on an unexplored corner of the Wasteland, Hemsworth spoke with Screen Rant about how he approached his role. The actor enjoyed playing a character who could change from charismatic to brutal in an instant. Check out Hemsworth’s explanation below:

Screen Rant: Chris, I love Dementus. Can you talk about getting in his frame of mind and adjusting to portraying such a villain after being widely known as such a hero in the MCU?

Chris Hemsworth: Yeah, it was really refreshing to have that opportunity. The charisma was a big thing that George talked about from day one, two years prior to shooting; the commonality between dictators and people in power who had amassed large followings [is that] there had to be an air of charisma. There had to be promise out of the suffering they were in and identification around, “I know who has caused your problems, and I know the solution. Follow me!” There needed to be some sort of fun and humor and joy and charisma in order to woo people into – not a false sense of security, but some sense of comfort. He needed to be enjoyable to be around.

And I think it also makes it a little more surprising when there is a brutal act or an act of violence if, just prior to that, you’ve sort of relaxed into an enjoyable statement. The unpredictable nature of it was what George was definitely after, what was on the page and what we kind of played with a lot. But it was so refreshing to do something different and do something that allowed me that opportunity. I love playing the superhero, but it does come with its limitations.

This is a developing story…