Thor: Love and Thunder wasn’t well received by critics, with reviews saying that it failed to recapture the magic that made Ragnarok successful. Marvel’s Mark Ruffalo believes this means that The Hulk needs to save the Thor franchise from another dismal performance.
Marvel brought back Taika Waititi to direct Thor: Love and Thunder after the success of Thor 3 as the fourth entry into the series aimed to tell Thor’s personal story after the events of Avengers: Endgame. However, it didn’t perform as well as Marvel had hoped - or as well as most MCU films do in general.
Now, Avengers star Mark Ruffalo hopes to return to the Thor franchise and collaborate once again with Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder.
In a recent interview at the Emerald City Comic-Con 2023, Ruffalo jokingly told fans that he is waiting to be called back to save the Thor franchise. "I have a soft spot for Chris Hemsworth," Ruffalo said. "So, I keep waiting for them to invite me back to the Thor franchise to save it... That’s a joke... I’m canceled..."
Will fans be seeing a reunion of Thor and Hulk?
It will certainly be interesting to see Thor and Hulk team up again in another movie. Hulk was instrumental in Ragnarok’s plot and would provide additional comic relief in a future film. Heroes also have a tendency to pop up in each other's flicks.
However, looking at the current slate of projects for the Multiverse Saga, it is unlikely that we will be seeing another Thor movie anytime soon. The earliest that the pair can reunite would be in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
It is just speculation, but the duo may serve as mentors for newer members of the Avengers. Thor and Hulk are two of the three surviving members of the team from the first Avengers movie. Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton aka Hawkeye is the other member of the team. We expect Hawkeye to also return at some point in the Multiverse saga after ending his time as the vigilante Ronin.
There are rumors that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will be leading the new Avengers team in the Multiverse Saga. It would be great for the young Spider-Man to have veteran voices such as Thor and Hulk beside him.
The Avengers will be shorthanded after losing key members Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, T’Challa aka Black Panther, and Vision. There is also some doubt about Wanda Maximoff’s return to the superhero team after the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
However, help will be on the way as Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau are joining Captain Marvel’s squad. The Falcon has also taken up the mantle of Captain America while Shuri has taken her brother’s place as Black Panther. Shang-Chi, The Eternals, and Ironheart are also expected to be part of the Avengers.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is scheduled to premiere on May 2, 2025.
