Okay, let's be real; this is a stunt and not really that big of a deal. It could be cool if writer Jason Aaron comes up with a good story to explain the change, but in practice it won't amount to much and will probably be reversed in time for a third Thor movie because that's what Marvel always does. The Iron Man in the comics now closely resembles the one on screen, and the same can be said for Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, and Captain America. Or does the introduction of a female Thor mean something is up with Chris Hemsworth? Nikki Finke seems to think Hemsworth isn't so high on returning for anymore sequels, but I'll let her quote speak for itself...
"I think several factors are at work. First, rival Warner Bros/DC Comics plans to include Wonder Woman in its upcoming Justice League movie and then spin her off into her own franchise. Second, so-called women’s movies and women action heroes have taken off at the box office. Third, the first two Thor films starring Chris Hemsworth were always marketed to women. Fourth, I heard Hemsworth wasn’t anxious to go back into that arduous diet and training regimen and subsist primarily on egg whites for Thor 3 or The Avengers 3. Fifth, it’s doubtful that Marvel wanted to cough up the big bucks necessary to keep Hemsworth starring as the franchise title character so here’s a cheap way to reboot the series by changing the leading man into a leading woman."
Interestingly, Wonder Woman is one of the few non-Thor characters who has possessed the power of Mjolnir. Perhaps the basis for a DC vs. Marvel crossover movie? Eh, don't hold your breath. Finke goes on to speculate it has something to do with Thor being an omnisexual or something but that's an angle too silly to be explored. So should we take any of this seriously? Is Marvel really thinking reboot? It does seem like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are edging their way out of the franchise, so why not Hemsworth? He's still under contract for at least one more Thor film and has spoken about his eagerness to do more, so unless things have changed he seems to be in for the long haul...or at least through Avengers 3. Besides, those reasons Finke gave seem kind of silly. Doubtful Hemsworth would give up a lucrative gig like this just because he wants to go on a Haagen Dazs binge. It's far more believable that the notoriously stingy Marvel wouldn't want to pay him for a new contract. What was that Kevin Feige was saying about Iron Man being just like James Bond? Just have somebody else take on the role and keep going?
Thor 3 is being written now by Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle, and should arrive in either 2016 or 2017.
