In a surprising take, the star of the acclaimed Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy Christian Bale has revealed that his more recent role as Gorr the God Butcher in Marvel Studios' Thor: Love and Thunder was much easier than playing the Caped Crusader. This comment comes after Bale received praise for his portrayal from the project’s director and his co-stars.
In Thor: Love and Thunder, Bale portrays Gorr the God Butcher, a Marvel character who was introduced in the Thor: God of Thunder #1 comic from 2013 as an avenging force who seeks to destroy all gods, who he saw as evil and not worthy of worship, with the aid of the powerful symbiote weapon All-Black the Necrosword. The fourth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thor franchise did not directly adapt the storyline from the comics, with some parts of Gorr's appearance and origin story changed to more easily fit the medium. Despite this, the character was still presented in the same light, with Bale's performance possibly adding even more depth to the character.
Bale, who was tagged to bring Gorr the God Butcher to life in late 2020, revealed to ScreenRant in a statement that he had an easier time playing the villain in general. Bale explained that part of the reason why playing the villain was easier than portraying Batman was because baddies can have more fun than the heroes. “They do, absolutely. They not only have more fun, but they're easier to play. Because everybody is fascinated with bad guys, right?" Bale said. "The minute the bad guy walks on the screen, no one's looking at the good guy anymore. All eyes go to the bad guy, so it's a much easier acting gig."
The sentiment is one that fans of any comic book media can understand, with many villains outshining heroes despite their dastardly nature. Thor: Love and Thunder, which might be the last in the movie series, certainly did an excellent job of crafting a more sympathetic and even redeemable villain for Bale to sink his teeth into. While a major success, Bale's leading role in the Batman trilogy lacks the complexity and morally grey nature of the Thor villain, possibly contributing to Bale's preference for the more recent role.
Thor: Love and Thunder had the best opening of the franchise and has been praised by many fans, with a focus on Bale's portrayal of the big bad. Bale himself seems grateful for the opportunity and certainly seemed to enjoy the experience, with praise from the director and co-stars reinforcing the feedback from the fans. While the story of Gorr's MCU character is unlikely to return from such a meaningful and heartfelt departure from the mortal coil, the project might influence Bale's acting interests going forward.
Despite the spectacular opening, Thor: Love and Thunder dropped off in the following weeks, with more thorough reviews taking issue with many facets of the film. While there are valid points to be made, the scrutiny seems to be part of a large dissatisfaction with the direction of the MCU's Phase 4 rollout. Whether this air of dissatisfaction can be curbed before Phase 5 commences remains to be seen.
Thor: Love and Thunder is available for streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: ScreenRant