Why Gorr the God Butcher is Primed to be an Iconic MCU Villain
With Thor: Love and Thunder just around the corner, we discuss why its main antagonist, Gorr the God Butcher, has all the qualities to become an iconic MCU villain.
For the decade-plus-long history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there has always been something intrinsically intriguing about the MCU villain.
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The antagonist of the Marvel Universe is an often maligned subject of these incredible films; with the many performances in the over 25 films delivering receptions that range from adoration to contempt.
A character like Thanos has put Josh Brolin in rare company, with his motivations and execution being on par with some of the very best Marvel characters, with someone like Christopher Eccleston’s Malekith being nearly forgotten.
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James Spader’s Ultron was a menacing, yet inconsistent presence, whereas Michale B. Jordan’s Killmonger is still as poignant and relevant today as he was three years ago.
There is an obsession with how these villains are perceived, how they hold up, and how they are remembered; and the latest antagonist of Marvel’s newest entry is not excused from this same critique.
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Yet, for everything that we know about Christian Bale’s upcoming portrayal in Thor: Love and Thunder, Gorr the God Butcher is shaping up to be an iconic MCU villain.
Like Thanos, one of the key differentiators is motivation; with any good antagonist in every story, there is a sympathy for the plight of the villain.
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Although people didn’t believe in Genocide, there was something to the conservation of resources that Thanos was attempting to enact that we all could understand; and that same kind of sympathy is present in what we know of Gorr’s motivations.
In the source material, Gorr is a heavily religious being who believes that his family’s starvation would be absolved when the Gods decide to intervene and come to their aid; only they never do, and his family dies from their own inability to provide for themselves on a barren wasteland.
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Gorr in the latest Thor: Love and Thunder trailer speaks to a little bit of this plight, as he states the selfishness of Gods; and the reality is, there are three MCU films that tell us why Gorr is right.
Thor, Loki, and most of the Gods we encounter- with Zuess shaping up to be no different- are immensely selfish beings, they care not for lesser life forms, and are careless to protect or provide for them; it is their power that creates an elitist separation from the Gods and the creatures they observe.
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Gorr looks threatening, his performance seems riveting, and his appearance is haunting; but the reason why Gorr the God Butcher is shaping up to be an iconic MCU villain, is because he has a point.
And it will be absolutely fascinating to watch viewers hear the plight of Gorr and have to decide whether or not they believe in his perspective against the selfishness of the deities he is giving a taste of their own medicine.
Source: Marvel Studios
