Chris Hemsworth was almost Gambit in “X-Men: Origins“? That’s one of the tidbits that comes up in his new interview with “Variety.”
“I got very close to ‘GI Joe,’” he says of the action hero played by Channing Tatum in the 2009 summer hit. “I got very close to Gambit in the Wolverine ‘X-Men’ movies.” Instead, Taylor Kitsch was cast. “At the time I was upset,” Hemsworth says. “I was running out of money. But if I played either of those characters, I wouldn’t have been able to play Thor.”
It’s very lucky for us he didn’t land either of those (frankly terrible) movies and instead became the perfect Thor.
Even after landing the career-making role, he was worried that the sequels wouldn’t happen. Or that he’d be recast. But it all worked out and he’s now played Thor in 8 MCU films. And has left the door open for more.
He’s become such good friends with the other MCU cast, especially Chris Evans. “[We] have a real brotherly bond. I think they wouldn’t pair us up on this press tour, because we just spend the whole time screwing around and none of it is on topic,” he said.
Evans confirmed this was true. “We had too much fun together, and truly like kids in school, we were separated because we weren’t getting s**t done.” He also told Variety he’d love to reteam with Hemsworth: “I would love to do one of those ’80s buddy comedies, where we could shed the characters we are known for.” YES PLEASE.
Now that he’s in a position to choose his movies, which is why he turned down the still up-in-the-air fourth “Star Trek” film, which would have reunited him with Chris Pine. “I didn’t feel like we landed on a reason to revisit that yet,” he told Variety. “I didn’t want to be underwhelmed by what I was going to bring to the table.”
As for those Bond rumors, he says he’s open to the idea (he wouldn’t be the first Aussie Bond, after all.) But he has someone else in mind: “My vote would be Idris Elba. I think he’d give it a different sort of swagger, too, and each time someone new comes into the role, I think you’ve got to offer up something different.”
Clark Gregg has had a fascinating relationship with his Marvel Cinematic Universe character Agent Phil Coulson. The character showed up in the very first MCU movie, “Iron Man,” as sort of a throwaway cameo and a tip of the hat to the very big things the studio had in store. But little by little his cache grew, until in “The Avengers,” he was responsible for the formation of the team (at the expense of his life, unfortunately). From then, things have gotten really unpredictable; the formerly dead agent has been the focal point for a primetime television series called “Agents of SHIELD” (it’s run for more than 100 episodes) and, with this week’s “Captain Marvel,” we get to go back in time and see a young, fresh-faced Agent Coulson as he navigates the organization in the mid-1990s.
We got to sit down with Gregg and talk about his character’s unexpected journey, including a really tantalizing idea for a “Riverdale”-style spin-off.
Moviefone: Let’s start at the beginning. You did the original “Iron Man” as a favor to director Jon Favreau, correct?
Gregg: No it wasn’t a favor. I was wary about it because in the script it was a guy named Agent and he had about six lines, which I still would have done, because I love “Iron Man” and that was an amazing cast. But I think I had just been cut out of something except for like one thing. It was an extraneous storyline.
What was it?
I can’t remember that I knew I was traumatized by it because friends of mine were like, “Did I see you in this?” And I went, “Oh this is so humiliating.” When I’m 40. I am 40 and they’re saying to me, “Was that you in that?”
And I was afraid with that cast that would happen again. So I had a very tiny moment of hesitation before my wife slapped me in the back of the head and said, “You love this stuff. Yeah, go do it. Maybe they won’t cut you out.” And that thing happened that never happens that you always fantasize will happen where they go, “You know, we think we might add some more stuff for your character.”
And that was during production?
Yeah.
And then when did you know that you were coming back for other things?
Well, I thought it was weird. It was weird because again, even when it was like seven lines or something, they were like, “Would you want to make a three-picture deal?” And I was like, “Oh wow.” And they said, “Let’s just what they’re doing, they’re doing it with everybody, you know, the background is making a three-picture deal.” So I said “okay” but I didn’t think they would actually use it. And then four or five months later they said, “Listen, there’s a couple of scenes in ‘Iron Man 2,’” but I think one of them got cut out. It’s on the DVD. It’s me and Gwyneth during the hearings talking about chili and talking about how Tony Stark is blowing it.
I kept thinking, Well, that was fun, that was really cool, I love what they’re doing. And then they keep going, “Well, actually I think you’re going to be the one to find Thor’s hammer.” So I got to geek out over and over again.
Marvel Studios
And then you’re the catalyst for the Avengers getting together.
Yes. It was a funny phone call. I had been at Comic Con. I mean funnily after watching the panels at Comic Con, they said, “Actually you’re in the panel this time, in ‘Thor,’ you’re in the panel.” It’s like that’s cool. And I was backstage, I can’t believe I survived any of this. I was backstage waiting to do the panel and then a guy who I knew to be Joss Whedon comes up and goes, “Hey listen, the big surprise is we’re going to introduce the cast of ‘The Avengers’ and I’m writing something really great for you. Will you come on stage with the cast of ‘The Avengers?’”
At that point I thought it was la Make-A-Wish thing, just nobody had told me I was dying. And then I went out there. A couple of months later they said, “Hey, Joss wasn’t kidding. He really wrote you some great stuff in ‘The Avengers.’” So I was like, “Wow, this is amazing.” And they said, “Yeah, what happens to you is what brings the Avengers together.” And it was, that was the first moment I went, “Oh.”
So how did Joss tell you?
That was it. They sent me the script and I was like, “Wow, that’s so glorious.” I don’t think I’m dead, you know. But yeah, I mean, is this real? Do you guys want to shoot an alt version where I’m just wounded by Loki? They were like, “No, no, no.” Here’s what we can offer you. And they came over with an iPad and they showed me the early digital pre-viz of Hulk smashing Loki like a rag doll. I was like, “Well that makes me feel a little bit better.” But it was done. And then I don’t think anyone was prepared for, certainly not me, for the Colson lives [movement]; the hashtag and the global outrage. And I guess it was enough people that they thought, Maybe there’s a TV show here. I think Bob Iger said, “You know, I’ve seen some of these One Shots, why don’t we do a show?” And next thing you know I get a call from Josh and Jeff Loeb saying, “We think you might not be so dead. And here’s the interesting mythology that makes this a cool buy back.”
And “Agents of SHIELD” connects to “Captain Marvel” in the sense that you were resurrected with Kree technology, right?
Correct. Kree Technology and blood. There was a Kree body and there are those already who are suspecting it may be someone from this [“Captain Marvel”]. That was originally used as part of a, a super-secret program called the Tahiti project. And they had this in case they needed to resurrect the fallen Avenger. Why Nick Fury chose or ABC chose to use that on poor old Phil Coulson, because apparently it was a miserable experience and then to wipe all those memories because he was so traumatized, remains to be seen. But it became this metaphor for the cost of being brought back and post-traumatic stress. And it became this whole mystery all through the first season that was artful and brilliantly thought out by Joss.
Yeah, but now, you’re dead again.
Go figure.
Do you still enjoy playing the character?
I do. It’s really fun. If I didn’t, it would suck and I would have found a way to stay dead. But so far I go, “Really? I’m n still not dead?” And then they’re like, “Well listen, here’s our idea. What do you think?” And then tell me what, what the Whedons Jed and Mo now, what they have to say … I’m always kind of like, this is not going to be good. And then I hear it and I go, “Okay, that is too cool. I have to try to do that. That’s insane.”
Marvel Studios
So what was your reaction when they said we’re doing, a 90s-set buddy action movie?
I mean the idea of anything in the 90 sounds cool to me because I knew that I knew that Ryan and Anna would have a bad ass playlist involved and the idea of stripping away the jaded, battered SHIELD agent that Phil Coulson is in season five of “Agents of SHIELD” shield and going back to early days when he’s just man-crushing on Nick Fury and trying to figure out what the hell SHIELD really is, that sounded fun to me.
Did the technical aspect of it seem daunting?
I didn’t have to do it. They said, “we’ll get you a trainer” and they said “dude, there is no trainer who can get me back to the 90s.” And they said, “Well, not your face. And there was a really gruesome, I forgot about this … They said, “Can you stop by hair and makeup, they really want to meet you on Captain Marvel?” And I was like, “Okay.” So I go over, cause they’re at Sony and I’m shooting ‘SHIELD’ in Culver Studios about a mile away. And I go over and I walk in the trailer and it’s so funny, they’re like doctors. All of a sudden I had all of them crowd, about three or four different people within six inches of my face going, “Look at that. Okay, but we’re going to do about that.” Looking at my hair like, “Oh that’s not good. What are we going to do about that?” I mean it’s taken me months to recover from what’s happening, right. This is horrible. And they said, “Oh sorry, never mind. We were saying that out loud? No, it’s fine. You look great actually.” I said, “What do you want me to do, do you want me to move into a Botox clinic?” And they said, actually no, they need the wrinkles. Well good then I’ve got some stuff for them to use. And, uh, and then on the day it’s just really black dots on me, white dots on Sam, and we’re just imagining each other younger and fresher.
Where do you want to see Asian Colson go next?
I mean, I feel like I would be greedy to say anymore. I’ve already gotten so many periods of his life. You know, I would love the idea of a teenage, kind of “Riverdale” of SHIELD where some younger person got to put in the long hours, and I just came in to be like the voice in “How I Met Your Mother.”
Five years later, Thor’s first sequel still leaves a bad taste in our mouths.
For a company that prides itself on the uniformity of its productions, both visually and thematically, in an effort to create a consistent shared universe, people’s ideas about which Marvel Studios movie is the worst varies wildly.
There are some that feel “Iron Man 3” was too tonally askew from the previous two Iron Man film. Some folks are convinced that “Ant-Man” is too slight for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially in the run-up to this summer’s bleak superhero free-for-all “Avengers: Infinity War.” But for our money, there is a clear outlier in the MCU, standing apart not just for terribleness but for its absolute disposability, and its name is “Thor: The Dark World.”
Let’s pause for a moment and talk about the development of “Dark World,” which by all accounts was an absolute nightmare, even by the chaotic standards of Marvel Studios at the time. The studio initially hired Patty Jenkins, who wanted to go with a bold new interpretation, having Thor face off against the Enchantress and making that pocket of the universe lusher and more female. Of course, that didn’t happen, and Jenkins was fired and the female villain was nixed, reportedly because of a suggestion from Ike Perlmutter — the reclusive, far rightwing CEO of Marvel. He suggested that female action figures did not sell as well as others.
Natalie Portman, who aligned herself with Jenkins, was noticeably unhappy and Jenkins went on to direct a little superhero movie called “Wonder Woman.”
Marvel then turned to Alan Taylor, the director of a number of memorable “Game of Thrones” episodes, to oversee the project. Taylor wanted to make things grimier and more authentic. It didn’t exactly turn out that way. During the run-up to his second feature, 2015’s “Terminator Genysis,” he told Uproxx that, “The Marvel experience was particularly wrenching because I was sort of given absolute freedom while we were shooting, and then in post it turned into a different movie. So, that is something I hope never to repeat and don’t wish upon anybody else.” Welp.
What made the first “Thor” so much fun was that it was Marvel’s equivalent of “Splash.” Thor (played wonderfully by Chris Hemsworth) is a spoiled god who gets banished to earth and has to find his true power before returning to his kingdom. As it turned out, watching a god bumble around suburban New Mexico is really very funny. (Even, at times, through Kenneth Branagh’s Dutch angle-d lens. This visual approach gave it a somewhat more campy “oomph.”) This is why, somewhat tellingly, the best parts of “Dark World” involve some kind of comedic interaction or misunderstanding based around the intersection of the magical and the mundane — Thor hanging his legendary hammer up on a coat rack, Darcy (Kat Dennings) asking Thor how space was, etc.
Marvel Studios
But, again, these moments are few and far between and the rest of “Thor: The Dark World” is an absolute slog.
The villains are a band of dark elves (led by Christopher Eccleston, who took over for Mads Mikkelson, who left shortly before production began) only slightly more threatening than the Keebler variety, and the entire movie feels slapdash and slipshod, like it was assembled after the fact from disparate elements that nobody knew where to put. Portman reluctantly returned, but is saddled with the lamest of lame storylines, accidentally stumbling upon the otherworldly MacGuffin (a slithery, red goop called the Aether). Starting a movie with such flagrant coincidence is like building a mansion on quicksand; from there on in, all the movie does is sink.
And things that you might have thought, “Oh there’s no way they could screw that up,” well, they do. Loki’s return, for the first time since the events of “The Avengers,” should have been full of huge moments. But the character is poorly utilized and awkwardly re-introduced. (Tom Hiddleston, for his part, just looks bored.)
And the action sequences, usually the first thing developed for the movie by a team of very smart people, fizzle, too. There’s a sequence towards the end that, thanks to some mystical something-or-another, sees Thor fighting across multiple planets/realms. This inventive climax should have been an unforgettable showstopper. Instead, thanks to some drab visuals and half-finished effects, it falters. Royally. (At least we got that very funny Chris Evans cameo, scripted by Joss Whedon, when Thor has a walk-and-talk with Loki posing as Captain America.)
But maybe the most criminal aspect of “Thor: The Dark World,” beyond its lack of entertainment value and sluggish pacing, is the fact that it doesn’t add anything to the larger MCU. Nothing.
Sure, the Aether, clumsily establishes itself as one of the cosmic Infinity Stones that Thanos comes charging after in “Avengers: Infinity War,” but it was hard to even recognize that as a “stone,” given that most of the time it’s a column of nebulous CG goo. Other than that, the movie is entirely skippable. Almost all of the characters from “The Dark World,” save for Stellan Skarsgard’s kooky scientist, have failed to show up again in the universe — Portman, Dennings, and Eccelston haven’t returned, even in the subsequent “Thor” movie (the brilliant, bonkers “Thor Ragnarok”). Missing this film in the lead up to “Infinity War” meant nothing.
It’s throwaway quality, noticeable upon initial watch, has only grown in magnitude since. This is unquestionably the worst Marvel movie, one that should have been forever banished to the furthest corner of the galaxy.
We still don’t have an official title for “Avengers 4,” but someone claims to have already gotten a hold of action figures for the movie. Or a prototype.
Whether it’s legit or not, the photo of the box for an action figure set of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) is generating buzz over the new white-and-black suits the characters are wearing.
If it’s the real thing, the Avengers will be wearing team suits for the first time ever. (Possibly to combat a specific environment, as Redditors pointed out. Such as the Quantum Realm.)
Cap and Tony Stark have frequently gotten suit upgrades, but can you picture them all wearing the same kind of suit? Or maybe it’s just Thor and Rocket Raccoon, our favorite duo from “Avengers: Infinity War.”
The text on the photo of the toy box too tiny to read, but according to The Wrap, it says, “The Asgardian Thor wields the mighty Stormbreaker in his battle against his foes. Rocket teams up with a new crew to guard the galaxy against an even greater threat.” Nothing about the nifty new suits.
The truth will be revealed when “Avengers 4” is out on May 3.
Marvel fans fell in love with the quirky vibe that director Taika Waititi injected into “Thor: Ragnarok,” and apparently, the film’s titular star was a big fan of the new tone, too.
In an interview with GQ, Chris Hemsworth chatted about his most famous role, and how it’s evolved over time. The actor got his big breaking debuting as the God of Thunder in 2011’s “Thor,” which quickly typecast him
“It was quite jarring for my family and friends when I was on-screen doing a straight, heroic, sort of overly masculine kind of thing,” Hemsworth told GQ.
He added:
“I came into Hollywood thinking I had to be Russell Crowe. I loved his performances, and because of my physicality and my size, that was the obvious choice. I think I was aware that it could kind of get me in the door,” Hemsworth says. “But it wasn’t me.”
Eager to play roles that hewed more closely to his warm, goofy personality, Hemsworth collaborated with Waititi to change the way that Thor operated, going toe-to-toe with Tessa Thompson‘s Valkyrie, who challenged the hero at every turn. It was a change that Hemsworth says elevated not only his own acting, but the franchise as a whole.
“The first one is good, the second one is meh,” the actor said of the original “Thor” and its sequel, “The Dark World.” “What masculinity was, the classic archetype—it just all starts to feel very familiar. I was so aware that we were right on the edge.”
We think MCU devotees will agree that Hemsworth and Waititi made the right call. And obviously, Hemsworth is a delight in less-serious roles, particularly as the adorably dim-witted receptionist, Kevin, in 2016’s “Ghostbusters.” We’re glad he’s now able to flex his acting muscles as much as his real-life muscles.
Let this classic Chris Hemsworth workout video inspire you — or depress you because you can never look this good. (Don’t worry, no one else looks this good. Literally no one.)
The “Avengers” star is currently filming the “Men in Black” spinoff in the U.K. He took some time out from bonding with two-time friend from work Tessa Thompson to post a video of his training for the movie.
The jazzy on-hold music doesn’t do the video justice. It’s goofy and adorable, as well as impressive, and we should be able to hear what he says when he points to his “Thor” boxing glove. He’s clearly channeling his inner god and who could argue with the results?
You don’t talk to Jeff Goldblum as much as you hold on for dear life.
The actor, who just received a long-overdue star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — and has been having something of a career second-wind thanks to well-placed roles in movies big and small — returns to the franchise that made him a household name with “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.” And you can feel that electricity running through the legendary actor while talking to him.
For Goldblum, who once more plays the role of scientist and chaos theorist Ian Malcolm in the newest installment in the series, the performance feels just as important as it did the first time around, even if the total runtime adds up to little more than a cameo.
And that kind of effervescent energy is infectious. In our conversation, we talked about returning to the franchise, his many roles as a wacky scientist, whether or not he’s seen his Marvel-approved mural in Disneyland, and what he remembers from his excellent performance on “The Simpsons.”
It’s a wild ride. Hang on.
Moviefone: When you signed on to the first “Jurassic Park” 25 years ago, did you ever think you’d still be playing the character?
Goldblum: No. It’s all been lucky, to keep going, you know? I don’t think we thought that there’d be any more than just the one. I certainly didn’t think about it. And then there was that second one and, here we are, 25 years later, holy cats! It was a total surprise to me.
What was your reaction when they called you and said they wanted you back for “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom?”
I was very, very thrilled because I have nothing but rosy associations with all my experiences with them … Michael Crichton’s book, I loved. And I love that part. Steven Spielberg was a once-in-a-lifetime — or, in that case, [a] twice-in-a-lifetime experience, working with him. And in the ensuing years, people have come up and I realized how thrilled people were with those movies. And when they called me and said J.A. Bayona — because I had seen all of his other movies and I was a fan of his — I wanted to work with him. Colin Trevorrow is just wonderful. He wrote and directed the last one, and wrote this one, and he’s just great. So I was thrilled. I love this current cast. Chris and Bryce are spectacular. I was just delighted.
You’ve kind of become the “Jurassic Park” ambassador — you’re part of the videogame that is coming out, too, and you have made appearances at the theme park.
Yeah, that’s true. Well, the videogame, they were very nice. They wrote a lot of Ian Malcolm-esque lines for me. I said a lot of them; probably more than in any of the movies. I met with them for a couple of days and recorded stuff. But I know that’s got fans, so I was happy to do that. They did a state-of-the-art job with that kind of stuff.The end of this movie leaves things pretty open — would you be interested in coming back for the third film?
Well, I am enjoying life. I want to keep going and keep waking up and taking nourishment and having my oatmeal and everything. This is a thrilling part of life. On one hand, I’ve done so much with these and I feel so satisfied, so if nothing else happened I’d feel grateful and lucky. But, if anybody felt like I could contribute something, I’d offer my humble service to anything that I might do to continue telling the story.
I think it should be you, Sam Neill, Laura Dern — you should all be back in the next one.
Ooooh, well — I love those actors. Who knows what will happen. They’re cooking it up right now, I think. They’ve said publicly that, by summer of 2021, they’re hoping to have something out. (Editor’s note: the third “Jurassic World” movie is currently slated for release June 11, 2021.)
Colin Trevorrow and Emily Carmichael are writing the script now. And this character is so rich, I must say, it was delicious to try and reinvestigate [Malcolm’s] thinking and feeling, which is kind of rich on the issues of making the planet work for everyone and being passionately anti-greed and anti-militaristic. He’s an interesting cat.
You’ve played a lot of wacky scientists. Is Ian Malcolm your favorite?
Well, it’s tough to play favorites. Now that I’m a father, I know that’s not the coolest thing to do. Let’s see … Ian Malcolm, well, I’m immersed in the world right now so I’m particularly fond or a little bit in love with that character and that world, that’s true. Who are the others?Well, Seth Brundle from “The Fly.”
Oh, yes. Love Seth Brundle.
Your character in “Independence Day” wasn’t exactly a scientist, but he was scientifically minded.
Yeah, some kind of smarty pants, some kind of MIT-trained man of technology. Hey, I have something in the can where I played a scientist. I played, in this movie called “The Mountain,” directed by Rick Alverson, who made “The Comedy” and “Entertainment,” two movies that I really like, and I play — in 1954 — a kind of version of the real-life character who pioneered pre-frontal lobotomies in America. He’s a doctor and he’s fallen from grace in our story, and he goes on a drunken adventure in the Pacific Northwest with Tye Sheridan under his wing. And Udo Kier is in it. It’ll be an artful offering and I had a great time doing it.
I ran into Udo Kier in a furniture store in Palm Springs a few weeks ago.
Oh, really? Yes, he lives in Palm Springs, yes. He worked with Andy Warhol and Lars Von Trier. What a career he’s had.
Recently, you entered another great franchise as the Grandmaster in “Thor Ragnarok.” What was that experience like?
I loved it to pieces. Taika Waititi is very brilliant and a comedic force of nature, and we had a great time together. We laughed up a storm. We improvised a lot. He made up stuff and I made up stuff. And all of the people at Marvel are really great to work with. They’re very brilliant and creative and have great integrity. They want to make popular movies, but they want to make good movies. And they have newfangled ways of doing it and I enjoyed them to no end.
Do you think you’ll come back in that Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Who knows. I have no idea. But I can imagine. The Grandmaster is immortal. You can’t kill him. I think he played some game with the devil, and I think — for he and his brother — they got immortality. And he has more superpowers than anybody we’ve ever seen, but just amuses himself with games, as we’ve seen. It’s fertile ground.Have you seen your mural at Disneyland?
That’s so funny. I haven’t seen that mural in person, but I’ve see it on Instagram. I like that. I’ve having an ecstatic moment, wiping all the pieces off the board. And I’m in my sandals! My feet are on display, too! I always like that.
Before I go, I have to ask you about your episode of “The Simpsons,” which is one of my favorites ever.
Well, thank you so much. Those people are so great. It was fun and funny to do. Yes, to be the agent and manager and advisor to Troy McClure — and to get him to resurrect his career with some sex scandal with a fish — it’s always a good idea! Yes! Good advice! I haven’t done that myself, but I have it up my sleeve.
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” stomps into cinemas everywhere this week.
SPOILERS AHEAD from “Avengers: Infinity War,” and also “Thor: Ragnarok.”
“Avengers: Infinity War” ended with half of the planet being dust-busted by Thanos. So HuffPost asked directors Joe and Anthony Russo to reveal what other Marvel characters were alive vs. vaporized. Their “too spoilery” answer on Thor’s ex Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) was probably the most surprising.
The Russos only answered definitively on a few characters — Howard the Duck in “Guardians” is safe, Matt Damon‘s actor version of Loki died (Jimmy Kimmel will be happy to hear that), Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) of “The Incredible Hulk” died, Thor’s Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) was also dusted, and Peter Parker’s Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) is safe.
Some characters were deemed too spoilery to say definitively, including Shuri (Letitia Wright) of “Black Panther,” Ned (Jacob Batalon) of “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” and Korg and Miek (Taika Waititi) of “Thor: Ragnarok.”
But it’s safe to say those characters are either alive or will return from dust in “Avengers 4” since we know we’ll see more from them. Shuri may even get her own movie, and Ned should be in the “Spider-Man” sequel next year. Plus, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige told Fandango, “We have plans for [Thor: Ragnarok’s] Korg and Miek. When and where we’ll have to wait and see, but we, like the audience now that they’ve seen them, can’t get enough.”
However, the Russos also deemed it too spoilery to reveal what might’ve happened to Thor’s ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) at the end of “Infinity War.” Did she turn to dust or not?
HuffPost was “a bit shocked” that they couldn’t comment on Jane, so Anthony Russo clarified: “When we say spoiler, [we mean] potential spoiler.”
Jane was last seen in “Thor: The Dark World,” and was referenced in “Thor: Ragnarok” when a fan told Thor she was sorry Jane dumped him. (Thor, of course, had a different take on how their relationship ended.)
In 2016, Kevin Feige said there were “many reasons” why Portman’s Jane wasn’t going to be in “Thor: Ragnarok.” Natalie Portman followed that by saying “as far as I know, I’m done” with Marvel, although she wasn’t shutting the door. Apparently the Russos aren’t shutting the door either. Is that because she’ll be in “Avengers 4,” which the Russos directed, or is she possibly coming back to a future Thor movie?
That’s a far cry from the golden god of the first “Thor” movie, which came out in 2011.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige tends to make good decisions — box office receipts don’t lie — but he told Uproxx he does regret going a little too far with his blond ambitions for Thor:
“Definitely, the one thing I would definitely do differently if I had to do it over again, is we would not have dyed Chris Hemsworth’s eyebrows blonde in the first ‘Thor.’ Because we were like, Thor is blonde! He has to be blond! And Hemsworth was great and awesome and pulled it off, but there are a couple of shots I watch and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that poor guy, we made him freaking dye his eyebrows! That’s ridiculous!’ And I can laugh about it now because Hemsworth IS Thor and he doesn’t need long hair, or a cape, or a hammer, or two eyeballs to be Thor.”
It’s never a bad idea to err on the side of being faithful to the comic book. That’s usually the first knee-jerk complaint from fans — that such-and-such doesn’t look right. But, as we learn over time, it’s the least important detail in the long run.
Here’s how Chris Hemsworth’s eyebrows look when you let them just be themselves:
Honestly, Thor’s facial hair could’ve ended up a lot worse. “Thor” was directed by Kenneth Branagh — and you saw what he did with Hercule Poirot’s mustache, right? There but for the grace of Odin…
“Black Panther” is relinquishing its grip on the global box office just in time to hand it over to “Avengers: Infinity War.” This upcoming blockbuster will feature a who’s who lineup of Marvel heroes, and finally give fans the epic showdown with Thanos they’ve been waiting for.
To help gear up for this major release, here are seven things you need to know about “Infinity War” before heading to the theater (at least twice) to see it.
1. The MCU Has Been Building to This For a DecadeMay 2018 marks the tenth anniversary of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which launched with 2008’s “Iron Man.” Fittingly, “Infinity War” is the culmination of all the ongoing storylines and post-credits teases that these films have been building up over the past ten years. Basically, this probably isn’t the best starting point if you’ve somehow never seen a Marvel movie in your life. But given how much money these movies rake in, we doubt that’s going to be a problem for most people.
2. The Infinity Stones Are (Duh) Important The Infinity Stones are basically the driving catalyst of “Infinity War.” We’ve seen these powerful gems serve as MacGuffins in past Marvel movies — the Tesseract in “Captain America: The First Avenger,” the Power Stone in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” etc.
This time around, the cosmic tyrant known as Thanos (Josh Brolin) is determined to gather all of these artifacts and assemble a weapon called the Infinity Gauntlet. This shiny glove will give Thanos complete power over the fundamental forces of the universe, allowing him to finally achieve his lifelong goal of killing half of all life in the universe. In the comics, his genocidal spree was a tribute to Death (whom he has a major crush on). Not sure yet if that crush factors into “Infinity War,” but it was teased during “The Avengers” post-credits scene. Guess we’ll find out.
3. The Bench Is Deep. Like, Crazy-Deep If someone played a superhero or ally in a previous Marvel movie, chances are they’re going to appear in Infinity War.
A threat as massive as Thanos requires a full roster of Avengers to combat it. Look for Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) to don his latest swanky Iron Man suit and assemble opposite Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), War Machine (Don Cheadle), and Vision (Paul Bettany). But will we see Ant-Man? Or Hawkeye?
4. The Avengers Are Going Cosmic, With Groot’s Help“Infinity War” will be the first MCU film to unite the Avengers with your favorite bunch of a-holes, the Guardians of the Galaxy.
It appears that Thor (Chris Hemsworth) will bump into the Guardians early in the film, compelling the team to make a detour to Earth to help out in the fight against Thanos. Expect plenty of head-butting between Iron Man and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), while Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Drax (Dave Bautista) will prepare to finally confront the villain they all despise.
5. Thanos Has New MinionsThanos alone may have the strength to take on this combined force of superheroes, but he has some new allies of his own.
The film will introduce the Black Order, a group of elite killers who all happen to be Thanos’ children. Not to mention that they have access to an army that dwarfs even the Chitauri invasion force from “The Avengers.”
6. Not Everyone Will SurviveYou might want to plan on bringing a box of tissues to this movie, as it’s been heavily implied that not every hero will be making it out of “Infinity War” alive.
This blockbuster and its sequel are basically the finale to the current era of the MCU. New heroes are emerging to take the spotlight, and that means some old favorites have to be cleared away.
7. We Still Don’t Know the Sequel’s Title So far, MCU fans have had to wait three years in between each new Avengers movie. That wont be the case this time, as “Avengers 4” is scheduled for release in May 2019.
They shot it and “Infinity War” back-to-back (which is nuts!). Look for “Avengers 4” to be a more direct continuation of “Infinity War” than we normally see from the MCU. In fact, the two movies were originally announced as “Infinity War, Part 1” and “Infinity War, Part 2.” Whether that means Thanos will also serve as the main villain in the next movie remains to be seen, but expect there to be plenty of unfinished business as the dust settles this time.
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SPOILERS AHEAD from “Avengers: Infinity War,” and also “Thor: Ragnarok.”
However, the Russos also deemed it too spoilery to reveal what might’ve happened to Thor’s ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) at the end of “Infinity War.” Did she turn to dust or not?
Which character has had the biggest physical transformation over the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date?
That’s a far cry from the golden god of the first “
Honestly, Thor’s facial hair could’ve ended up a lot worse. “Thor” was directed by 
2018 is truly the year of the Marvel movie.
May 2018 marks the tenth anniversary of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which launched with 2008’s “
The Infinity Stones are basically the driving catalyst of “Infinity War.” We’ve seen these powerful gems serve as MacGuffins in past Marvel movies — the Tesseract in “
If someone played a superhero or ally in a previous Marvel movie, chances are they’re going to appear in Infinity War.
“Infinity War” will be the first MCU film to unite the Avengers with your favorite bunch of a-holes, the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Thanos alone may have the strength to take on this combined force of superheroes, but he has some new allies of his own.
You might want to plan on bringing a box of tissues to this movie, as it’s been heavily implied that not every hero will be making it out of “Infinity War” alive.
So far, MCU fans have had to wait three years in between each new Avengers movie. That wont be the case this time, as “Avengers 4” is scheduled for release in May 2019.