Chris Hemsworth Explains Thor's New Look

Thor: Ragnarok isn't just the debut of Marvel's badass Valkyrie. Anyone who caught the movie's trailer saw its titular character with a new look: Thor's long, luscious blonde locks are gone. Instead, the Asgardian prodigal son has a short, close buzzcut. But the god of thunder's makeover wasn't just a plot point. Actor Chris Hemsworth explained to Jimmy Kimmel that he had his own reasons for the short hair.

Comicbook.com reports that during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Hemsworth told the host that he insisted on the buzz after dealing with Thor's hair and its upkeep for four films and that quick after-credit scene in Dr. Strange.

"It was partly due to I didn't want to spend two hours in hair and makeup putting a wig on," Hemsworth said to Kimmel.

The short hair shocked longtime Thor fans, who grew accustomed to seeing their dreamy Avenger and his signature look. In the comic book series that the film is based on, Planet Hulk, Thor maintains his long hair, so it was clear a deviation for the movie. The crew cut, which is Hemsworth's go-to look when he's not filming with a wig, isn't the only change. The trailer also revealed that Thor would be without his hammer, Mjolnir. That's a lot of change for audiences to take in.

All of the changes gave Hemsworth a brand-new take on the character. He told Kimmel that he was actually getting bored with Thor, but the hair, Ragnarok's script, and new director Taika Waititi injected some much-needed excitement into the actor.

"Every day was about sort of exploring the unknown and trying something different," Hemsworth said on the show. "And I had gotten pretty bored of myself as that character and so did he [Waititi], there might be a few people out there. So, we thought let's do something different and every day was improvised and a journey into somewhere we haven't been before."

Thor may be into his new short hair, but the other Avengers haven't gotten the chance to chime in (minus Hulk, who also appears in Ragnarok). But with two more Avengers flicks coming, fans will have plenty of opportunities to see how Thor's coworkers feel about his new 'do.