The Marvel Cinematic Universe will introduce two characters who could replace Thor after Phase 4, but will Jane Foster or Beta Ray Bill be his real successor? Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder has been one of the faces of the MCU since 2011. But, it wasn’t until more recently with Thor: Ragnarok and his roles in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame that his popularity skyrocketed.
While the rest of the original Avengers are either dead or on the verge of retiring from being a superhero, Thor still has a future in the MCU. He’s set to be the lead of Thor: Love and Thunder, which will make him the first MCU character to have four solo films. However, Thor will be sharing the spotlight with two potential replacements for him. Marvel confirmed Natalie Portman would return as Jane Foster as she makes the journey to becoming Mighty Thor. There have also been rumors of Beta Ray Bill making an appearance. Both characters could take Thor’s place after Phase 4, but which one will?
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If the MCU chooses either Jane or Beta Ray Bill to be the new Thor in the MCU, Jane is arguably the more logical choice. The return of Natalie Portman is significant after her prior experience with the franchise, and the Oscar-winning actress could lead a franchise of her own in the future. This would require Portman to sign on for multiple more movies (which isn’t confirmed), but Jane has immense potential as the next Thor in the MCU. Her battle with breast cancer and the adverse effects being Thor has on her recovery is a fascinating story. Plus, Jane is powerful enough to be a heavy-hitter in the MCU, similar to Thor, while also potentially signaling the return of Mjolnir.
Beta Ray Bill would make for an excellent Thor replacement in the MCU, but it is a bit more difficult to picture him as a franchise lead. The Korbonite warrior will likely be a completely CGI character, and Marvel has so far yet to make a non-human looking character the lead of a franchise. This wouldn’t mean that Beta Ray Bill’s future in the MCU is non-existent, though, assuming he does debut in Thor: Love and Thunder. His place could be on a new Guardians of the Galaxy team while Jane’s Thor also protects the galaxy and Earth.
Even though both Jane Foster and Beta Ray Bill could work as Thor’s replacement, there is also a chance that neither of them will take his place. It is unknown how long Hemsworth plans to be part of the MCU, but his excitement for the character was reinvigorated thanks to Taika Waititi’s comedic direction. Hemsworth’s Thor might not get another trilogy of films at this point, but we can’t count out the chance he remains part of the MCU beyond Phase 4.
Whenever Thor’s time in the MCU does come to an end, that could be when his replacement becomes clear. The combination of Jane’s story and Portman gives her a potential advantage in taking that place, but its possible Marvel doesn’t try to replace Thor with one single character. Jane could take on the Thor name, Beta Ray Bill could receive Stormbreaker, and Valkyrie could continue ruling over Asgard. This would split Thor’s responsibility between multiple great characters and elevate all of their MCU futures.
- Black Widow (2020)Release date: Nov 06, 2020
- Eternals (2021)Release date: Feb 12, 2021
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: May 07, 2021
- Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Feb 11, 2022
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: Mar 25, 2022
- Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
- Captain Marvel 2 (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
