Christian Bale has been cast as Gorr the God Butcher in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but who is he and what is his backstory?
Casting a figure like Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher in the MCU is enormous. After appearing as Batman in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, the actor has large international popularity among comic book lovers, and his name is also associated with films such as American Psycho, The Machinist, and The Prestige.
His acting achievements make him a suitable addition to Thor saga as the next adversary that the son of Odin and his companions must battle.
Here's all you need to know about Gorr the God Butcher, and why he's more than just a regular villain for the God of Thunder.
The Origins and Story of Gorr the God Butcher
Gorr the God Butcher, created by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribi, first debuted in the January 2015 issue of Thor: God of Thunder #2.
His genesis narrative goes back more than three thousand years to a hard planet where his people try to live while worshipping the Gods.
When Gorr's wife and children die, along with his mother, he has a religious crisis and lashes out against the omnipotent guardians that his people have worshipped for so long.
Gorr is ridiculed for his unconventional ideas and finally plots to exact his vengeance on the Gods via violence. So, when the two of them arrive out of nowhere and fight, Gorr decides to take advantage of the situation by merging with a weapon known as All-Black the Necrosword.
Gorr kills his first God before spending two thousand years inflicting destruction on the universe.
Powers of the God Butcher
Gorr's abilities are directly derived from the Necrosword, which bestows upon its wielder abilities such as immortality and flying.
Marvel Comics symbiotes, like Venom, are also descended from the All-Black weapon. Gorr's Necrosword grants him superhuman skills, and he can summon weapons and armor with his thoughts.
The Necrosword also enables Gorr to regenerate, making him considerably more deadly than the normal adversary Thor may face.
Gorr the God Butcher uses the Necrosword to make copies of his deceased wife and kid to deal with his constant loneliness. The villain also makes his guards, known as the Black Berserkers, defend him from Thor and increase his strength via nasty actions.
The fundamental tragedy of Gorr the God Butcher as a character is that he despises all-powerful Gods and spends his whole life murdering them, yet he is also someone with unfathomable power, particularly given his invention of the Godbomb.
What Could Gorr the God Butcher's Story Be in Thor 4?
It remains to be seen how Waititi would treat Gorr the God Butcher's complicated past in Love and Thunder, as he may introduce Bale in mid-battle or take a more linear approach by traveling far back in time for an origin narrative primer.
As previously stated, smuggled set images have provided fans with their first look at Waititi and Bale's portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher.
Despite advances in computer-generated images and technology, it seems like Marvel Studios is following in the footsteps of characters like Dave Bautista's Drax the Destroyer, Paul Bettany's Vision, and Karen Gillan's Nebula.
Christian Bale may be seen wearing substantial prosthetics, however, this does not rule out the potential of any post-production improvement given by CGI technology.
Whatever the situation may be, and regardless of how Gorr is portrayed on film, the MCU plot will undoubtedly lead to the first encounter between Gorr the God Butcher and Thor.
And, given that the Thor actor will remain in the MCU beyond Phase 4, Love and Thunder may finish with Gorr still alive, setting the framework for another spectacular encounter in the future.
Love and Thunder, with Bale as Gorr the God Butcher, will be a film about classic power battles and innovative narratives.
Thor and Jane have a unique character interaction, and Valkyrie is the first LGBTQ superhero in the MCU. Gorr the God Butcher, on the other hand, exists to murder Gods by whatever means necessary, and he has a very sad past that will make him an extremely nuanced character, at least if Bale uses his full range as a performer.
Waititi, on the other hand, may eventually find for comedy in the darkest parts of the villain's narrative, as the director did in the divisive 2019 film Jojo Rabbit.