Ever since it was confirmed that Christian Bale would be playing a villain in Thor: Love and Thunder, fans have been speculating about who he would be. With Disney’s Investor Day, it was finally revealed that he would portray Gorr the God Butcher, the main villain in Thor: God of Thunder Issues #1-12, written by Jason Aaron with art by Esad Ribić, Tom Palmer and Nic Klein. A truly deadly force, Gorr is a villain who left a lasting impression on Thor and comic readers.
Gorr’s Thor Vendetta
Living up to his name, Gorr is a serial killer, and his victims are the gods. For thousands of years, he’s gone from planet to planet, murdering entire pantheons. While Gorr hates all gods, his disdain for Thor is above all the rest. In 839 A.D., Gorr finds himself on Earth, initially killing several Slavic gods. When Thor learns of this, he abandons a battle to investigate, only to be ambushed by Gorr.
While he narrowly escapes, a young Thor hunts down Gorr later on; however, Gorr traps and tortures Thor for seventeen days, which is the longest anyone has survived the God Butcher’s torment. Thankfully, the vikings Thor was fighting alongside come to his aid, and while many are slain, Thor breaks free and attacks Gorr, believing he’s killed him.
This is not the case, with Gorr returning centuries later, stronger than ever. Not only is Thor the only god to escape Gorr’s clutches, but he also inspires the God Butcher to think bigger. After their initial encounter, Gorr realizes mindlessly butchering gods isn’t enough; he needs to make an army to create a universe free of gods. For this, he is thankful for Thor, planning on killing him last so the God of Thunder can see the end of all gods.
Gorr’s History & Weird Venom Connection
Prior to taking on the God Butcher mantle, Gorr faced tragedy after tragedy, suffering from starvation, witnessing monsters kill his mother and wife and loosing his children due to the unforgiving environment. Despite his tribe being so downtrodden, they continue to believe in the gods, which infuriates Gorr.
His people leave him for dead when he proclaims there are no gods and they’re damned if they continue to believe in non-existent prophets. As he welcomes death, two beings fall from the sky, Including Knull — the God of Symbiotes and Lord of the Abyss — and another god in gold armor. The golden god begs for help, which deeply offends Gorr since they have failed to answer the prayers of his loved ones. In the midst of Gorr’s anger, a black substance, which happens to the symbiote known as All-Black, springs from the Knull’s unconscious body, and Gorr proceeds to use it to kill the golden god. From this point on, he dedicates his life to killing every god in existence.
Gorr’s God-Killing Powers
As All-Black latches onto Gorr, it bestows him with several abilities, including flight, heightened durability and increased strength. These powers often give him a leg up on the gods, having gone toe to toe with Thor himself. The All-Black also can shapeshift, specifically molding itself into whatever Gorr can think of. At times it acts as an armor around him, but it can also detach from Gorr, creating Black Berserkers that act like Gorr’s attack dogs. Furthermore, All-Black can trap Gorr’s prey by restraining them in tendril like binds or by hardening around their bodies so they’re immobile, as seen in Issue #10.
Gorr’s Weapons: All-Black the Necrosword
All-Black can also make a number of deadly weapons. Gorr can extend it in the form of sharp tendrils that can pierce through any god’s body, including Thor’s. Sometime he will wield it as a melee weapon, like a sickle or sword. When it is in this form, the All-Black is often known as the Necrosword, and several characters beyond Knull and Gorr have possessed it, including All-Father Thor. There are also other versions of Necroswords, but Gorr is one of the hosts of the original weapon, which is the embodiment of living darkness.
The Death of Gorr
Despite possessing an all-powerful weapon, Gorr is not unbeatable. In Issue #11, Thor dives into the God Bomb, a weapon Gorr was making that would eliminate all gods. While the bomb has been triggered, Thor powers through and destroys it. In doing so, All-Black is transferred to him.
Without All-Black, Gorr is rendered helpless as Thor uses two Mjolnirs and the Necrosword against him, but he survives, barely. While this shows that Gorr, even when stripped of All-Black, is a powerful being, a young Thor gets the last laugh, beheading Gorr with his axe. Thor is the one to kill Gorr, but the God Butcher somewhat played a role in his own death.
Earlier on, Gorr creates a new son from the All-Black, making him technically an extension of himself. This son then saves Thor after Gorr kills his new wife, who is also made from the All-Black. Both the wife and son have started to see Gorr as a god after everything he has done; therefore, Gorr sees himself as a god. Because of this, Gorr sabotages his plans, with his son saving the god who would bring an end to the God Butcher’s reign.
Directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Love and Thunder stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher. The film arrives in theaters Feb. 11, 2022.