Chris Hemsworth has become something like a demi-god over the past two decades. When you spend the better part of your career playing a Norse god in the MCU, that's bound to happen.
But recently, while filming an episode for his new Disney+ series, Limitless, Chris received some startling health news that has forced him to come to grips with his own mortality and consider what the future has in store for him in ways he never imagined.
In one episode, Chris braves the frozen depths of the Arctic Ocean with only a surfboard in tow. In another, he performs a terrifying rope climb that pushes his body to the brink of breaking down. But it's during a brain scan in episode 5, aptly titled "Memory" that has given the MCU star some genuine cause for concern.
Chris' genetic make includes two copies of the gene APOE4 — one given to him from his mother and one from his father. According to a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health, one in four people carry a copy of the gene, but a meager 2 to 3% of the entire population have both. And while this isn't a firm indicator that Chris will at some point contract Alzheimer's, it's a startling revelation to be certain.
Chris' diagnosis makes him 8 to 10 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's as he ages. Although, as he explains in the episode, the news didn't come as a total shock since his grandfather has been living with Alzheimer's for years. Instead of treating this as a death sentence, Chris is instead trying to see the silver lining and find comfort in knowing.
"We all have this belief that we'll figure it out. Then to all of a sudden be told some big indicators are actually pointing to this as the route which is going to happen, the reality of it sinks in. Your own mortality."
While Chris is by no means letting this news rule his life, he admits that it forced him to become more selective with how he spends his time, particularly as it pertains to work. He wants to be remembered as a father and family man — especially if there ever comes a day when he himself can't remember his wife's smile or the names of his children.
