Thor: Love and Thunder is on the cusp of wrapping up its theatrical run, with the penultimate MCU Phase Four film set to make way for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever later this fall.
Alongside Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness before it, Love and Thunder didn’t quite reach the standards that we’re used to seeing from the MCU, and more than a few have suggested that Christian Bale’s tragically under-utilized turn as Gorr the God Butcher, the film’s antagonist, shoulders part of that blame.
Indeed, Bale brought Gorr, perhaps one of the most sympathetic villains we’ve seen so far, roaring to life with a macabre gravitas that many left wanting more of.
But even if the villain’s screen-time had been doubled, not everyone is convinced that it would’ve upped the film by much; a posse of comic-savvy fans over at r/marvelstudios have suggested that the MCU’s Gorr missed the mark when compared to what he represented in the comics.
One user took to the subreddit to point out how Gorr represents accountability in the comics, noting that those who wield godhood have left far too much to answer for over the course of the timeline, a reality that Gorr reveals to Thor, whose once-proud ego subsequently begins to succumb to self-doubt. This contrasts heavily with Love and Thunder, which sees Gorr get corrupted by the Necrosword and get firmly placed in our eyes as a villain on the wrong side.
One responder added that Love and Thunder‘s premise of Thor experiencing a mid-life crisis would have made the perfect combination with Gorr’s comic book ethos, lamenting what could have been a poignant study of responsibility and redemption.
Thor: Love and Thunder is currently playing in theaters, and is set to arrive on Disney Plus on Sept. 8.