Disney is not messing around in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s already confirmed that the villain in Thor: Love and Thunder, played by Christian Bale, will be Gorr, the Gods Butcher. If you don’t already tremble just hearing that name, you will learn to fear him.
Christian Bale proves to be the right choice for the role in different ways. First of all, there is the actor’s obvious familiarity with the superhero universe, as he played Batman in Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed trilogy.
So with his experience outside of blockbusters will also be put to good use in Gorr, which has awe-inspiring monologues that only an experienced actor could deliver.
The character was ntroduced in 2013 as a key player in making the God of Thunder unworthy and unable to use Mjölnir. Possessing the Necrosword, a weapon created by the symbiote gods capable of killing gods, Gorr proves to be a worthy opponent to Thor in the physical realm.
However, it is without violence that the villain really affects the Asgardian, playing a key role in making the hero unworthy and consequently unable to wield the Mjölnir.
It is still a mystery how this part of the plot will be carried over to the MCU, as the hammer was destroyed by Hela in Thor: Ragnarok.
Thor: Love and Thunder will undoubtedly go through this storyline, since in the comics, Mjölnir sought out Jane Foster and turned her into the Mighty Thor, which will also occur in the next film with Natalie Portman returning to the role.
The Origin of the God Butcher
Gorr’s first appearance in comics was in the 2012 relaunch of Thor: God of Thunder, a collaboration by screenwriter Jason Aaron and illustrator Esad Ribic. Even though he is one of the most recent threats faced by the God of Thunder, he is already among Thor’s greatest villains.
All of Gorr’s power and hatred come from his tragic past. He was born on an utterly desolate planet, abandoned by the gods. His children and his wife did not survive the hostile conditions on his home planet. He was alone.
One day, while wandering ravaged by grief, Gorr came upon a god who had fallen from the heavens. This angered him deeply. Gods did exist. They just didn’t care enough about his people to help them. Gorr then killed this selfish being and claimed his weapon, the Necrosword. This was the first step to becoming The God Butcher.
The Necrosword and Gorr’s Powers
Gorr didn’t just take possession of any old sword. The Necrosword is one of Marvel’s most powerful weapons. It was forged from the living shadows of the symbiote god Knull, empowered by the blood of a Celestial – those insanely powerful creatures we met in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Before Gorr, he also used the Necrosword to take the lives of gods.
Initially, Gorr did not have any special abilities. But upon becoming the bearer of the Necrosword, he became practically invincible. In addition, the sword gave him super speed, endurance, strength, longevity, an enviable healing factor, and the ability, albeit limited, to manipulate matter.
In addition, he is also an expert in torture – he claimed to have tortured the God of Torture. In fact, in one of his encounters with Thor, Gorr tortured the God of Thunder for about 17 days to discover the location of Asgard.
However, the Necrosword, which gives Gorr more power, also causes addiction. He actually feels the need to kill gods to quench the Necro-Sword’s bloodlust incessantly. Furthermore, most of Gorr’s strength is concentrated in the sword. Should he lose it for any reason, he can be easily defeated.
The Butcher’s Plan
After he got the sword, Gorr dedicated his life to hunting down and killing all the gods. It was not enough to rid his planet of this scum. Gorr decided to destroy them from all existence.
He decided to follow a plan that may have interesting implications for the next movie. In the comics, Gorr chooses to take on three incarnations of Thor from different timelines.
The first Thor is a younger, inexperienced Thor, coming directly from the Viking era. The second is the Thor of the present, who couldn’t carry Mjölnir in the comics because he found himself unworthy. Finally, we have a Thor leading Asgard from a dystopian future where Gorr has taken over everything we know.
The three must team up in the comics to stop Gorr from activating a Divine Bomb (“Godbomb”) capable of erasing all gods from all timelines. I wonder how this time travel will work in the movie.
In Thor: Love and Thunder, we have confirmed the appearance of at least two versions of Thor: our already familiar Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). So who will be the third Thor who will defend the gods?
