Thor: Love and Thunder will finally unleash Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher, causing problems for Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder and Natalie Portman's Mighty Thor. The anticipation surrounding Gorr's MCU debut has been sky-high, especially after test audiences noted that he's Marvel's best villain ever. As a result, the hype continues for Thor's next great adversary, and marketing also showcased what's in store for this intriguing new addition.
After the villain was notably absent from the film's first teaser, Love and Thunder's marketing team ramped up to showcase the creepy villain. From 4K promo images to a full reveal in the official Thor 4 trailer, Marvel and Disney have already given fans some of the best looks of the next MCU villain, but it's clear that the best is yet to come.
Now, the MCU newcomer has finally broken his silence about joining the interconnected superhero franchise in a new interview.
Christian Bale Addresses Marvel Debut & Thor 4 Role
Christian Bale, who is set to debut as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder, sat down with Total Film, via GamesRadar, to finally talk about his MCU role and his thoughts about playing the sequel's chief villain.
When asked what inspired the actor's take on Gorr beyond the comics, Bale shared that it was "mostly hearing Taika [Waititi, Thor 4 director] thoughts" about the character. The veteran actor continued that his Gorr has a "Nosferatu slight attitude," admitting that he and Waititi "wanted to do a whole dance" involving the villain:
“Mostly hearing Taika’s [Waititi, director] thoughts on it. There’s obviously sort of a Nosferatu slight attitude. Taika and I wanted to do a whole dance, which we didn’t get to do, but we had all this sort of Kate Bush stuff that we worked at. But I think he just realised he was never going to be allowed to put that in the final film."
Bale then revealed that the "most common thing" that he usually stares at was Aphex Twin's music video for "Come To Daddy:"
"I would say that the most common thing I was staring at was the Aphex Twin video of ‘Come To Daddy’. But I don’t even know if that will be in the final film.”
Still, the MCU's Gorr ended up being different from Bale's initial thoughts. Upon googling his character, the Batman Begins actor revealed that he was surprised to find out that the villain "runs around in a G-string all the time." Worried that he was not the right man for the job, Bale shared that Waititi "dispelled any notion" of that:
"You sort of go, ‘I know what he does.’ It’s right there in the name, isn’t it? But I did make the mistake of Googling him and, oh no! [In the comics] he runs around in a G-string all the time. And I thought, ‘They don’t have the right man for that!’ And then Taika quickly dispelled any notions of running around in that. But I always did think what he could do with this in front of a bluescreen – he could chuck on whatever he wants later on.”
When asked if he has any qualms about taking on another comic-book movie role after portraying Batman in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Bale quickly dismissed the notion. The Academy Award-winning actor also pointed out that he had to ask what the MCU was when fans pointed out that he's now part of the interconnected franchise:
“Absolutely not, no. That didn’t even enter into my head at all. I’d read that, and people would go, ‘Oh, look at this! He’s entered the MCU!’ And I’d go, ‘I’ve done what? I haven’t entered shit, thank you very much.’ I’m like, 'The MCU?’ I had to ask what that was.”
Will Christian Bale’s Gorr Survive Thor 4?
Christian Bale is best known for his dedication when it comes to portraying different roles. Recently, images of the actor's transformation into Gorr using a bald cap prosthetic emerged online, solidifying the belief that Bale is willing to do anything to achieve the look. In addition, the actor’s latest comments about his efforts in researching and finding inspiration for his role as Gorr also support that sentiment.
Bale noted that he usually watches Aphex Twin’s “Come To Daddy” music video when trying to find inspiration for Gorr. Given that the aforementioned music video is filled with creepy imagery and disturbing themes, it looks like the Vice and American Psycho actor managed to find the right mix of being a terrifying yet intriguing adversary, as evidenced by Gorr’s design in the film’s trailers.
Bale's remarks also revealed that an extensive collaboration happened between him and Waititi during production. It's safe to assume that the Marvel director showed the actor what the franchise is all about, despite his comments about not knowing what the meaning of the MCU is.
At this point, the exact motivation of Gorr in Thor 4 is still unknown, but Chris Hemsworth said that it is a "truthful" one, and audiences will be able to "understand why he's been tipped over the edge and why he's gone down this path."
Love and Thunder seems poised to showcase an emotional battle between Thor and Gorr that could be similar to other rivalries in the MCU.
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to premiere in theaters on July 8.
