Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is Still the Star in Love & Thunder, Says Taika Waititi

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor will still be the star of Thor: Love and Thunder. Thor was one of the earliest superheroes to be introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the first Thor being released in 2011 by director Kenneth Branagh. This film and its sequel Thor: The Dark World got mixed reviews, however, director Taika Waititi renewed people’s faith in the series when Thor: Ragnarok was released in 2017.

Days prior to San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Waititi was returning to direct Thor 4, making Thor the longest-running franchise in the MCU. Fans got even more announcements at the event, including the subtitle Love and Thunder, confirmation that Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson were returning, and a November 2021 release date. Among the biggest surprises at the Marvel panel was that Natalie Portman would be playing female Thor in the next film. With Jane Foster becoming Mighty Thor, some have started to speculate what that means for Hemsworth’s character.

In an interview with MTV News, Waititi confirmed that Hemsworth’s Thor will still be the star of Thor: Love and Thunder. When asked if Portman or Hemsworth was the star of Love and Thunder, Waititi replied, “It’s Chris. It’s a Thor film. He is Thor, it’s a Thor film. She’s in it.” A brief segment of his interview with MTV  can be seen below:

While Jane Foster is confirmed to be returning for Thor: Love and Thunder, fans probably won’t get to see how she becomes Thor until the movie is released in a few years. There are a few rumors floating around on how she could turn into the Mighty Thor, including the possibility that female Thor is actually Jane Foster from another timeline. From projects like Loki, What If…?, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Phase 4 seems to be continuing to delve into storylines pertaining to the multiverse, which could mean that the Jane Foster we see in Thor: Love and Thunder could be a different Jane than what was seen in previous films.

Most fans are thrilled to finally see a female Thor in the MCU, but if Jane is going to become the new Thor going forward through Phase 5, fans will no doubt want to see one final Thor film with Hemsworth at the forefront. It isn’t known if Hemsworth signed a new contract after Avengers: Endgame or if he’s just working with Marvel on a film-to-film basis. Endgame seemed to indicate that Thor would team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy, so even if Jane does take on the Thor mantle in Thor: Love and Thunder, it’s possible Hemsworth could be in more movies for years to come.