Thor’s New Phase 4 Armor Hints Gorr Is Even More Powerful Than Hela

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is giving Thor new armor in Phase 4, and it hints that Thor: Love and Thunder's villain, Gorr the God Butcher, is more powerful than Hela – but just how powerful is Gorr the God Butcher? For Chris Hemsworth's fourth MCU solo film, Thor will meet possibly his toughest opponent yet in Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher, and this might be indicated by Thor's new suit. As evidenced by the character's name, Gorr has a propensity for slaying all-powerful beings. Thor: Love and Thunder appears to be preparing Thor for Gorr by giving him a brand new armor that teases just how strong his new villain is.

After taking down the likes of Loki and Malekith, Thor: Ragnarok brought Odinson face-to-face with his greatest foe to that point. His secret and villainous sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) emerged from her imprisonment following Odin's death. Thor didn't know of his sister's existence, mainly because Odin feared she'd end up doing exactly what she did when she returned. She immediately made her presence felt by destroying Mjolnir, and her reimagined powerset quickly drew comparisons to Gorr, who is now Thor: Love and Thunder's main villain. Thor followed up facing Hela by battling Thanos multiple times, which collectively pushed him to acquire his Mjolnir replacement, Stormbreaker. Thor is now getting another upgrade in Thor: Love and Thunder. This time, though, his new toy is a shiny gold-plated set of battle armor.

Official footage for Thor: Love and Thunder shows Hemsworth's God of Thunder in a new blue and gold armor. It is reminiscent of a costume from the comics known as Thor's Battle Armor, which was forged for Thor to wear against his strongest opponents. Ironically, the comics had the Battle Armor created as a result of Hela, who cursed Thor to make his bones weak and breakable. Since Thor didn't break out the Battle Armor in Thor: Ragnarok to take on Hela, the decision for him to suit up in it in Thor: Love and Thunder is noteworthy. If Thor's new suit for his first solo Phase 4 outing is the MCU's rendition of his Battle Armor, Marvel is already subtly hinting that Gorr is even more powerful than Hela and Thanos.

Where Is Thor’s Armor? Thor 4’s Confirmed Suits Explained

Thor won't have his new armor throughout the whole movie. Advance Thor: Love and Thunder's footage also shows Thor in several other outfits, some of which aren't even armor. Aside from the MCU's take on Thor's Battle Armor (the blue and gold suit), the trailers also show various younger stages of Thor in his Classic Armor during the opening sequence, Fat Thor in a muscle tank and a trucker hat as he works out, and a rejuvenated, relaxed Thor in casual rock-star attire as he reunites with teammates like Korg and the Guardians of the Galaxy. If the inclusion of Thor's Battle Armor in Thor: Love and Thunder indicates just how powerful of a threat Gorr is, then Thor's other, more laid-back looks also illustrate the newfound contentment and peaceful mentality he's achieved at this point in his arc, with the Classic Armor moments reinforcing just how far he's come.

Jane Foster's Mighty Thor costume, complete with the iconic armor and winged helmet, also makes a key appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder's trailers. Jane's Thor armor also appears notably heavy, including a full-face helmet, further showing that Jane's Thor might be jumping into the superhero arena to face a much more powerful opponent than Thor had in Hela. For those who know Gorr from the comics, one key question that determined how powerful the MCU God Butcher ended up being was this: does Gorr have the Necrosword? Since it's been confirmed Gorr does have his signature weapon in Thor: Love and Thunder, it's possible Thor progresses from clothes to battle armor in response to this immensely powerful, god-slaying blade.

How Powerful Is Gorr The God Butcher?

Thor Love and Thunder Gorr and Hela featured

Gorr the God Butcher wasn't a God or supremely powerful individual at birth like Hela, as his strength came much later. He believed gods didn't exist after prayers for them to help his planet went unanswered, but Gorr later witnessed two deities battling before his eyes. This ended with a symbiote merging with Gorr to create All-Black the Necrosword and killing one of the gods, thus beginning his time as a God butcher. Thor: Love and Thunder is expected to feature Gorr at the height of his power levels, and this should make him a worthy foe for Thor to take on. The footage of Gorr seen so far shows him demonstrating a number of powers and abilities, as well as going toe-to-toe with Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie, possibly all at the same time.

The likelihood of Thor: Love and Thunder's villain being more powerful than Hela could spell more doom for Thor in Phase 4, even if his new armor keeps him alive. Hela's power brought the destruction of Mjolnir and Asgard, the death of Odin and Thor's closest friends, and cost Thor an eye. It should be intriguing then to see what Gorr the God Butcher's immense strength could mean for Thor's well-being and those around him. Gorr is, after all, a villain whose goal is to slay Gods. That means most of the people Thor loves and cares about are potential targets. The Asgardians are already in a vulnerable position trying to rebuild from their enclave of New Asgard on Earth. Hela decimated her own people, but they survived. Gorr is powerful and driven enough to end them entirely, and if Gorr attacks New Asgard, they're in no position to resist. The good news for Odinson is that Thor's Battle Armor should mean he's well-equipped to fight Gorr in Thor: Love and Thunder, especially if he gets any other upgrades.

Thor Needs New Armor Because Of The Necrosword

Gorr's weapon is the Necrosword, both in the Marvel comics and Thor: Love and Thunder. In Thor: Ragnarok, the obsidian blades wielded by Hela were also called Necroswords. It's not known yet if this will be kept as canon or retconned out, as it's possible this designation was just a for-fans easter egg before Gorr or even a fourth Thor movie were confirmed. Hela's blades being Necroswords isn't a plot point in Ragnarok, whereas Gorr's weapon being All Black the Necrosword has been touted as significant in Love and Thunder. However, if they are the same weapon, it could be the reason that Thor needs new armor.

In Thor: Ragnarok, Hela impales soldiers in full Asgardian armor as though they were wearing nothing at all. Not only does this show how powerful Hela is, but it's also a clear sign that Asgardian armor can be penetrated by Hela's Necrosword. If Gorr is wielding the same blade or one made of the same material, Thor's old armor isn't going to be enough. In footage for Thor: Love and Thunder, there's a fight between Thor in his new suit and Gorr wielding the Necrosword. It appears Valkyrie is also present at this fight, wielding one of Zeus's lightning bolts, with which she parries a blow from the Necrosword. It's possible that Olympian craftsmanship is more resistant to the Necrosword, and maybe Thor's new armor is forged by Hephaestus. Hephaestus, the blacksmith of the Olympian gods in Marvel Comics and Greek mythology, hasn't been confirmed for Love and Thunder, but that doesn't mean he won't make an appearance (or forge Thor some new armor off-screen to be presented to the Asgardian God of Thunder by Zeus).

Gorr Blows Up A Planet In Thor: Love And Thunder (Hela Couldn't)

Gorr the God Butcher has already demonstrated his power in the Thor: Love and Thunder trailer. In the footage, he appears to be using All Black the Necrosword to blow up an entire planet. Unless MCU Hela was deliberately trying not to destroy Asgard, she doesn't have this ability. At any point in Thor: Ragnarok she could have decided to flip the board and destroy Agard entirely. She didn't, and she was also fearful of the world-ending Surtur when he emerged. This indicates that the destruction of entire planets is beyond her reach. Gorr doesn't seem to have such limitations. As footage from Thor: Love and Thunder shows, he's very much capable of taking out an entire planet. Ultimately though, this tracks. Hela and Odin enslaved the other realms and their gods but didn't destroy them. It might be that they couldn't. Gorr, however, isn't interested in conquering realms, only butchering Gods. Hela died at the end of Thor: Ragnarok, so she won't cross paths with Gorr, but if she'd survived until Gorr began his rampage in Thor: Love and Thunder she might very well have ended up as just another name on his list of destroyed deities.

More: How Christian Bale's Gorr Will Be Different To Any Other MCU Villain