Endgame's 'Fat Thor' Almost Had 'Even More Jeff Bridges' Vibes - But Will He Return?

Although "Avengers: Endgame" was widely considered an impressive conclusion to 11 years of world-building, one issue divided fans. This controversy stemmed directly from Chris Hemsworth's Thor, the God who had his thunder stolen, and the significant transformation that resulted from this event. Dubbed "Fat Thor" by fans following the film's release, viewers either were all for Odinson putting on a few pounds or outraged by the change, saying that the King of Asgard's weight gain was nothing more than a visual gag that quickly outstayed its welcome.

Those who approved of Thor's image change also supported Hemsworth's hammer-wielding portrayal and his uncanny likeness to The Dude (played by Jeff Bridges) from "The Big Lebowski." Even super-smart, sharp-tongued Avenger Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) refers to him as such in the film. As it turns out, this character direction had been under consideration right from the start. Thor was always going to abide by the Dude's image, and as revealed by Marvel concept designer Wesley Burt, there were requests to make Thor even more similar to the bathrobe-clad rebel.

In 2020, Wesley Burt took to Twitter, splashing out his stunning concept designs for "Avengers: Endgame," including Thor post-Snap. The images, showing Thor still missing an eye following his battle with Hela in "Thor: Ragnarok," provided great insight into how closely the film aligned with Burt's concepts and what else was asked of him. He described it as "a wild experience to imagine his journey and emotional state at the time, as even 'Ragnarok' had barely begun filming yet, but I needed to embed the 5+ years of loss and PTSD. Also, crocs."

There's no doubt Burt succeeded in his goal, but not before being asked to take a few rug strands from Jeff Bridges' legendary alter-ego and show what Thor could look like if he went full-Dude. After a fan pointed out that Thor was aligning with Bridges' character, Burt replied with more Lebowski-themed concept work, saying, "Oh, it can get even more Jeff Bridges... there was a request to bring in the full homage as a pass." However, as great as it was to see Hemsworth not looking as marble cut as he had in previous films, some fans were disappointed when Thor returned to his original form in his follow-up solo outing.

While there was an outcry that saw "Fat Thor" as a negative aspect of "Avengers: Endgame," there was no doubt that the film ended with the Norse God King reclaiming his self-worth, regardless of what kind of shape he was in. There was even an obvious chance for him to revert to his former glory before taking on Thanos a second time, but having armor adapt to his new physique was a detail that said so much. He was okay where he was and where he was going. It's understandable, then, that his quick shift back to his original muscular form may have undercut the personal journey that he experienced prior to this weight loss.

In the build-up to the "Love and Thunder," it seemed that the idea for Thor to hit the weights again was a decision its director Taika Waititi was adamant to apply. As much as Hemsworth enjoyed handling the role and the character in "Endgame," Waititi revealed on an Instagram live party, "We haven't figured that out, but I feel like that's done."

However, given the reception of "Thor: Love and Thunder," which earned the lowest critic rating in the "Thor" series on Rotten Tomatoes, and feedback that it was "too silly" – a critique acknowledged by Hemsworth himself – could Thor's future involve a return to his former form?

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly following the release of "Extraction 2," Chris Hemsworth admitted that he knows he may have to throw the hammer down permanently if audiences aren't concerned about him picking it up again. "I don't want to continue to do it until people are so exhausted that they roll their eyes when they see me come on the screen as that character," Hemsworth revealed. There's no doubt he still has a fondness for the (second) strongest Avenger. "I've loved being able to reinvent that character a few times," the actor added, being the Avenger now with the most solo films to date. "I don't have the answer yet, but I would love to try and [figure out] how we can do that again and keep it a little unpredictable."

While we get that keeping the strike of lightning fresh for audiences is a priority, reverting back to a former version of Thor wouldn't be a bad idea if handled appropriately. Thor's journey in "Endgame" was hindered by jokes that didn't need to be present, which made some fans' responses warranted. With that in mind, could the next installment reunite us with Thor, who is now a surrogate father following "Love and Thunder," and present the more relaxed, chilled version of the character we briefly encountered in "Endgame"? Perhaps, he could finally face off with a foe with whom he still has unfinished business. NoobMaster69, we're waiting for you.