THOR'S AWESOME INFINITY WAR ARC STARTED IN RAGNAROK

Avengers: Infinity War picks up Thor's story directly from where Thor: Ragnarok left off. Thor has taken his rightful place as king, reconciled with his brother, and now seeks to establish a new Asgard for his people. Then Thanos happens, and after already losing so much, Thor has everything taken away again. When he's discovered floating in space by the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor knows he must seek out and kill Thanos - not for revenge, but to prevent others from suffering as he has. It's a distinction earned in Ragnarok, where Thor began his quest to defeat Hela out of revenge before ultimately recognizing that, as king, the fate of his people is what's most important.

From there, Thor travels to Nidavellir, accompanied by Rocket and Groot, where he forges a new weapon capable of killing Thanos - a mighty and powerful ax, Stormbreaker. All three return to Earth, coming to the Avengers' aide in their battle with Thanos' forces in Wakanda. But when Thor gets his chance to land the killing blow, he only wounds Thanos, wanting Thanos to know who killed him rather than just finishing the job. It's a moment of weakness in which Thor lets his pride get the better of him, and it gives Thanos the victory. But Thor's Infinity War arc is far from over, and though he's faltered here, Ragnarok already proved Thor's capable of learning from his mistakes - and not killing Thanos is sure to be mistake he won't make again.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH FINALLY GOT WHAT HE WANTED FROM THOR

The role of Thor is what made Chris Hemsworth a star, but after playing the role in four films, Hemsworth began to get "a bit bored." Thor's character hadn't evolved much over those four movies, and come Age of Ultron, it was clear Hemsworth no longer had the enthusiasm for playing him as he once did and he seemed ready to leave - like other MCU stars- as soon as his contract was up. Thor needing shaking up - not just for the franchise's sake, but for Hemsworth's.

Already committed to a third Thor film, Hemsworth discussed with producer Kevin Feige what he wanted most from the experience. It came down to was this - he wanted Thor to be funny. Both Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man had proven there was a market for superhero action-comedies, and thanks to his roles in Vacation and Ghostbusters, Hemsworth had proven he had the comedic talent to carry his own. So Ragnarok let Thor be funny, and the result is a movie in which Hemsworth has more fun playing the God of Thunder than ever before.

Ragnarok also filmed in Hemsworth's native Australia, which along with allowing Hemsworth to play a funnier Thor, made the whole experience a more positive one. Now, Hemsworth's enthusiasm for the character is renewed, and though his contract with Marvel ends after Avengers 4, it'd be easier now than before to convince the actor to re-sign for more movies.

This makes Thor a better character, but it also gave Hemsworth a box office hit where his talents were a key factor. His non-Marvel efforts - Red Dawn, Blackhat, Huntsman, In the Heart of the Sea - have been mixed at best, making it unclear if his power really did come from the hammer. Thor: Ragnarokdisputed that, and now his future looks decidedly brighter, with a headline role in Bad Times at the El Royale and the Men in Black reboot currently shooting.

THE THOR FRANCHISE NOW HAS THE BEST FUTURE

After Avengers 4, the future of the MCU is unclear. Only Spider-Man: Far From Home and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have been announced for Phase 4, but one remains a shared property with Sony (and therefore beholden to more than just Marvel's whims) while the other is in crisis following writer-director James Gunn's firing. Elsewhere in the MCU, neither Iron Man nor Captain America are expected to have major roles after Avengers 4 as both Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evan's contracts are up and both have expressed interest in moving on. Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner are all thought to have more films on their contract beyond Avengers 4, but only Johansson's Black Widow has received any serious discussion of receiving a solo movie.

This leaves Thor as the only legacy character left to lead the MCU into Phase 4 and beyond. There aren't yet any official plans for a Thor 4, but Ragnarok and Infinity War have certainly renewed interest in the character and made it all the more likely another Thor film will happen. Additionally, the new characters in Thor's franchise like Valkyrie and Korg quickly became fan favorites, and having expanded the cosmic side of the MCU in Ragnarok, Thor 4 could explore even more of the cosmos(especially given Asgard's destruction). Hemsworth has said he's game for Thor 4 were it to happen, and even Waititi has expressed interest in returning - a first for any Thor director (and he's already had meetings with Marvel about another project).

And while it's safe to assume that many of the MCU's newcomers - Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, etc. - will comprise the core Avengers going forward, Thor is the most likely to return and fight alongside them. Prior to Ragnarokand Infinity War, it would have been unthinkable to place the future of the shared universe on his shoulders, but Thor's franchise now holds the most potential, making him an obvious choice to be at the center of Marvel's Phase 4.