Thor’s biggest problem with regard to being a member of MCU’s Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has already been explained in 2012’s The Avengers.
Chris Hemsworth may not think the Avengers have been very nice to Thor throughout the MCU, but this problem really goes all the way back to the group’s debut in 2012’s The Avengers. On the heels of the Infinity Saga, only three founding MCU heroes remain active in the franchise: Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Thor (Hemsworth). As the God of Thunder goes on his next journey in Thor: Love and Thunder, hoping to leave his days as a superhero in the past, his relationship with the Avengers becomes the center of discussion thanks to new comments from Hemsworth.
Since assembling for the first time in 2012 for the Battle of New York, the original six Avengers have gone on many more missions, including their biggest one yet in Avengers: Endgame. Despite this, there have been doubts about the nature of the team’s relationship beyond their working dynamic, especially when looking at the comparatively tighter bond between the Guardians of the Galaxy. While there are friendships within the Avengers, most notably Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye, and the relationship between Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) has been put through the wringer, the group’s collective dynamic is barely focused on throughout the MCU.
When asked if Thor misses Iron Man or Captain America more now that they’re no longer active in the MCU, Hemsworth and Love & Thunder director Taika Waititi both jokingly mentioned (via Phase Zero) that the Avengers aren’t particularly nice to Thor. Regarding his character’s climactic arrival in Wakanda for the final fight of Avengers: Infinity War Hemsworth noted, “There wasn’t a single ‘What have you been up to? Your hair looks different! You look good!'” While their comments were jokingly said, they do highlight how the God of Thunder has been the black sheep of the MCU’s founding Avengers. The others have their own unique dynamic, often leaving Thor out. Considering that the character was never truly meant to be a part of the squad prior to 2012’s The Avengers, this makes a degree of sense.
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) carefully selected each recruit for the Avengers Initiative, which meant that he considered not just their skills, but also their personalities. Thor was never meant to be an Avenger prior to the Battle of New York in The Avengers but his ties to Loki (Tom Hiddleston) exclusively earned him a spot on the team. His status on the team was left something of a mystery even after the Avengers assembled for the first time, as the movie ends with Thor taking Loki back to Asgard. It didn’t help that after The Avengers, Thor often branched out on his own adventures.
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, he left the team to go on a side quest where he learned more about the Infinity Stones. That same quest was ultimately why he wasn’t part of Captain America: Civil War. Granted that the Hulk also went off-world after the fight against Ultron, leading to his team-up with the God of Thunder in Thor: Ragnarok, the green creature had already established his personal relationships with Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff, respectively. It’s not until Avengers: Endgame that fans once again got to see Thor take on a full-fledged mission with the rest of the team—before once again being splintered off on his own quest with Rocket during the Time Heist.
This doesn’t mean that Thor doesn’t deserve to be in the Avengers, as he has proven time and again that he is rightfully a part of the MCU’s premier superhero team. Additionally, since the God of Thunder is one of, if not the strongest Avengers, he is a major asset for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. As the MCU moves on from the Infinity Saga, it goes through a transition stage. MCU Phase 4 is currently focusing on standalone or smaller team-up adventures, but the group will inevitably re-assemble again in the future. Serving as one of the most veteran heroes of the new Avengers, and one of the few remaining heroes who fought in The Avengers, Thor has the chance to properly establish himself as an elder statesman of the team and the franchise in general.
Source: screenrant.com
