Introducing Christian Bale’s Gorr The God Butcher

Get Tickets THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER opens July 8th
The Avengers have had a pretty impressive rogues gallery in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as Eric Killmonger in BLACK PANTHER or Thanos in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and AVENGERS: ENDGAME, most notably. Yet, many of the baddest and, especially, the biggest villains so far have been saved for the God of Thunder to take on. However, when Chris Hemsworth returns to his title role in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, it appears that he will be facing off against his deadliest and most ruthless enemy yet in the form of Gorr the God Butcher.
While that may sound like a nickname that the leader of a heavy metal band might give themselves, it is best to not underestimate that title’s very literal meaning. Gorr is, indeed, a self-motivated assassin of celestial beings, and our beloved Asgardian hero is about to become his next target when the fearsome Marvel Comics character makes his first official transition from the page to the screen when THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER open in AMC Theatres on Friday, July 8, 2022. If you wish to better familiarize yourself with the villain before then, read our guide of all the most essential facts about Gorr the God Butcher below — starting with which comic book movie veteran is playing him.
Christan Bale Plays Gorr
If there is one thing that Marvel Studios has almost always managed to accomplish with stunning perfection is casting the right actor in the right role, which explains why there are so many Academy Award® winners in the franchise. The latest performer of that category to join in on the fun is Christian Bale, who took home the Oscar® for Best Supporting Actor in 2011 for his performance in the sports biopic, THE FIGHTER — which also earned him his first of four nominations, so far. The Welshman is making his MCU debut in 2022 by bringing Gorr the God Butcher to life for the first time in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER.
This is, of course, not the first time that Bale has portrayed a comic book character, as he is best known for portraying none other than the endurable DC titan, Batman, in director Christopher Nolan’s DARK KNIGHT Trilogy. Moviegoers also already know that he is just as good at playing a villain as he is at playing a hero from his brilliantly sinister and astonishingly unhinged performance as Patrick Bateman in AMERICAN PSYCHO — director Mary Harron’s 2000 adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial novel. If he brings at least one ounce of the same attitude he channeled into that role for his portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher, we could be looking at one of the most terrifying Marvel movie villains yet.
Gorr Is An Alien Who Kills Gods
For Gorr, earning the title of “God Butcher” was pretty simple: he kills gods, and does so for no other reason than the fact that he hates them and believes that each and every one of them deserves to die. However, this gray, grim-faced extra-terrestrial being was not always such a powerful force of cosmic vengeance. In fact, there was a time when he was an average, devoutly religious family man.
Created by writer Jason Aaron and illustrator Esad Ribić, Gorr made his Marvel Comics debut in Issue #2 of “Thor: God of Thunder” in 2012. He was born and raised thousands of years ago on a planet that has no given name, but is known for its extremely harsh conditions that, despite plaguing his people for centuries, never caused them to lose faith in the deities they worshiped. Gorr would also keep to his childhood promise to trust in his planet’s gods, until the day he had enough.
After years of unanswered prayers and seeing his entire family die of starvation, illness or the harsh elements of their planet, Gorr would profess that he no longer believed in the divine beings he was taught to trust in, which led to his exile. However, there would come a day that Gorr would regain his belief in godly beings, which was also the day he would swear to rid the universe of them completely and do so with a newfound power.
The Symbiote Gives Gorr Power
While wandering the desert, the lonely, exiled Gorr witnessed something that would change his life forever. An armored warrior empowered by a god of light known as the Enigma Force was in battle with Knull - a godlike being responsible for the creation of the Symbiotes, which Spider-Man fans recognize as what turned the Webslinger’s suit black and turned Eddie Brock into Venom. This even led Gorr to realize that gods do exist, but had neglected his needs throughout his entire life.
This shocking revelation lit a fire within Gorr. When the light warrior asked for his help against the dark enemy, he decided to neglect him and, instead, seized the opportunity to steal the “All-Black,” which is the true original Symbiote, from Knull. Gorr bound himself to the dark presence, with which he manifested a sharp weapon called the Necrosword. He then used it to mercilessly kill the light warrior.
Manifesting weaponry is just one of the many powers Gorr was given after binding to the All-Black. He can also fly, has increased strength and can create life, such as when he manifested a small army of evil creatures called the Black Berserkers. These beasts would assist Gorr in his new life’s purpose to travel through the cosmos and kill every last god he can find.
Gorr’s History With Thor
One god who would prove to be a particular challenge to Gorr was none other than the God of Thunder, Thor, who first encountered the God Butcher around the 9th century, when he was younger and more arrogant — kind of like in his first MCU movie. Thor managed to survive Gorr’s first attack, but incorrectly assumed that he had slayed the enemy. Gorr would then spend the next millennia slaying more celestial beings and planning his revenge against the Asgardian, which involved the creation of the Black Berserkers and building an explosive the size of a moon, which he called the “Godbomb.”
By the next time he crossed paths with Thor, Gorr would gain the ability to travel to all different eras in history after killing every known god of time. He was able to find, torture and enslave a younger Thor, who, thankfully, managed to escape and seek help from his Avengers-era self and an older version of himself called “King Thor.”
Unfortunately, Gorr was able to defeat this holy trinity, but his downfall actually came in the form of clones of his deceased wife, Arra, and son, Agar, that he created with the All-Black. While Gorr would kill his “resurrected” spouse after she compared his behavior to that of a god, “Agar” — who agreed that his father had become the very thing he despised — helped secure his defeat by assisting Avengers-era Thor, who was able to weaken Gorr after absorbing the power of the Godbomb and the Necrosword. Young Thor would then kill Gorr after “Agar” deemed him the “God of Hypocrisy.”
If we were to demand anything from THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, it would be the chance to see an epic stand-off similar to that take place. The trio of Thors from different time periods taking on Gorr would be an especially cool touch. We will just have to see what Christian Bale and director Taika Waititi have in store for the God Butcher’s fate in the MCU when this new blockbuster comes to AMC Theatres in July.
Get Tickets THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER opens July 8th