Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are excited for the release of Thor: Love and Thunder. However, some might wonder who is Gorr The God Butcher, the main villain in the film.
Gorr The God Butcher was created by writer Jason Aaron and artist Esad Ribić for their Thor: God of Thunder run. His first appearance was in Thor: God of Thunder #2 in November 2012 during the Marvel NOW! initiative.
The Thor villain was born on a planet with no name, almost every day on the brink of starvation. He was taught to trust in the gods, but they never answered his prayers. At an early age, his mother and father died, leaving Gorr to fend for himself in the harsh environment. Years later he married Arra and fathered a few children. His partner Area died, along with most of his children, leaving him with only his son Agar. However, Agar later passed.
Stricken with grief after Agar’s death, Gorr gave up hope and outwardly expressed his belief that there were no gods, for which he was exiled by his superstitious people. While wandering the desert praying to die, Gorr witnessed the god Knull and a gold-armored purple-skinned god empowered by the Enigma Force battling.
Gorr was shocked with the realization that gods did exist. He then used the gold-armored god’s All-Black the Necrosword to kill the god. Gorr then vowed to seek vengeance against all gods for never answering his prayers, and set out to kill them all.
Basically, Gorr the God Butcher vows to kill all deities across the cosmos—a crusade that spans a millennia.
Christian Bale will portray the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder. His appearance will differ from Gorr’s comic book appearance, as they sometimes do in the MCU. His comic book look somewhat resembles the look of Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter Universe, this may be why they decided to go a different route in the movie.
To get a sense of Gorr The God Butcher, we recommend reading Aaron’s run of Thor: God of Thunder. Check your local comic book shop for the trade paperback or check out ComiXology Unlimited to read for free.
Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on July 8, 2022. The film was directed by Taika Waititi, who also co-wrote the movie with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. Love and Thunder stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor alongside Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Waititi, Russell Crowe, and Natalie Portman.