When asked if he preferred playing Thor with long hair or with short hair, Hemsworth was quick to answer, saying:
“Short hair. I like that look with the semi-dreadlock hair and the beard and all that, especially in [‘Endgame’], but that was the most uncomfortable look in the history of anything I’ve done. You’ve got glue on your face and on the beard, and then the wig is glued on. And there’s pins and all sorts of other stuff. It’s an extra hour or two in hair and makeup each day, so it’s nice when we cut Thor’s hair in the third film, because I could just come in, put a bit of makeup on, and walk straight onto the set.”
In Taika Waititi’s 2017 film “Thor: Ragnarok,” the character found himself captured by an alien administrator on a trash planet and forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena. Part of Thor’s incarceration was having his hair cropped short, by none other than Marvel legend Stan Lee. Hemsworth liked that his short hair was easy to maintain. In the original 1960s Marvel Comics, however, Thor always had long hair, and throughout his long history, his Viking-like locks have been a signature part of his look. When Thor returned in 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the filmmakers decided to give him long hair once again, which meant more wigs for Hemsworth. In the Marvel interview, the actor seemed a bit miffed at the notion.
“Love and Thunder” also featured a montage of Thor getting back into fighting shape, slimming down after the events of “Endgame.” Call me kooky, but if being a superpowered demigod still requires regular workouts and exercise, doesn’t that remove the easy power-fantasy appeal of superheroes? One might assume they stay muscular and agile without any effort at all. I suppose that assumption is incorrect.
