The MCU's Official Fat Thor Name Was Always Much Better

Avengers: Endgame saw Thor go through a major physical transformation, making way for Fat Thor, but his official name was a lot better and less problematic. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first three phases, collectively known as the Infinity Saga, reached their peak with the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which brought major changes to the original Avengers and other well-established characters, and one who went through a surprising and ultimately detrimental change was Thor.

The God of Thunder has had a somewhat complicated history in the MCU, which began in 2011 with his solo movie, and he officially joined the Avengers the following year. His second solo adventure, Thor: The Dark World, left an erroneous impression of him on the audience as he was a very plain character with no development since his first appearance, but it all changed with Thor: Ragnarok. The third Thor solo movie gave the character a personality and sense of humor, positioning him as a new favorite among MCU fans, and while the essence of this new Thor was carried into Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the latter made a big change to him that ended up backfiring: transforming him into Fat Thor.

Thor came very close to killing Thanos in Infinity War when he stabbed him in the chest with Stormbreaker, but the Mad Titan was still able to snap his fingers and wipe out half of life in the universe, famously telling Thor that he “should have gone for the head”. Thor did exactly that at the beginning of Avengers: Endgame, but that wasn’t enough to take away the guilt, and so he fell into a deep depression. Five years later, he was found in New Asgard and he didn’t look like an Asgardian god anymore, as he was out of shape, had long hair and a beard, and spent his days playing video games with Korg. This phase of Thor was named “Fat Thor”, but the official name Marvel gave him is so much better, less harmful, and ultimately more fitting: Bro Thor.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Avengers Endgame

Fat Thor has been quite controversial, with some viewers praising the exploration of depression and PTSD through him and others criticizing it for turning the character into a joke just because of his weight – and clearly, referring to him as “Fat Thor” hasn’t helped at all. As it turns out, the official name for this phase of the God of Thunder isn’t “Fat Thor” but “Bro Thor”, which is a lot more fitting and less controversial. “Bro Thor” is all about Thor’s personality during this transformation, as he’s clearly not the Thor viewers (and the characters) have known for years, and it’s not related to his physical transformation at all. Although Thor stayed as Bro Thor until the end of Avengers: Endgame, he won’t stay as such in Thor: Love and Thunder, as set photos have revealed the God of Thunder is back into his muscular shape, but the story will have to explain why he went through another drastic change – and, most importantly, how his mental health has been impacted by this.

Although the official name of this version of Thor is a lot less problematic than “Fat Thor”, it doesn’t make the flaws of this transformation magically disappear, as the laughs are still rooted in his physical transformation, even if his official name is all about his personality changes. At this point, it’s highly unlikely Fat Thor will be addressed as Bro Thor, but it’s good to know that the official name has nothing to do with his weight.

Next: Thor Theory: Jane Foster Is Behind Fat Thor's Love & Thunder Transformation