For more than a decade, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has been one of the emotional pillars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a god who learns humility, a warrior shaped by loss, and eventually a protector who finds purpose beyond the throne of Asgard.
That’s why Marvel’s quiet but official decision to move forward without Hemsworth’s voice or likeness in its latest release stings more than expected. Not because Thor is not there at all, but because his absence seems to have been leading somewhere strong.
How Marvel Quietly Reframed Thor Before ‘Doomsday’
With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ on the horizon, it seems that Marvel is positioning the God of Thunder with a more serious and self-reflective look. Ironically, the project that would have been the ideal emotional transition to that future instead recast Thor, leaving fans with a sense of a missed opportunity. MCU’s last 2025 release was actually ‘Marvel Zombies’, the TV-MA animated series that concluded the year after ‘Wonder Man’ changed to an early 2026 release.
‘Marvel Zombies’, on paper, was a side project, multiversal, animated, and safely out of the main MCU timeline. However, looking back, it seems much more significant. Thor also appears in the show, but he is not voiced by Chris Hemsworth. Rather, Greg Furman took up the role, despite a number of other MCU actors reprising their roles.
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It was a little disappointing at the time. However, following the release of Thor’s ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ trailer, it feels oddly symbolic. The Thor in ‘Marvel Zombies’ is scarred, battered, and deprived of his typical bravado.
This is not the jester, lightning-bolstering hero of ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’. It is a god who has lost too much and has decided to rise one last time to defend a child, Ms. Marvel, even at the cost of his own life. Sound familiar? The ‘Doomsday’ trailer shows a Thor who is heavier and burdened.
There is one particularly memorable scene where he is praying to Odin, which we have not really witnessed for a while. Marvel is clearly steering Thor back toward myth, tragedy, and consequence. And that’s what makes Hemsworth’s absence from ‘Marvel Zombies’ feel like such a missed emotional setup.
A Darker Thor Is Exciting, But Also Terrifying
It is undeniable that a more serious Thor is attractive. Marvel appears to be prepared to accept the tragic origins of the god after years of experimentation with his tone. The ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ trailer indicates massive stakes: a mysterious danger, the possibility of reality breaking down, and a Thor who is no longer rushing into the battle with blind confidence but with silent determination.
That change is exciting, but it is also very disturbing. Thor’s story in ‘Marvel Zombies’ is a sacrifice. He is killed in battle with Scarlet Witch, knowing that his resistance might not alter anything, but doing it anyway.
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It is strong, heart-wrenching, and shattering. Seeing echoes of that same energy in ‘Doomsday‘ naturally raises one frightening question: Is Marvel preparing us to lose Thor? Thor has become one of the most persistent heroes of the MCU.
He has endured the ruin of Asgard, the loss of his family, Thanos, and being Love’s protector. It would be narratively appropriate to kill him off, particularly in a movie as monumental as ‘Doomsday’, but emotionally cruel. And that is the point of concern.
Marvel has a tendency to experiment with darker versions to gauge emotional response before making significant decisions about killing major characters. ‘Marvel Zombies’ might have been a pressure release, a means of experimenting with his mortality without interfering with the main timeline.
Repeating that fate for Hemsworth’s Thor so soon would feel less like poetry and more like redundancy. His journey deserves closure that honors how far he’s come, not just how hard he can fall.
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