In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, actress Tessa Thompson confirmed that Christian Bale plays the villain in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Tessa Thompson confirms Christian Bale is playing the villain in 'Thor: Love and Thunder' ⚡️
(via @etnow | https://t.co/LVjtA7yO86) pic.twitter.com/wDanMHFM5L
— Fandom (@getFANDOM) March 6, 2020
We’ve known for some time that Bale was joining the third Thor film, and We Got This Covered reported last month that Bale would be playing an “intergalactic villain.” Thompson’s comment, however, marks the first confirmation from a member of the cast that Bale does indeed play the villain.
The Hollywood Reporter has previously speculated that Bale may play an ally to the God of Thunder, like Beta Ray Bill or Balder the Brave, or a newer villain in the comics, such as Dario Agger or Gorr, the God Butcher.
While there is still no confirmation as to who Bale will play, we can likely rule out Balder the Brave or Beta Ray Bill unless Marvel sees Bale’s character as sticking around in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for some time. (Beta Ray Bill, although a frequent Thor ally, began his run in the comics as an adversary.)
We Got This Covered has previously reported that Gorr, the God Butcher would appear in the film and all signs seem to be indicating that Gorr is indeed Bale’s character. Gorr is a non-humanoid alien who has made it his mission to kill all of the universe’s gods after his faith was shattered following the deaths of his wife and children. Thankfully, Bale has plenty of experience channeling vengeance from his time in the Dark Knight trilogy.
The fourth film in the Thor franchise sees Thor: Ragnarok director Taiki Waititi return after infusing the series with a much more laid-back, fun tone. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will reprise their roles as Thor and Valkyrie respectively, while Natalie Portman returns to the MCU as Jane Foster for the first time since 2013’s Thor: The Dark World.
Love and Thunder is said to draw inspiration from Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman’s comics run on The Mighty Thor, in which Foster inherits the powers of Thor and is able to wield the legendary hammer, Mjolnir. With Valkyrie anointed the new leader of a diasporic Asgard and Thor somewhat adrift after the events of Avengers: Endgame, it will be interesting to see how Bale’s villain and Portman’s new Thor factor into the story.
Thor: Love and Thunder is due out November 5, 2021.
