It’s no secret that Thor: Love and Thunder is heavily inspired by Jason Aaron’s work on Thor: God of Thunder and Mighty Thor. Both lay the groundwork and serve as the foundation of director Taika Waititi’s second Thor film. In Thor: Goddess of Thunder, we see Jane Foster pick up Mjolnir and become worthy of Thor’s power, leading to her becoming the protector of Midgard, the Mighty Thor. The story of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster becoming a goddess is an incredible ride and something that will be covered soon. Here, we’re going to be focusing on Christian Bale’s character, Gorr the God Butcher.
We’re going to be looking to Marvel Comics for the backstory and motivations for Gorr. In doing so, we might spoil plot points in Thor: Love and Thunder. If you want to walk into Thor 4 completely spoiler-free, consider this your spoiler warning.
Who is Gorr the God Butcher?
Gorr made his comic book debut in Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic’s Thor: God of Thunder #2 in 2013. As we mentioned earlier, Thor: God of Thunder is a massive influence on the upcoming film, and that’s because this Thor run is where we learn everything we need to know about Gorr.
During this story, Thor answers the prayers of a young alien child and helps end the drought on the planet, saving her people. Thor questions why the gods of this world didn’t answer her prayer and soon discover that their gods have been dead for years and taken down by the god killer.
Gorr was an alien that lived on an unknown desolate planet, and he had a hard life. His mother dies defending him from wild animals, and once he grows up, he loses even more. He and his people pray to the gods for help and even give sacrifices to the gods to appease them and save their planet. Like his mother before him, Gorr's wife kept reminding him that the gods would always be there to protect them. Eventually, Gorr loses his wife, children, and everything he holds dear. He concludes that the gods don’t exist. This lack of faith was deemed blasphemous and led to his exile from his tribe.
“My name is Gorr, son of a nameless father, outcast from a forgotten world. I have slain my way through multitudes to stand here at the genesis of all things. Blackened by vengeance, wet with holy blood. One simple dream still strong in my heart... The dream of a godless age.” - Gorr
How Does Gorr the God Butcher Get His Power?
After being exiled, Gorr discovers a battle between two gods. One of which is Knull, the god of the symbiotes. Knull is the creator of both Venom and Carnage, notable Spider-Man villains and main characters of the movie, Venom: Let There Be Carnage. As the gods battle, Gorr is shocked and furious when one of the gods requests his assistance. A god dares to ask a mortal for help, even though they ignore the prayers and sacrifices from his people. Until this point, Gorr was powerless, a mortal who could not interfere in a battle between the gods.
“Help... You? Help YOU!? Where were you!? Where were you when my children were starving!? When my wife was screaming for your help!? When my mother was being butchered like an animal! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN WE NEEDED OUR GODS!?” - Gorr
With Knull unconscious, his armor, the first symbiote, known as All-Black the Necrosword, merges onto Gorr. This newly found power and the confirmation that the gods are real pushes Gorr towards the path of vengeance. If gods exist, why didn’t they answer his prayer? They’re a vain and selfish lot, just like Thor when he’s introduced. Gorr’s goal is to rid the world of gods because they have the power to protect the weak but ultimately are only focused on their desires, leaving the lives of mortals to suffer until they feel like it's worth their time.
How does Thor stop the God Butcher?
Once Gorr receives the All-Black's power, he plans to destroy all of the gods. He loses and seemingly dies at the hands of Thor, but death continues to be a suggestion in the world of comic books. Gorr enslaves Shadrack, the god of bombs, and forces him to make the god bomb's ultimate weapon. A weapon powerful enough to kill all deities throughout all space and time. Gorr wreaks havoc across the universe, and gods are no match for Gorr. Not because he possesses abilities far more extraordinary than their own, but rather because his sheer determination and will are stronger than theirs.
“Even if you kill me and every god in creation, even the mighty Thor. In the end, there will be one god left, won't there, Gorr. YOU!” - Volstagg
In this century-long plan, Gorr was able to remake his family and regain a twisted version of the life he lost. Unfortunately for Gorr, giving life, fighting for the innocent, and feeding his own hubris, means he’s no different from those he sought to destroy.
After more time traveling, Thor from the past, present, and future must work together to stop the God Butcher’s reign of terror. The three Thors have all battled Gorr at different points in their lives and were never able to defeat him. Together, the three still aren’t strong enough. It takes present-day Thor using two Moljnirs and gaining possession of the Necrosword to finally end the God Killer’s rampage and stop the god bomb.
What to Expect from Gorr in Thor: Love and Thunder?
The story of Gorr the Butcher spans thousands of years throughout Thor’s life. It’s a comic book story that also features time travel and sees Gorr fight multiple versions of Thor across history. The film will likely drastically change this and instead will have Gorr battle Valkyrie, Mighty Thor, and Thor Odinson. Christian Bale will be able to make this character his own in the same way Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther) and Josh Brolin (Avengers: Infinity War) delivered inspired takes on Killmonger and Thanos, respectively.
With Thor: Love and Thunder also taking a queue from Thor: Goddess of Thunder, expect the film to take many liberties with Gorr’s story and how he connects to Thor. Especially with Marvel not owning the film rights to Venom and the symbiotes, the All-Black will likely have a completely different name and origin, if it’s referenced at all. Like all MCU projects, the film will draw inspiration from the comics and make something completely new. Captain America: Civil War and its comic book counterpart is a perfect example. Both share similar ideas about the superhuman registration act, but its execution is nothing alike.
Thor: Love and Thunder is bound to be full of surprises, and Bale’s take on the God Butcher is sure to be magical. If you want to check out Gorr’s story and the adventures of the Mighty Thor, we have their respective books linked below. Support your local comic book shops and check out these marvelous stories for yourself.
Check out the stories that inspired Thor: Love and Thunder