Christian Bale Had One Concern About Playing Gorr In Thor: Love And Thunder

Christian Bale cemented his legacy as a notable name in the world of comic book media a while ago. Under the DC banner, he famously portrayed Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, in director Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, carrying on the legacy of previous Batman actors such as Michael Keaton and the late Adam West. However, that DC success hasn't prevented him from switching sides to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe family via "Thor: Love and Thunder." For the Taika Waititi-directed feature, he signed on to play quite the formidable villain: Gorr the God Butcher.

Created by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribić for "Thor: God of Thunder" #2, Gorr lives quite a tragic life. After losing his family and being shunned by his people, he learns the gods he prayed to that he figured weren't real actually exist. Filled with rage over their indifference to his suffering, he takes it upon himself to wipe the universe clean of all deities. Naturally, his Necrosword-wielding crusade puts him on a collision course with Thor himself, leading to some intense clashes. For the most part, it seems that the "Love and Thunder" version of the character will follow a similar course.

Overall, Gorr is an interesting, layered character that could present some fun challenges for an actor to tackle. At the same time, Christian Bale had a major concern about the role that needed some clarification before he could commit.

In an interview with Games Radar, Christian Bale talked about his experience joining the MCU and what went into his Gorr performance. He also revealed his initial worry about the character, or, rather, the wardrobe that came along with it. "I did make the mistake of Googling him and, oh no! [In the comics] he runs around in a G-string all the time. And I thought, 'They don't have the right man for that,'" he said, joking that even though Taika Waititi told him he wouldn't have to wear anything of the sort, the "Thor: Love and Thunder" VFX team could always make some CGI tweaks if they so choose.

Aside from his costume, which covers far more of his body than his comic book counterpart, Marvel Studios' take on Gorr the God Butcher looks vastly different from the source material. Christian Bale's version has a nose, lacks Gorr's signature head tails, and the markings on his head and arms are completely different. One might imagine this would send the MCU fandom into a frenzy, but in reality, the vast majority of responses to the redesign have been positive. Besides, at the end of the day, so long as the stories and performances are entertaining, there's nothing wrong with comic accuracy slipping by the wayside.

"Thor: Love and Thunder" opens on July 8, 2022, and if test audience reactions are of any indication, Christian Bale's fully-clothed Gorr the God Butcher will be a highlight of the movie.