It’s highly likely that “Fat Thor” won’t make a return in Thor: Love and Thunder, despite an obvious appeal to bring the version of the Asgardian back. Avengers: Endgame offered a big change for Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder, but that doesn’t mean it will stick. Thor’s weight could be back to normal by the time he appears on the big screen again.

In Avengers: Endgame, Thor was among the group of heroes who tracked Thanos (Josh Brolin) to his new home to get vengeance and retrieve the Infinity Stones. Much to everyone’s disappointment, it was discovered that the Mad Titan destroyed the Stones so that it would be impossible for them to be used again. After Thor killed Thanos for his actions, the Avengers struggled to move on with their lives. Following a five-year time jump, it was revealed that Thor had spiraled downhill and was no longer the Avenger he once was.

Related: Avengers 5 Theory: Thor Will Be The ONLY Original Team Member

After visiting his home in the new Asgard on Earth, Smart Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) found Thor and Korg (Taika Waititi) eating pizza and playing Fortnite. Thor, who had gained a significant amount of weight, had given up on being a hero. It took some convincing before Thor agreed to accompany Hulk and help him undo what Thanos did with the Infinity Stones with time travel. This drastic new look for Thor lasted all the way through to the end of the film, but that doesn’t mean this is the status quo for the God of Thunder.

It's Unknown If Fat Thor Will Return In Love & Thunder

Overweigth Thor sitting on a chair, wearing glasses and seemingly sleeping in Avengers: Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame ended with Thor leaving Asgard and joining up with Star-Lord’s Guardians of the Galaxy for a cosmic adventure. The expectation is that this is where Thor 4 will pick up. Since some of the Guardians may be featured in the movie, he may still be in their company at least for the opening portion. However, there’s no word on if Thor’s appearance will remain the same. Whether or not the weight is gone or not could depend on how much time has passed.

When asked about Fat Thor, Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi didn’t provide a direct answer, but did talk about the “ongoing debate” of how much time will have passed between the events of Endgame and Thor 4. But as long as at least a few months have gone by, it’s perfectly reasonable for Thor to have shed all the extra weight at this point. Waititi also hinted that Fat Thor won’t be in the movie by talking about how they like to “keep changing it up” with Thor, but again, there was no solid confirmation on the direction the film will take.

Fat Thor Was Important To His Endgame Arc (Not His MCU Future)

Fat Thor sits in New Asgard drinking beer in Avengers Endgame (1)

Fat Thor was essential to the character’s Avengers: Endgame story, and the story of the Avengers in general. The time skip in Endgame showed how all six of the original Avengers had been affected by Thanos’ snap and their failure to get the Stones back. Captain America (Chis Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) hadn’t moved on, but were still continuing their activities as Avengers. Bruce Banner had achieved a brand-new transformation that allowed him to retain control of Hulk’s body. A retired Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) was living a quiet and peaceful life with Pepper Potts (Gwneth Paltrow) and their daughter, and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) had take a dark turn as the vigilante swordsman, Ronin. As for Thor, he had taken to lazing around the new Asgard playing video games and drinking alcohol. The point here was to show how each Avenger was profoundly changed by the lives lost in Avengers: Infinity War.

For Thor, the impact it had on his character was filled with meaning. Thor’s MCU story started off with him as a seemingly perfect warrior. His high opinion of himself was clearly reflected by his arrogant attitude in Thor. Though he gained humility in the film, the arrogance remained to an extent. Then Thor: Ragnarok redefined the character by taking away much of what he had. He lost his father, Odin, as well as his hammer, his homeland, and most of his friends. Avengers: Endgame went even further by taking away his respect for himself and stripping away his apparent perfection. In the movie, Thor was forced to face the fact that he had become a failure. That story finally came to an end when Thor traveled pack to the past, and reunited with Frigga (Rene Russo) who died in Thor: The Dark World. Frigga helped Thor realize that though he certainly had failed, it was important that he try to succeed in just being himself.

Related: Thor 4 Theory: How Mjolnir Can Return In Love & Thunder

What Love & Thunder Should Do With Thor Instead

Part of the reason why Fat Thor worked so well for Avengers: Endgame is that it came as a complete surprise. Obviously, repeating that won’t be possible a second time, creating one more reason why Fat Thor needs to be a one-and-done story in the MCU. Instead, Thor: Love and Thunder should do as Taika Waititi discussed and offer another change for the character. It’s important for Thor to continue evolving as his story progresses. If Thor is out adventuring with the Guardians in space, getting into action on a regular basis could easily get him back into fighting shape. But instead of going back to just being the old Thor, the experiences that he’s gone through - across seven Marvel movies, no less - could reveal new sides of his character.

By the end of Endgame, Thor no longer believed that he was meant to be the King of Asgard. Now that he isn’t pursuing his destiny and the future his father wanted for him, Thor could be similar to the version of the character that was featured in Thor: Ragnarok, but a bit different at the same time. Given the success of Ragnarok, the humorous aspect of his personality is sure to return, but his pride as an Asgardian god may have less of a presence. Also, Thor may go through yet another major redesign. Based on his talks with Frigga and his decision to step away from his destiny, his costume may lose all remaining Asgardian elements, with Marvel moving Thor further from his roots and closer to being a space-faring, cosmic adventurer.

Next: Everything We Know About Thor: Love & Thunder

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