The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around for a long time and there have been many differing opinions about the franchise throughout that period. But there has been one consensus, and that is that The Avengers are the centerpiece of the MCU. There's no denying it: Earth's Mightiest Heroes are the front-facing heroes of the franchise, and the ones largely responsible for its success.
Where would we be without Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Hulk, or Hawkeye? The same goes for the stars who brought them to life, as Chris Hemsworth, Steve Rogers, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner have been so imperative in ensuring the success of the MCU over time. And even though half of those stars are no longer part of the franchise after the departures of their characters (although one will return in a brand new role), their impact will always be felt.
That said, Marvel fans haven't loved the fact that one of the few remaining original Avengers was recently recast in an MCU project, with many feeling that the original star could have been involved.
MCU fans wanted Chris Hemsworth to voice Thor in Marvel Zombies
Marvel fans are still reeling from the fact that the studio recast the role of Thor for Marvel Zombies. Greg Furman voiced the God of Thunder in the Marvel Animation series, replacing Chris Hemsworth, who has portrayed the character since his MCU introduction in 2011's Thor.
Although it might not have seemed as surprising at first considering that not all MCU stars have reprised their roles in the animated shows, Hemsworth has done so up until this point (voicing Thor in multiple episodes of What If...?), which makes this decision even more surprising, particularly as it marks the first time in the MCU's near two-decade existence that he didn't play the character.
One fan complained that it "doesn't sound right" that Hemsworth nor Mahershala Ali didn't voice their respective MCU characters, while another - who just recently discovered that Hemsworth wasn't involved in the project - expressed their disappointment. Others felt that he should have been included as it simply wasn't necessary to end his consistent streak of voicing the God of Thunder.
There is also another reason as to why fans would have loved to see Hemsworth's iteration of the beloved Avenger in the project and that is the fact that Marvel Zombies finally allowed us the chance to see him go head-to-head with the Scarlet Witch. Thor and Wanda Maximoff are considered two of the most powerful Avengers, but for very different reasons, so the fact that the animated series was able to bring that battle to life was truly awesome. Even better, Elizabeth Olsen voiced Wanda, reprising her role from the live-action MCU movies and Disney Plus shows. If Hemsworth had voiced Thor, it would felt like the ultimate MCU crossover.
That's certainly not to take anything away from Furman, who did a wonderful job recreating Hemsworth's distinct tone for Thor while also adding his own unique twist on it. It was incredibly well done and made for a great performance, but fans couldn't help but wonder why Marvel Studios recast one of their biggest heroes, especially when the star himself is clearly willing to voice the character in animated projects too (What If...? being the obvious example here).
Why didn't Chris Hemsworth return in Marvel Zombies?
Fans' biggest gripe here is that Chris Hemsworth wasn't brought in to voice Thor in Marvel Zombies in spite of being the only actor commonly associated with the character. He has, after all, portrayed him for almost a decade and a half. Furthermore, choosing not to have him voice the character broke a 15-year streak as it marks the first time that he was not the one playing Thor in an MCU project - alternate universe in the Multiverse Saga or not.
Although Marvel has not yet revealed why Hemsworth wasn't involved with the Disney Plus series, the likely reason is Thor's role. Although the God of Thunder has led episodes of What If...?, therefore requiring Hemsworth to voice the character, he had a relatively small role that could be considered supporting at best.
Thor just wasn't one of the main characters, as his backstory revealed that this iteration of the character had been worn down by years of defeats and loss, and even when he staged his comeback, he was defeated by the Scarlet Witch and forced to join her army of the undead.
This would be a similar approach to how Spider-Man featured in both What If...? and Marvel Zombies. Although he did appear quite a bit, he wasn't the main character, and Tom Holland does not reprise the role. It's possible that this is something of a cost-saving measure as the studio wouldn't have to pay their larger-than-life stars for small roles when, in fact, they could have another actor portray a version of them instead.
Meanwhile, scheduling conflicts could have prevented the stars from returning for the animated projects. Although Hemsworth was able to find time for What If...?, things may have changed in the years since, perhaps meaning that he couldn't return for Marvel Zombies. Unless he or Marvel themselves speak up at some point, fans might remain in the dark on that one. And they understandably don't like that.
Thankfully, Hemsworth will return to the live-action world of the MCU when he reprises the role of Thor in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. He's also rumored to be headlining a fifth and final Thor movie.