The 'Avengers 4' Script Even Shocked Thor, So Prepare Yourselves, Marvel Fans

Avengers fans, prepare yourselves. The ending of the most recent installment in the Marvel franchise, Avengers: Infinity War, left viewers stunned and pretty devastated. But in an interview with Esquire published Friday, June 1, Chris Hemsworth said Avengers 4 is "even more shocking" than its predecessor.

Hemsworth, who plays Thor in the films, told the magazine,

"If you were shocked by [Infinity War], I think the second one is even more shocking, for other reasons entirely. That's what kind of blew me away the first time I read both scripts, is how they managed to orchestrate so many different characters but give them each their own separate shot and moments, and have it be elevated and feel fresh and unique - not just like a messy, thrown-together assembly of these guys."

The actor continued,

"The second one, I’m probably even more excited about. Just for people to see. I just think it's another step again. Each step we seem to take with these films, I've loved the fact that there's been growth and evolution, and it continues to surprise people as opposed to sort of flat-lining, which was obviously always a fear—that they'd run out of ideas or run dry of creative excitement. For me, this whole experience has been incredible. In particular the last one."

Hmm, Hemsworth's comments sound a bit... definitive. Could this be the actor hinting that Avengers 4 will indeed be his last Marvel film?

Hemsworth didn't give many details about the upcoming film - which is set to be released on May 3, 2019 - but following Infinity War, which saw the deaths of many beloved characters — including Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther, Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, and Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, along with Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch, Zoe Saldana's Gamora, Heimdall, played by Idris Elba, and Paul Bettany's Vision — some viewers have been wondering which of their favorite heroes will survive Avengers 4.

Hemsworth's co-star, Chris Evans, who plays Captain America, told the New York Times in March that his time as a Marvel superhero would come to an end after the fourth film, saying, "You want to get off the train before they push you off." Hemsworth has also indicated that he is done playing Thor.

The actor told USA Today in January that he is not contractually obligated to play the character beyond Avengers 4, stating, ". . . This is it. I'm done. I won’t be playing the character again." He added:

"It's sort of a scary thought. This really seemed like this never-ending thing. And now it's potentially finishing."

However, in the same interview, Hemsworth seemingly left the door open, and said that he and Thor: Ragnarok director, Taika Waititi had brainstormed some ideas for another installment. "There is a bigger platform now to continue if we want to," Hemsworth said.

As for the heroes who are already gone, they might not be back. In an interview with Buzzfeed in May, one of the film's screenwriters, Christopher Markus, said that while in the comic book the characters were resurrected, the film will be different. He told the publication,

"[Avengers 4] doesn’t do what you think it does. It is a different movie than you think it is. Also…[the deaths are] real. I just want to tell you it's real, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to move on to the next stage of grief."

Still, in the world of superhero movies, it's never safe to assume anything.

Screenwriter Stephen McFeely also said that Marvel's two other upcoming movies, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel, opening in July 2018 and March 2019, respectively, provide clues as to where Avengers 4 is headed. McFeely said, "There's a relationship between them all."

While there are few concrete details available about Avengers 4, if Hemsworth's comments are any indication, the film is sure to contain some surprises.