Even the actors who portray iconic characters can feel unsure about the studio’s plans. Chris Hemsworth, known for playing Thor, once felt uncertain about his future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after a brief appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

In an exclusive excerpt from The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Paul Terry and Tara Bennett, Hemsworth reveals his thoughts on the matter.

Chris Hemsworth’s Thunderstruck Moment

Chris Hemsworth
Marvel Studios operates like a well-oiled machine known for keeping its narrative cards close to its chest. This enigmatic approach often leaves fans and actors alike in suspense, speculating wildly about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

From the outside, it may seem like everyone’s in the know, but the reality is often a lot more complex. During the press tour for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Chris Hemsworth – the actor who played Thor, one of the original Avengers – found himself confused.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
The MCU was building towards Captain America: Civil War, but Hemsworth had no idea what was happening. In a surprising excerpt from a book, as reported by ComicBook. Hemsworth revealed that he asked about the project during interviews and was shocked to learn that it was the next big movie in the franchise.

The actor was worried he was being written out of the series, but Marvel assured him he was still a part of it.
“I remember being on the ‘Age of Ultron’ press tour, and everyone was talking about ‘Civil War.’ I was like, ‘What’s Civil War?’ I asked, ‘Are you doing a side-project or something?’ They’re like, ‘Oh no, Captain America, y’know? The next one is Civil War.’ I’m like, ‘Wait… Iron Man’s in that?’ And it’s like, ‘Yeah, but there’s not just Iron Man. There’s Vision (Paul Bettany). There’s Spider-Man (Tom Holland) … [Marvel] said, ‘You’re doing your own thing.’ … I thought, ‘This is it. I’m being written out.’”
Hemsworth’s worry about his position in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was not unfounded. After the release of Thor: The Dark World, which received negative reviews from both critics and fans, he was uncertain about Thor’s future.

Chris Hemsworth’s Mighty Thor’s Resurgence

Chris Hemsworth’s role in Avengers: Age of Ultron worsened the situation, where many of his scenes were cut, leaving him only 14 minutes of screen time. This starkly contrasts Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, who had 45 minutes of screen time despite being second-billed.

This was due to Thor’s immense power, which could have overshadowed his fellow Avengers, and thus, he had to be toned down. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor once feared that his relevance was fading.
Chris Hemsworth in and as Thor
However, the 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok changed that. It was a masterful blend of humor and emotion that breathed new life into the character. Fans were happy to finally get an answer to the question that had been puzzling them since the Civil War. As it turned out, he wasn’t involved in the Avengers’ big conflict. Instead, he was on a cosmic journey that was quite uneventful.

Source: ComicBook