Avengers: Infinity War - The Parallels Between Captain America And Thor
"Notice you've copied my beard."
With one a soldier from the 1940s and the other a literal God from another world, Captain America and Thor don't appear to have a great deal in common.
And yet, in their respective arcs across the MCU - and especially in Avengers: Infinity War - there is a parallel to be drawn between the two, as director Anthony Russo points out on the commentary for the movie.
The Russo bros spent their two Captain America movies stripping away the familiar from Steve Rogers, making him question his entire worldview of who he is, what he stands for, and who he works for, beginning with the dismantling of S.H.I.E.L.D. and ending with him setting down his own shield. Thor: Ragnarok started something similar with its titular character, which the Russos decided to explore further, with Anthony saying:
“One thing that we really responded to about Thor, where he’s left at the end of Ragnarok, is the destruction of Asgard. And we all have a history, obviously, with the Captain America character. I think there’s an interesting connection in that Cap was also a character who lost everything, and there’s something fascinating about exploring these people as you strip away who they are and their built-out identities, and find out what’s left.
“I think we’re going through a very similar process with Thor in this movie, especially with this scene [the opening], where we’re sort of completing the experience that Ragnarok brought to Thor in the sense that we’re taking the rest of everything away from him – everything that remains. He’s starting with nothing after that point, and trying to climb his way back. It’s a very underdog arc, a rousing arc, I think, the road that he follows. Very empathetic.”
Thor does have one of the strongest arcs in Infinity War - arguably the strongest out of the Avengers - and the movie also pairs him and Steve up again, briefly, where they jokingly address their journeys and how much has changed. Thor also gets to hold on to something and show off his Cotati metal fiber-esque muscles, much like Steve in the iconic helicopter scene from Civil War, which is the only parallel that really matters.
And since both are still alive, there should be plenty more to come from both in next year's Avengers 4.