‘Avengers: Endgame’: Why the Team Waits for Thor to Approve Captain Marvel’s Plan to Take Down Thanos
Eager Marvel fans waited a full year to see how Avengers: Endgame would see the heroes contend with their most epic defeat. Even though Thanos (Josh Brolin) claimed half the lives in the universes, surely he would pay for his actions. Still, fans didn’t expect a showdown between Thanos and the Avengers quite so early, one which hinged on Thor (Chris Hemsworth).
‘Avengers: Endgame’ shocked fans in its first few minutes
After a brief — and intense — reunion between Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans), the Avengers discover Thanos’ location. Newfound ally Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) suggests they hunt Thanos down. Perhaps he could use the Infinity Stones to undo the damage he caused. Captain America agrees as the heroes discuss their best option.
Of course, the plan doesn’t exactly work out. The Avengers do indeed find Thanos, only to discover he has already destroyed the Infinity Stones. In a moment of vengeance, Thor “goes for the head” and decapitates the villain mid-sentence. The God of Thunder finally gets the chance to avenge Thanos’ attack on the Asgardian people, though it turns out to be futile.
Chris Hemsworth’s Thor faced the most direct failure in ‘Infinity War’
Though some fans might not notice it, there’s an interesting aspect of that scene in which the Avengers decide on their plan. Every hero in the scene carries the trauma of their previous encounter with Thanos. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), for instance, exercises caution, a sensible reaction after he and Hulk lost to Thanos. But the team largely waits for Thor to weigh in.
Even after Captain America — the Avengers’ leader — voices his support for Captain Marvel’s plan, it’s only a go after Thor approves. The moment played well in the film’s marketing. But why does the “strongest Avenger” become the deciding vote? While everyone failed to defeat Thanos, it’s Thor who came closest to stopping him. But he let his pride get in the way.
Thor was so blinded by his desire for revenge — for the deaths of half his people, Heimdall (Idris Elba), and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) — that he let his guard down. Co-director Joe Russo even confirmed this to ComicBook.com. So as the Avenger most crushed by Thanos’ victory, the team trusted Thor to be the one to endorse a more measured approach to try again.
Will Thor and Captain Marvel cross paths in an upcoming MCU movie?
As memorable as Thor and Captain Marvel’s first meeting is, the pair doesn’t really interact much throughout the rest of the movie. While Thor goes on his own personal journey in the rest of the film, Captain Marvel doesn’t swoop in to join the battle until its climax. Still, as she points out in that scene, the Avengers stand a much better chance with her in the fight.
But now that the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has united against a common enemy, all bets are off. With Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord reportedly appearing in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, perhaps Captain Marvel can pop in as well. After all, Captain Marvel 2 hits theaters just a few months later. So perhaps these two cosmic heroes could reunite sometime.
