Thor: Love and Thunder Stars Tease Christian Bale's Complex Turn as Villainous Gorr

Marvel Studios has been rolling out hit after hit with projects like Moon Knight, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Ms. Marvel. Now, they're officially getting ready to release their next big film with Thor: Love and Thunder. The film will bring back Chris Hemsworth as Thor and is set to introduce us to the villainous Gorr the God Butcher, who will be played by Christian Bale. Hemsworth has previously described what it was like working with Bale, calling it "really scary", and now the actor and director Taika Waititi are speaking out on Gorr's complicated backstory. During a recent interview with D23 Magazine (via The Direct), the actor detailed the villains role in the sequel.

"Gorr's backstory involves being wronged by the gods," Waititi reveals. "And a lot of his motivation is getting revenge for these wrongdoings... we really wanted to explore this idea of religion, belief, and what it means to put your faith in a higher power. And because Thor is essentially a god, what does it mean for him to represent these gods?"

"[Gorr is] not a straightforward villain... there's a real complexity to him. It's not black and white, what he's doing. He has a truthful motivation, which I think makes for the most interesting kind of villain. You might not agree with how he's going about it, but you understand why he's been tipped over the edge and why he's gone down this path. It's a really challenging one for Thor, because the set of questions Gorr's posing does hold some truth—but he can't let Gorr destroy the universe in the process. That, I think, makes this a greater dynamic and not as predictable as the straightforward good gut vs. bad guy scenario we've seen before." Hemsworth added.

Marvel Studios describes Thor: Love and Thunder as follows: "The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor's surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance and stop him before it's too late."

The film is being directed by Waititi and will star Chris Hemsworth as the titular character, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster/Mighty Thor, Russell Crowe as Zeus, Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star Lord, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Karen Gillan as Nebula and Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher. In addition to directing, Waititi will also be reprising his role as Korg. Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on July 8th 2022!

What do you think about Gorr the God Butcher? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!