Thor vs Gorr: What to Expect from Love and Thunder
Marvel Studios’ upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder unleashes the most sympathetic villain to date
Thor: Love and Thunder will make waves throughout Marvel Studios this Summer, and the reason is because of Gorr the God Butcher.
The MCU villain, Gorr the God Butcher sets a collision course for Marvel’s favorite God, Thor, and it will be fabulous. Gorr is unlike the villains from previous films at Marvel Studios simply because of his motivation.
Early predictions are that this will be THE MOST consequential movie in phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In a recent interview with Fandango, Thor: Love and Thunder director, Taika Waititi called Gorr the “most sympathetic” antagonist in the universe so far.
By looking at the comic book lore it’s easy to see why audiences will fear Gorr and still empathize with his motivation.
Fans will connect strongly with the big bad Villain of Love and Thunder which makes the inevitable Thor v. Gorr war all the more exciting!
But who is Gorr?
Where does he come from?
Why is he called “The God Butcher”?
For those answers, we’ll go back to the bookshelf and into the pages of Marvel Comics. Where it ALL began.
The Marvel Comics Origin of Gorr The God Butcher
Gorr made his debut in Thor: God of Thunder in 2012. Although he was mentioned in Thor: God of Thunder #1 he didn’t make an official appearance for the first time until Thor: God of Thunder #2.
Written by Jason Aaron with art by Esad Ribić, the series is not only one of the Best Thor story arcs of the 2010’s it also helped secure a Best Writer nomination for Aaron at the 2015 Eisner Awards. What makes it stand out is the impact the conflict has on Thor and the unique villain at the heart of the story.
In the Beginning: Creating a Marvel Comics villain unlike any other
Gorr the God Butcher is from a planet without a name. He lived his life near starvation due to the harsh environment. He was devout though and raised to worship his people’s Gods despite the hardship that surrounded him.
Gorr’s Mother and Father died when he was very young leaving Gorr to fend for himself… all alone. Years later Gorr found brief happiness when he married his true love Arra and became a father himself.
His joy was short-lived as most of the children died of starvation and his mate Arra was killed in an earthquake. One by one his loved ones perished leaving Gorr alone again.
Stricken with grief, Gorr publicly denounced all Gods. He was subsequently exiled by his superstitious and God-fearing tribe of people. He was alone. Godless, hopeless… and angry.
While wandering the desert, Gorr stumbled upon real proof that Gods DO EXIST when he witnessed an Elder God named Knull and a gold-armored God fall from the sky.
Gorr was enraged with the fact that the Gods who allowed his loved ones to die actually DO exist. The rage turned to hatred when the gold-armored God begged him for help. Impulsively Gorr grabbed the Elder God Knull’s weapon named All-Black the Necrosword. Wielding the mighty All Black Gorr killed his first God.
In Wielding The symbiotic All Black Necrosword, The God Butcher developed superhuman strength, powers, and agility.
Thor versus Gorr: What to Expect from Love and Thunder
It was then that Gorr vowed to seek vengeance against ALL GODS for never answering his prayers and allowing such suffering upon his family. He devoted his life to killing every God across every plane.
Gorr’s instinctual motivation in becoming The God Butcher grew from a series of personal tragedies he experienced that he blames the GODS for. This is the internal battle that Gorr lost and what set up a chain of events that threatened all of existence.
Unlike Loki, Gorr is lost in his madness and sense of retribution so much so that the only future he plans for is one of destruction.
Pretty deep and scary, right?
Thor: God of Thunder continued for 25 issues (2012-2015). The story explores showdowns with a young Thor, More Symbiotes, and something called the Anti Divinity Armament designed for the eradication of All Gods.
BUT THAT IS A STORY FOR ANOTHER DAY…
“It fell from the sky many years ago, on a world without a name. I picked it up… and butchered my first gods. And then as I stood there, baptized in their blood. A question formed in my simple little brain… I wonder if there are more?”
—Gorr The God Butcher
What’s in store for the Marvel Movies version of The Mighty Thor
Will Gorr’s Comic Book origin story translate to the Silver Screen?
That’s yet to be fully determined. The trailers for Thor: Love and Thunder highlight a fun tone that you’d expect from director Taika Waititi, but there are menacing undertones at play as well.
As the promotion for Thor: Love and Thunder kick off the cast has given hints about what to expect from the movie and Christian Bales’ performance as Gorr.
In an interview with Fandango (see Interview Video below!) Waititi, Chris Hemsworth (Thor), and Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie) spoke in-depth about Bale’s portrayal as Gorr.
Their reactions point toward the awe of sharing a scene with an actor like Bale and the impact Gorr the God Butcher will have on Thor.
The crew reaction to Bale’s Embodiment of Gorr in a Marvel movie.
Chris Hemsworth stated:
“The rest of us would be in our world of improvisation, comedy, and fun. Then he’d (Bale) walk on set, and we’d all look at each other and say, Oh, my God! This is really intense. This is really scary.”
Expanding further upon Gorr’s “truthful motivation”, Hemsworth added:
“That, I think, makes this a greater dynamic and not as predictable as the straightforward good guy vs. bad guy scenario.”
Taika Waititi was quick to add the depth of empathy that surrounds Gorr in Love and Thunder:
“I’d say he’s the most sympathetic villain they’ve had. He’s also tested the highest out of any villain that Marvel’s had.”
Tessa Thomson hit upon Gorr’s Character development as well:
“It’s also this thing that Stan Lee talked about. Which is that your trauma is the thing that makes you both a superhero and a villain. It’s just in the case of a villain it’s unchecked. Your source of pain is what manifests into your villainy, and I think he captures that so well.”
Thor versus Gorr: What to expect from Love and Thunder
In Thor: Love & Thunder, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) goes through a journey of self-discovery following the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. He reluctantly reemerges to stop Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) from destroying all gods.
Thor recruits an all-star stable of Heroes including Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Waititi), and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman/Thor) to face Gorr. The movie also features the Guardians of the Galaxy, Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander), and Zeus (Russell Crowe). Everything is pointing toward this being an Epic and Heartfelt Adventure.
It’s unknown how closely Gorr’s MCU story might differ from his comic book origins but the villain’s arc as an anti-God zealot will play perfectly against Thor’s journey of self-discovery.
Thor: Love and Thunder will premiere in theaters on July 8. Check out the trailer below!
Are you planning on Watching Thor: Love and Thunder?
How do you think Gorr will impact the MCU?
What other Marvel Hero should get some nerd love? The Incredible Hulk? Loki? The Iron Man films?
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER MARVEL-OUS ARTICLES ON COMICS/MOVIES FROM NERD NIGHT NEWS (Deadpool, Moon Knight, and Morbius) – ENJOY!!!
