10 Ways The MCU Has Already Set Up The Perfect Thor 5 Story

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Summary

Thor 5 could potentially redeem the character after the disappointing reception of Thor: Love and Thunder and change the tone of the franchise.
Love, Thor's adopted daughter, introduced in Thor: Love and Thunder, has the potential to become a new cosmic superhero in the MCU.
Thor 5 could feature the return of previous villains and explore the concept of the afterlife and the Norse afterlife of Valhalla.

Marvel Studios has already set up several perfect storylines for the rumored Thor 5 in the MCU. Despite the disappointing reception to 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder, Chris Hemsworth was confirmed to be returning to the MCU as Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder. Hemsworth has portrayed Thor since 2011's eponymous Phase 1 project, and went on to become a founding member of the Avengers and one of the MCU's most important heroes. He is currently the only superhero to receive four solo feature films in the MCU, and recent rumors suggest that Marvel Studios may be putting Thor 5 into development, potentially redeeming Thor after a troubling Phase 4.
Although Thor 5 hasn't yet been confirmed by Marvel Studios, the potential sequel has become a hot topic of discussion, particularly after recent comments from director Taika Waititi. Waititi suggested that the Thor 5 villain could be even stronger than Thor: Ragnarok's Hela, but the consensus among fans - and Chris Hemsworth himself - is that Thor 5 will need to change the tone of the MCU's Thor franchise, avoiding the comedic mistakes of Love and Thunder. This suggests that Thor could embark on a darker adventure in Thor 5, and though the details of this are currently speculation, Marvel Studios has already set up several potential storylines for Thor's next sequel.
Your browser does not support the video tag. 10 Love Can Be A Powerful New Hero In The MCU

Thor: Love and Thunder introduced a new hero to the MCU who could have the power to replace the God of Thunder. Gorr the God Butcher's daughter, Love, was resurrected by Eternity in Love and Thunder, and seemingly returned imbued with Eternity's own abilities. Portrayed by India Hemsworth, Love was adopted by Thor in Love and Thunder, implying that, when he returns, she will follow suit. Thor 5 could give Love a chance to show off her ambiguous powers, and could set her up as a new cosmic superhero in the MCU, potentially allowing her to fill her adoptive father's shoes should Thor 5 be Chris Hemsworth's final project.
9 Secret Invasion Saw Ritson Declare War On Aliens

Following its release, Phase 5's Secret Invasion became one of the MCU's lowest-rated projects, but the Disney+ series did set the stage for some major storylines to unfold in the MCU's future. As well as establishing a massive Skrull presence on Earth, Secret Invasion ended with Dermot Mulroney's President Ritson declaring war on extraterrestrial species living on Earth, which could encompass the alien residents of New Asgard. Ritson is set to be replaced by Harrison Ford's President Ross in Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts, but this crusade on Earth's alien inhabitants could continue into Thor 5 and beyond.
8 Loki Is Alive (Again)

Both Thor and Tom Hiddleston's Loki have seen major character developments during their MCU careers, with the latter seeing the most transformation in his Multiverse Saga series, Loki. While the events of Loki are set separate from the MCU's main continuity, it's very likely that Marvel Studios is gearing up the God of Mischief to return to the MCU proper and reunite with his brother. The version of Loki returning to the MCU's main timeline will be unrecognizable to Thor, but it would still be great to see Thor and Loki reuniting to embark on an adventure together, and Thor 5 is the perfect place for this to occur.
7 Thor Wanted To Form A Team Of Gods In Love & Thunder

Over the course of his MCU journey, Thor has jumped from team to team: he joined the Avengers, traveled with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and formed the Revengers in Thor: Ragnarok. Thor: Love and Thunder saw him try to form a new team of gods in the MCU after making his way to Omnipotence City. This could have teased the debut of the God Squad, a Marvel Comics team comprised of powerful god-like characters. With the introduction of Natalie Portman's Mighty Thor, Brett Goldstein's Hercules, and Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie needing serious development, Thor 5 could finally bring together the God Squad.
6 Beta Ray Bill Was Teased In Ragnarok

Monster-turned-hero Beta Ray Bill has been rumored to be coming to the MCU for several years, with this speculation only rising after a statue of his head was glimpsed on the Grandmaster's tower in Thor: Ragnarok. In Marvel Comics, Beta Ray Bill is the first character outside the Norse pantheon capable of wielding Mjolnir, Thor's enchanted hammer, so he could be introduced to the MCU as a replacement for the God of Thunder. He usually wields Stormbreaker in the comics, which has been Thor's weapon of choice since Avengers: Infinity War, so the foundations are already in place for Thor 5 to finally debut Beta Ray Bill in the MCU.
5 Thor's Villains Could Return In Disassembled

Marvel Comics' Thor: Disassembled was a pivotal storyline for the God of Thunder, featuring Thor battling a variety of villains in an effort to prevent Ragnarok from destroying Asgard. While pieces of this storyline have already been adapted for the MCU, Marvel Studios can alter it slightly to feature returning Thor villains, without retconning their fates from previous MCU projects. Thor's MCU villains have often come under scrutiny for not being developed, so this could be the perfect opportunity to give Malekith, Hela, and Gorr the God Butcher more screen-time. Avengers: Disassembled also ends with Thor's death, so this could be a beautiful swansong for Chris Hemsworth's hero.
4 Jane Foster & Heimdall Reunited In Valhalla

In recent years, Marvel Studios has been exploring the concept of the afterlife in much more detail, introducing the Ancestral Plane in Black Panther, the Duat and the Field of Reeds in Moon Knight, and Rocket's afterlife in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Thor: Love and Thunder also provided the first real look at the Norse afterlife of Valhalla, as Jane Foster finds herself there after dying in battle as the Mighty Thor. Reuniting with Idris Elba's Heimdall, Foster's appearance in Valhalla teased a major storyline in Marvel Comics in which she returns from Valhalla as a Valkyrie, so this could be explored in Thor 5.
3 Secret Wars Could Tease Multiversal Thor Corps

2027's Avengers: Secret Wars is expected to be adapted from Marvel Comics' destructive crossover storyline, 2015's Secret Wars. This event saw the multiverse destroyed by an incursion, with fragments of several surviving realities being brought together in Battleworld. Battleworld's police force was the Thor Corps, a group of Thor variants from a multitude of universes. If Chris Hemsworth is set to leave the MCU after the Multiverse Saga, debuting the Thor Corps would create a powerful exit for Thor, and introducing them in Thor 5 could begin to set the stage for Secret Wars. This could also be used to debut a new version of Thor for the MCU's future.
2 Zeus Gave Hercules A Mission In Love & Thunder

Perhaps the most obvious storyline for Thor 5 would see the return of Brett Goldstein's Hercules, who was introduced in Thor: Love and Thunder's mid-credits scene. This scene saw Russell Crowe's Zeus send his son, Hercules, on a mission to eliminate Thor and strike fear into their followers once again. Hercules is an incredibly powerful hero in Marvel Comics, but was originally depicted as an antagonist to Thor, so this would perfectly fulfill Waititi's wishes to have a villain more powerful than Hela in Thor 5. Hercules' current absence in the MCU is jarring, so this formidable character needs to return soon, and become a more permanent fixture in the MCU.
1 Celestial Saga Could Be Thor 5 & Eternals 2

Thor: Love and Thunder wasn't the only Phase 4 project to receive criticism. Chloé Zhao's Eternals is also regarded as one of the more disappointing projects of Phase 4, and this mixed reception has left sequels to both projects in jeopardy. One way to solve this problem could be to combine Thor 5 and Eternals 2 into one epic crossover project, potentially adapting Marvel Comics' Celestial Saga, which saw Thor battle the Eternals and the Celestials. This could be a great way to continue all these characters' stories, without putting too much pressure on them to carry an entire MCU project alone.
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