Robert Downey Jr says he disagrees with Chris Hemsworth’s criticism of Thor

Actors have starred in the Avengers franchise together

Robert Downey Jr has said he doesn’t agree with Chris Hemsworth’s criticisms of his lines in Thor.

The 40-year-old Australian, who’s led the Marvel franchise as the titular superhero – based on the Norse god – since 2011’s Thor, returned for the fourth instalment, Love and Thunder, in 2022.

However, he said he felt like a “security guard for the team”, felt others had “cooler” lines, and had let fans down with his performance in the movie in an interview for Vanity Fair.

But Iron Man star Downey Jr who starred with Hemsworth in the Avengers franchise doesn’t agree. As part of the same interview, the actor shared why he felt Thor had “the most complex psyche” out of all of the superhero group.

“First off, Thor as a character was super tricky to adapt—lots of implied limitations—but he and Ken Branagh figured out how to transcend, make him somehow relatable but godlike,” he said.

“Hemsworth is, in my opinion, the most complex psyche out of all us Avengers. He’s got wit and gravitas, but also such restraint, fire, and gentleness.”

The comments come after Hemsworth admitted that he felt like a spare part on set.

“Sometimes I felt like a security guard for the team,” he said. “I would read everyone else’s lines, and go, ‘Oh, they got way cooler stuff. They’re having more fun. What’s my character doing?’

Hemsworth said he felt like a security guard for the team (Getty Images)

“It was always about, ‘You’ve got the wig on. You’ve got the muscles. You’ve got the costume. Where’s the lighting?’ Yeah, I’m part of this big thing, but I’m probably pretty replaceable.”

Directed by Taika Waititi, who took over the film series with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, the action comedy welcomed back Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Thor’s ex-girlfriend. Together, the two must defeat Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), before he succeeds in slaying all the gods.

While the film was mostly well-received by critics and fans – it currently sits at 76 per cent on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes – Hemsworth can’t shake the feeling that he “didn’t stick the landing”.

“I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself,” he said.