Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher was a highlight of Thor: Love and Thunder, but he was a better fit for another Phase 4 movie. Gorr the God Butcher joined Thor's gallery of important comic villains due to his massive power and ambitious goals. It took three time-displaced Thors to defeat Gorr, and he almost killed all gods in the universe singlehandedly. Undoubtedly, expectations were high before Gorr the God Butcher made his MCU debut.

Although Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher impressed audiences, the Thor: Love and Thunder villain failed to live up to his name. The MCU's Gorr only killed one god in the whole movie, and he only managed to kidnap a group of Asgardian children before Thor and Jane Foster stopped him. Unfortunately, Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder didn't give Gorr enough time to develop the emotional weight of his comic book counterpart, and worst of all, its lighthearted comedy undermined Gorr's terrifying presence in the limited screen time he had. In short, Gorr was the wrong villain for Thor: Love and Thunder, but he could have been a great villain had a different Phase 4 movie done him justice.

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Chloé Zhao's Eternals would have been a more appropriate movie to introduce Gorr the God Butcher, as it falls more in line with Gorr's characterization. Gorr swore to kill all existing gods because his prayers to the gods fell on deaf ears, while the Eternals decided that they would spend the rest of their endless lives ignoring all the catastrophes and tragedies of the mortal world despite having the power to prevent them. Together, Gorr's hatred towards the gods and the Eternals' detached philosophy are a perfect recipe for exciting conflict. Eternals' serious tone and slower pacing would have also given Christian Bale more time to chew the scenery as Gorr, and his terrifying performance wouldn't have been so overshadowed by Taika Waititi's trademark zany comedy.

Eternals Vs. Gorr Battle Would Have Helped Both MCU Movies

Not only could Eternals have helped Gorr the God Butcher, but the villain could have given Eternals a hand as well. Eternals would have portrayed Gorr as a bigger threat had he been the one who killed Ajak, Gilgamesh, and Ikaris, leaving the rest of the Eternals to cope with the fact that a single mortal entity can kill them so easily. Likewise, Gorr would have been an unexpected obstacle in the Celestials' overarching plan, and he would have gotten a taste of victory knowing that he could harm the Celestials, beings higher than gods. Gorr's revenge could have given the Eternals a more dynamic conflict among themselves, with some of them empathizing with Gorr's motivations and others justifying their detachment towards the world. Compared to the Deviants, Gorr the God Butcher seems like a fully-developed villain designed to test the Eternals physically and psychologically.

The Eternals could have also taught Gorr that seemingly invincible beings are from perfect, and that they're capable of making mistakes, feeling regret, and loving each other. Instead of giving up his beliefs and bowing to Eternity at the end of his journey, Gorr could have had chance to realize that gods and fate aren't to blame for tragedies or miracles, all while staying true to his conviction that he would never glorify any higher being. The reveal of the Eternals' true nature would have been triggered by a more surprising character than the Deviants, and both Arishem's arrival and the appearance of Tiamut in the ocean would have been ultimately attributed to Gorr's actions. While Gorr the God Butcher elevated Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder, it's difficult to ignore how much well he gels with Chloé Zhao's Eternals.