Chris Hemsworth nearly turned down the role of Thor

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Thanks to the plethora of comic-book movies over the past decade, many actors have had the opportunity to live out their super-hero fantasies, but, signing on the dotted line and committing yourself for a handful of movies represents a significant chunk of an actor's life and career, so it's not hard to see why some would be hesitant to close the deal. In 2009, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was still in its infancy, with only IRON MAN and THE INCREDIBLE HULK to base our opinions on, it was also when a young Chris Hemsworth was offered the role of Thor, and, as he told the Sydney Morning Herald, it was a role he nearly passed on.

I was crossing the road in Vancouver … and I remember the exact moment getting a call from from my lawyer and my manager saying 'you got the offer'… And then kind of going 'oh wow, cool. So what is it?' 'It's a superhero thing and it's a six-picture deal.' And we were like 'that's a lot of films to sign up for. We should pass on this.'

Thankfully, Chris Hemsworth obviously changed his mind, and although I don't count the THOR movies as my favourites (fingers crossed that THOR: RAGNAROK changes things), Hemsworth is a very welcome and vital component to the MCU. Looking back on it, the actor said that his doubts about taking the role came from "that voice inside you thinking it's too good to be true." Can you imagine a world in which Tom Hiddleston, Liam Hemsworth, Channing Tatum, Alexander Skarsgård, Charlie Hunnam, or some of the other THOR hopefuls walks away with the part instead? Which would have made the best Thor?

The official synopsis for THOR: RAGNAROK:

In Marvel Studios’ ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!

THOR: RAGNAROK will hit theaters on November 3, 2017.