Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster. (Marvel Studios)
What exactly does it sound like when a magical mallet strikes an impervious shield? Don’t think Chris Hemsworth hasn’t thought about it.
“I’m sure that’s up there on the list of possibilities, that would be something to see at some point,” the star of “Thor” said cryptically when asked if his character might tussle with Captain America in the classic Marvel tradition of superhero sparring. “I’ve thought about that too.”
The characters are facing off in a different way this summer. ”Thor” has pulled in $266 million in worldwide box office to date while the star-spangled superhero gets his turn in July with the release of “Captain America: The First Avenger,” which stars Chris Evans in the title role. “I have brothers so I know about competing with someone at the same time you’re cheering for them,” Hemsworth said of the back-to-back Marvel Studios releases.
Those two heroes with a history of winged headgear will join the Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), the Hulk (with Mark Ruffalo as his human alter ego), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in “The Avengers” next summer. That film will be directed by Joss Whedon, and Hemsworth said he has no anxieties about his peers (it’s an ensemble that includes four Oscar nominees) or the handling of his character in a different sort of film forum.
“I’ve worked with Joss on ‘Cabin in the Woods’ — he wrote it with Drew Goddard and Drew directed but Joss was on set and very collaborative with ideas, so I got a sense of his personality and who he was. So I feel less cautious now, knowing him and really liking him. I’m really excited to work with Joss and to see where he takes Thor and all of the Marvel characters.”
"Thor's" Chris Hemsworth, left, and "Captain America's" Chris Evans take a look at the toy line accessories: the Thor Lightning Hammer and Captain America Disc Launching Shield. (Ray Stubblebine/Hasbro)
Hemsworth knows Whedon’s reputation for crackling dialogue and, in particular, his affinity for group dynamics. It comes as a relief because after his positive experience with “Thor” director Kenneth Branagh he feels particularly protective of the thunder god. Hemsworth cut his teeth in soap operas in Australia and he knows too well that a recurring character can suffer when there’s a handoff (or frequent handoffs) among the creative team behind the camera.
“Working on a TV show years ago we’d have different directors coming through all the time and one of the frustrating things was having a different director come in with a completely different take on a character. You’d want to stop things and say, ‘Wait, this isn’t consistent with what I did last week.’ But as you go along you sort of learn to be less fragile. The more you’re open to new ideas, the more opportunity you have to really do interesting things. The character still looks the same — it’s me standing there –and the performance puts the stamp on it. If a character is inconsistent, well people are inconsistent in real life too. “What makes a character interesting is the uncertainty and unpredictability of it. I’m excited to hear some new ideas that take [Thor] in some new directions.”
Hemsworth chose his words carefully when asked about the “Avengers” project, which is now filming in New Mexico. The cast and crew know that Marvel Studios is eager to keep a lid on the film and its plot, at least as much as is possible. “I’m having a moment now — what am I allowed to say? I need to be careful.”
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans). (Marvel)
He said the one topic he feels comfortable addressing is his excitement level.
“Jeremy, Chris Evans, Scarlett, Mark Ruffalo, all of them, wow, it’s going to be fun,” said Hemsworth, who before “Thor” was best known to American audiences for a fleeting appearance in the J.J. Abrams “Star Trek” film. “I really feel like a fan in all of this because I’ve seen all these individual characters come to life. Now to throw them together, you feel like a kid in a way, there’s really a giddy feeling. I’m looking forward to being in a room with not just those actors but those characters, these larger-than-life characters, and seeing how that turns out. I want to see how Captain America and Thor and Iron Man react to one another.”
– Geoff Boucher
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Please allow a moment for me to be a complete and total teenage girl. /SQUEAL I LOVE YOU CHRIS HEMSWORTH /faints.
As a fangirl though, I'm excited to see what Joss will do to the Avengers. In anyone else's hand, this could be a train wreck. I have faith in Joss' awesome power over ensemble cast. Can't stop the signal!
In Whedon's hands, it could still be a train wreck. I have not been encouraged by many of Whedon's comments about the Avengers group since he landed the assignment of writing and directing this film. I'm hoping this doesn't turn out to be a tale of "Earth''s Mightiest Buffy's."
*sigh* Thor is great – fantastic superhero. Full of angst and all that… but come on! Can we please not do the same song and dance every time? The male superhero saves the day and the woman swoons in the background – yawn. And please don't insult my intelligence by bringing up the token female warrior. What the world needs now is for a God like Thor to meet his match – his equal – and then get his arse kicked by her. That would certainly make my day. I say, tie him up and make him beg for mercy – it's about time – isn't it?
No
Wonder Woman would totally kick his ass. Whenever they're ready for Marvel v.s. DC. And can get their acts together to put Wonder Woman on big screen. Hee.
No
no
I really, really like Hemsworth. He was great as Thor. But, no, unless someone is under a spell from Loki (possible), he and Cap don't clash, they have a healthy mutual respect. See AVENGERS PRIME, the miniseries by Brian Michael Bendis. Cap will clash with Iron Man, guaranteed. The hammer vs. the shield would be an interesting sight, in the right context.
Thor is supposed to be a god, right? God's are all powerful. Captain America wouldn't have a chance.
Thor is a Demi god, not all powerful. Captain vs Thor might be an interesting battle although i would put my money on Thor.
too many inconsistencies in the comic scripts. Even if Cap's shiled could stand up to the onslought of Thor's hammer, he wouldn't. If Thor smashed his shield as suggested in the trailer, the shield would survive but Cap would have been pile-driven into the ground and smashed to a pulp. But that won't happen because writers have no sense of physics.
The captains shield is made out of a material that reflects kinetic energy, this said the captain (in theory) could deflect any object regardless of mass / force because the sheild deflects kinetic energy equal to the input force, still not sure how the captain would be able to withstand the propulsion effects of the sheild reflecting the input force, one would imagine the shield would *push* back into the captains arm which is holding the shield??
What a Movie. So many stories, to Read about. Where to start. This be good for a comdey gag. I feel like in YNC.BAck in 1941. Where steve rogers In the Army.Even those Lost in depressed.Just amagtion that When, he waken,started now life over. back in Past.BAck to Future,Micheal Jfox.Eiamge The reastion on Avengers.He agaisnt them to Attact them.Here comes fireball.Mighty Thor.god of Thunder. Sheild Sucks.Going to happen next. Fined out in the New Avengers. Comes on Tv.
if anyone follows the comics they would know the hammer would win.
Hemsworth is a passable Thor, not a great one. But then, it is quite difficult to show the character of nobility, so clear thru the dialogue of a comic book, when translated into a movie. Hemsworth sounded for all the world, like any 28 year old born in 1992. Mannerisms, his walk, all more indicative of a human being than any Thunder God written in the past 45 years of Thor.
And, theoretically, Thor's hammer should easily shatter any mortal-made shield (although you never saw that in the comic books, either!). I suppose it's Man's way of saying he can make something that even a magical artifact cannot shatter (meaning Man's stuff = (a) God's stuff).
As for Wonder Woman kicking his ass….probably not. C'mon, enough with the rah-rah hyperbole. I've been reading Wonder Woman since 1961 (and Thor) since 1965. Technically, he should win, but comicbookdom being what it is, they'd make it a draw.
I didn't know Whedon was involved, but he does write intelligently, and I would hope he would surpass Branagh's disappointing Thor film. It was entertaining, but Anthony Hopkins is unfit for Odin, with his depressive nature. Odin was ANYthing but depressive, and anyone who's read Thor KNOWS without a shred of doubt that had Thor spoken like that to Odin in the comic book, he'd have been in Valhalla in less time than it takes to blink. It was like watching a human dysfunctional family, what with Loki and Odin both yelling at Odin (who writes this junk?!? No one, in ANY pantheon of the Gods EVER speaks to the Supreme God like that: it was pathetic) as though this was an episode of Dynasty or Dallas. Freakin' stupid.
Lets hope for some actual maturity in the dialogue (and emotions) of the actors when the Avengers movie comes out, although I know that the movies are made to appeal to the 13-25 crowd, who would hardly appreciate the actual Lordly behaviour of Odin as portrayed either thru mythology, or even in the comics. He'd be considered "boring" and we can't have that, can we?
Lets just hope for the best.
i agree with mortal made shield comment, but caps shield is made of a metal not found on earth, the name of it pops up every once in a while in the marvel universe, but it is indestructible as far as anyone knows.
It is called Virbranium and the metal was suppose to come from one of Thor's worlds
Your boring and I’m 30, the movie rocked my world professor know it all
Amen to that
So how do you know that they wouldn’t speak out to the supream god like that, if you look at the bible for the catholic faith some one spoke up to god and defied him because he didn’t like how god ran thing, and what do we call him lusafer, Aka the devil