Just over a month after the shortest promotional tour in MCU history began, Marvel Studios released the second full trailer for its 29th movie Thor: Love and Thunder. While there was plenty of excitement surrounding Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman’s returns, there was one character who seemingly stole the show: Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher.
After excelling as Bruce Wayne and Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, Bale’s introduction into the MCU came with substantial hype, especially with the news that he’d play Thor 4’s main villain. That anticipation grew exponentially as fans waited to get a first full look at his take on Gorr the God Butcher, with only small teases for his character coming through merchandise such as Funko Pops!.
Now, along with another look at Jane Foster’s jacked Mighty Thor and a nod to The Watcher from What If…?, the second Thor 4 trailer fully fleshed out Bale’s terrifying villain - one who could be one of the MCU's most terrifying new characters. Now, fans are sharing their reactions to the latest MCU antagonist, and it doesn’t appear that they’re disappointed in the slightest.
Fans' Reactions to Christian Bale's MCU Debut
The second full trailer for Marvel Studios' Thor: Love and Thunder delivered the first footage of Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher. Fans were very vocal on Twitter as they shared their reactions following the trailer's debut, most of them being quite positive.
@homoscycle called Bale's Gorr look "actually insane:"
"the look for christian bale in love and thunder is actually insane"
@ceveneightnine described the footage as "terrifying" and already predicts that plenty of characters are about to die in this new Thor sequel:
"christian bale actually looks terrifying in that movie I can’t wait mfs are DYING"
@NonStopAntonio noted the redesign of Gorr, who looks more human-like on screen than he did in the comics.
"Even though I'm not the biggest fan of this look change. He still looks insane and I think Christian Bale is going to kill it! Fuck I cannot wait for this movie!!!!1"
@DthaGod14 kept his thoughts short and sweet by commenting on how "tough" Bale looks as Thor: Love and Thunder's main villain:
"Christian Bale look tough af as the Godbutcher"
@Wick014 couldn't hold back his reaction, calling Thor 4 his "most anticipated Phase 4 MCU film" while complimenting Bale's appearance as Gorr:
"OH. MY. GOD. THIS is why this is, and always has been, my most anticipated Phase 4 MCU film!!!! Christian Bale looks absolutely terrifying!!!!"
@dsub5991 would have preferred that Bale look "a little less humanoid" than he does in the trailer for comic accuracy, but is still excited for Bale's performance in the role:
"I wish Christian Bale as Gorr would’ve looked a little less humanoid to be more comic accurate. Nonetheless, I’m sure Bale will knock this performance out of the park"
@IndyFilmPro called out fans who are complaining about the lack of CGI for Bale in the role:
"Everyone complaining about them not CGI'ing over Christain Bale's performance in Thor is insane. If you're gonna get an actor that talented you better give him the most room to act as possible
@MrShenanigens admitted that he wasn't interested at all in\Thor: Love and Thunder until seeing Bale in the trailer:
"I honestly had ZERO interest in this movie. Now I may see it due to the LEGEND Christian Bale."
The new trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder can be seen below:
Christian Bale Comes In With a Bang
Director Taika Waititi had previously described Gorr the God Butcher as arguably Marvel's best villain to date, as Thor: Love and Thunder inches closer to its release. While that's quite the claim with recent big bads like Josh Brolin's Thanos or Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, the first look at Christian Bale certainly gives him a shot at that title.
Even though he's currently missing the classic tendrils coming out of his head and body, promo art has teased that he'll don his full comics look once Thor 4 debuts in full in just a few weeks. For now, however, the imagery coming from this new trailer shows arguably one of the scariest bad guys Marvel's ever put to screen, especially with most of his footage coming in black & white.
While this probably isn't the last footage that will put Bale's Gorr in the spotlight, it gives fans an idea of what to expect from the MCU's newest Thor villain after Tom Hiddleston's Loki, Christopher Eccleston's Malekith, and Cate Blanchett's Hela. And if early reactions are saying anything, the fans can't wait to see what Bale does with his latest wild role.
Thor: Love and Thunder will debut in theaters on July 8.
