Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi played up Christian Bale’s villainous role in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Watiti described Bale’s portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher as “very formidable.” He said, “I think personally, he’s probably one of the best villains that’s Marvel’s had in their films.” Despite not offering any concrete details about the character, Waititi added, “He’s very layered.” Thor: Love and Thunder marks the introduction of both Bale and the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Waititi’s comments about Bale’s portrayal of Gorr echo an earlier statement made by the director in a previous interview, where he claimed that “we have probably the best villain that Marvel’s ever had in Christian Bale.” First appearing in 2012’s Thor: God of Thunder #12 by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic, the Gorr of Marvel Comics was born in a dying world with no name. After losing his family, Gorr witnessed a battle between Knull and another ancient god, who Gorr killed upon taking Knull’s blade for himself.
With All-Black the Necrosword at his side, Gorr launched a gruesome campaign throughout the cosmos against any and all godly pantheons he could find. This led to several brutal encounters with Thor across the ages, eventually leaving the God of Thunder unable to wield his enchanted hammer Mjolnir for some time.
Bale, whose career began as a child actor in the 1980s, became nearly synonymous with comic book movies after his portrayal of Bruce Wayne in 2005’s Batman Begins directed by Christopher Nolan. Bale reprised the role for the rest of Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy with 2008’s Dark Knight and 2012’s Dark Knight Rises.
The film will also see the MCU debut of Russell Crowe as the Greek god Zeus, leader of the Olympians. Considering Gorr’s place in Marvel history, Crowe’s Zeus will presumably be arriving as a new ally to Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. Waititi himself described Crowe’s portrayal of the character as having been delivered in “a way you’ve never seen Russell before.”
Waititi went on to praise Crowe’s performance as Zeus. “I consider Russell a friend, and I forget that there are some friends I have who are really incredible at what they do,” Waititi said. “When I was on set with Russell, I was like, ‘Oh shit, that’s right! You’re Russell Crowe! You’re a really amazing actor!”
Fans can experience the horror of Gorr for themselves when Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
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