Joining the ranks of the MCU’s deadliest villains in Thor: Love and Thunder is Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), but there’s a question of how he'll match the power of Hela (Cate Blanchett) and Thanos (Josh Brolin). To some, it would seem that no villain can top the Goddess of Death or the Mad Titan in terms of how they could challenge Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, but there's more to it. In fact, the Gorr the God Butcher could be quite formidable indeed, especially given how Thor is suiting up to fight him in Thor: Love and Thunder. There's a lot to consider, but what Disney have shown of him so far gave rise to genuine concern for the God of Thunder: Is the MCU's Gorr the most powerful foe Thor has faced? And, hypothetically, can Gorr beat Hela and MCU Phase 1-4 antagonist Thanos?
Hela wiped out most of the Asgardians with ease and effortlessly destroy Thor’s prized hammer with a single hand, after all. Even a team-up of Hulk, Thor, Loki, and Valkyrie couldn’t bring her down. Thor had to go as far as allowing the destruction of his ancestral home by Surtur just to finish her off in Thor: Ragnarok. As for the odds on the "can Gorr beat Thanos?" question, there are even more variables. Thanos trashed the Avengers and erased half of the universe. The Mad Titan wielded all six Infinity Stones and walked away mostly unharmed, a feat that nearly killed the Hulk and did kill Iron Man. Even an unprecedented gathering of MCU heroes couldn’t stop Thanos without another snap with the Infinity Gauntlet, which would mean Gorr would have to be able to take on multiple A-tier heroes to be considered on the same level.
Footage from Thor: Love and Thunder indicates that Gorr the God Butcher's powers are likewise very impressive. He's been seen trading blows with Thor, Jane Foster (who has a Mjolnir of her own now), and Valkyrie wielding Zeus's thunderbolt. There's also a shot that appears to show Gorr blowing up a planet, and Thor's new armor is an implied counter to Gorr's immense power too. This makes sense, given that his prey of choice is high-powered immortals. But why is Gorr so powerful? What sets the God Butcher apart from the likes of Hela and Thanos is the unique bond he has with his sentient blade, All-Black the Necrosword – but is Gorr the most powerful MCU Big Bad yet? The blade may not make him definitively more powerful than Hela and Thanos, but it does make him an especially dangerous foe. Here's what Thor is up against in the fight against Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Gorr Is Immensely Powerful In The Comics
Thor: Love and Thunder will necessarily be raising the stakes, as it's Thor's fourth solo movie, and Gorr the God Butcher's staggering power level from the Marvel comics means the MCU Gorr will likely be a heavy hitter as well. In fact, if there’s any villain from the Thor comics who can come close to repeating the struggles they were able to give the God of Thunder onscreen, it’s Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher. The fights he’s endured in Jason Aaron’s Thor comics run are indicative of what Gorr will be capable of in the MCU. Even Gorr's backstory off-panel is full of feats that would make most MCU heroes quake in their boots. But why is Gorr so powerful?
Gorr the God Butcher lives up to his name. After acquiring his signature weapon, All-Black the Necrosword, he travels the universe on a rampage. It's insinuated that he's killed thousands of gods before encountering Thor. When examining Gorr's powers, it’s important to note that the threat he poses to characters like Thor stems primarily from his signature weapon, the Necrosword. He has centuries of combat experience, but not enough natural raw power to hold his own against Thor or the Avengers. However, the power the sword grants him can't be overstated. It's a given that All-Black grants Gorr super-strength on par with the gods he slays (otherwise his battles with Thor and Hercules in the comics would be a bit one-sided). However, the Necrosword has been used to kill not only gods, but Celestials.
Celestials are among the strongest entities in the Marvel canon and sit considerably higher on the power level tier-list than gods. Gorr has also used the weapon to best Galactus, who is typically portrayed as more powerful even than Celestials when they come into direct conflict. The God Butcher doesn't just have combat abilities, either. He's amassed armies of dark minions on more than one occasion. Time travel has also been within his remit in the comics, as Gorr killed a time deity named Chronux and used the dead god's blood to traverse the Time Stream. All in all, Gorr in Marvel Comics is a villain who's considered an Avengers-Level Threat. Considering the trailers for Thor: Love and Thunder appear to show Bale's version fighting Thor, Valkyrie, and Jane Foster at the same time, the MCU Gorr will likely be just as powerful.
The Necrosword Makes Gorr A Match For Hela And Thanos
For all his achievements, it’s only thanks to the Necrosword that Gorr the God Butcher can hold a candle to Hela and Thanos. Without it, Gorr is just an alien of an unnamed race from an unnamed planet. In the comics, at least - the MCU version may change this like it has Gorr's appearance. Armed with All-Black the Necroword, however, Gorr has the means of killing gods. This is a feat that both of the Phase 3 villains have accomplished in the past, but not in the same capacity as the being known as the God Butcher. Without the Infinity Stones, the help of the Black Order, the Asgardian's being weakened by fleeing Hela and the destruction of Asgard, killing gods always took Thanos some difficulty. Aside from the Loki choke, Thanos and gods like Thor have always traded earth-shattering blows fairly evenly. Thor has even killed Thanos. The Mad Titan might have killed gods, but it's not something he can do with a snap of his fingers (except for the one time it was).
Hela has killed more gods on screen. In the MCU, every Asgardian is technically a god. Since Hela almost singlehandedly decimated the population of Asgard, her on-screen god kill count is considerably higher than Thanos's, Infinity Stones notwithstanding. However, the dozens of gods Hela put to waste were mostly Asgardian footsoldiers and unarmed citizens. Yes, she would have easily bested Thor, Valkyrie, and Loki if it weren't for Surtur, but it's also worth remembering Odin kept Hela imprisoned for millennia. Hela is herself a god - a very powerful god, but a god nonetheless, which isn't the statement of absolute power in the MCU that it is in other fictional settings.
The Necrosword might be the source of Gorr's power, but due to the significant degree to which it enhances him, he's a good match for either villain in combat. In fact, there’s a strong chance Gorr would win. The Necrosword has allowed Gorr to butcher thousands of gods in the comics continuity, as well as Celestials and beings like Galactus. It was also created by Knull, the King in Black, and is the first Symbiote. This element has little bearing on the MCU (unless All-Black is setting up a Knull MCU Phase 5 appearance), but does demonstrate just how powerful the Necrosword is. Gorr once beat three different versions of Thor at once, traded blows with the Hulk and lived, and took out Galactus with the Necrosword. Thanos (without the Infinity Gauntlet) is typically depicted as inferior to Galactus, as is Hela, and both have fallen to a singular Thor on multiple occasions.
Gorr Has Thor Wearing His Battle Armor
Another clue that Thor: Love and Thunder will make Gorr the God Butcher's power levels a competitive match for Hela and Thanos is the new armor that Thor is sporting. This blue and yellow outfit, quite different from Thor's previous MCU suits, appears to be a direct adaptation of Thor's Battle Armor from the comics. Traditionally, Thor only breaks out this armor for his toughest foes, with a prime example being his all-powerful sister, Hela. Thor: Love and Thunder's Battle Armor, then, seems to imply that Gorr is more powerful than Hela, or at least that Thor considers him a greater threat. If the events of Thor: Ragnarok weren't enough to warrant using his Battle Armor, Thor must be even more concerned when it comes to taking down Gorr the God Butcher.
The Gods Gorr Might Kill In Thor 4
As his name indicates, Gorr the God Butcher's main goal is killing gods – yet another reason to believe that his power levels will be off the charts in Thor: Love and Thunder. In addition to any Asgardians (Thor included) that could meet their end at Gorr's hand, there's also a high chance that Thor: Love and Thunder will see Gorr take down Olympian gods as well, particularly Russell Crowe's Zeus. The Egyptian pantheon introduced by Disney+'s MCU Moon Knight series could also be on Gorr's hit list – even sweet, endearing cosmic hippo Taweret. As confirmed by Moon Knight head writer Jeremy Slater (via The Direct), a pre-Thor: Love and Thunder reference to Gorr the God Butcher was cut from the Disney+ series.
With the proper introduction of Celestials in The Eternals, there's also the possibility that Gorr could end up killing Arishem the Judge, Jemiah the Analyzer, or another as-yet-unseen cosmic being. This is unlikely, at least during the events of the movie, as this would somewhat negate the awe-inspiring position of MCU Celestials The Eternals set up. However, in the comics, Gorr goes on his god-slaying rampage for millennia. It's not just Gods that need to fear Gorr though, as even the all-powerful Celestials aren't protected against All-Black. The Necrosword has been used to end more than one Celestial by various beings, including Knull. The space-station Knowhere from Guardians of the Galaxy is the inhabited head of a dead Celestial. Marvel could reveal that this unnamed Celestial died at Gorr's hands long before the events of the MCU take place. This is, coincidentally, exactly how Knowhere comes to exist in comics canon, although it is Knull wielding the Necrosword.
There is no shortage of gods for Gorr to kill in the MCU, and more are going to be introduced alongside him. Even killing one god would put Gorr in a similar villain tier as Hela and Thanos, but with a name like "the God Butcher", Gorr won't be stopping at a single deicide. Significantly, Thor: Love and Thunder showed one god Gorr killed already, Falligar, ahead of release. Even before his big-screen debut, it's clear that Gorr the God Butcher is entering the MCU with Thanos-and-Hela-level power, and none of the many pantheons in Marvel's Cinematic Universe are safe.
Gorr Fights Valkyrie (Which Looks Bad For Zeus)
On the subject of gods killed by Gorr in Thor: Love and Thunder, footage from a fight between Gorr and Valkyrie hints that Zeus might not be left standing by the time Thor stops the God Butcher. In the footage, Valkyrie and Gorr are duking it out in Gorr's black-and-white pocket dimension. Gorr is wielding All-Black the Necrosword, but the weapon Valkyrie uses to parry should raise alarm bells for those hoping Zeus will stay in the MCU. She is parrying Gorr's blows with Zeus' golden thunderbolt. This is Zeus' signature weapon and is often depicted as being a source of much of his power. The fact it can deflect the Necrosword is a good indicator of its status as a godly weapon, similar to Mjolnir or Stormbreaker.
It's not likely that Zeus would part with the tool that gives him the strength he needs to rule the Olympians. Unless Valkyrie acquires it by other means, either as a gift from Zeus or by stealing it (The Guardians of the Galaxy are in the movie too, after all), the most logical way she'd find herself with Zeus' lightning bolt is if Zeus is dead. If Gorr does kill Zeus, it shows that he'd probably have no issue besting Thanos or Hela.
Zeus is the ruler of Olympus. He's not as powerful as Odin but fits in a similar power category. He's certainly strong enough to overpower Thor, as shown by the way Zeus utterly humiliates Odinsson in Thor: Love and Thunder, rendered nude and restrained in front of a shocked auditorium. There's no question that Odin is more powerful than Thor, and since Thor killed Thanos it can be assumed that anyone stronger than the God of Thunder would also best the Mad Titan. As for Hela, Odin managed to keep her imprisoned for thousands of years. It took his death for her to dare a return to Asgard. If Zeus is anywhere remotely near as powerful as Odin, Hela would have a tough time taking down the chief Olympian.
Gorr Blows Up A Planet In Thor Love And Thunder
A way to compare that doesn't require any who-beat-who mathematics or calculating how many gods each character has killed on-screen or page is by looking at one terrifying feat Gorr demonstrates in the Thor: Love and Thunder trailers. There is footage that shows Gorr using the Necrosword to blow up an entire planet by striking the ground. This is a power neither Thanos nor Hela possess. Or, if they do, they chose not to use it when doing so would have secured them an easy win. In Avengers: Infinity War, it takes Thanos visible effort to pull a moon into Titan's orbit.
If Thanos were able to blow up Earth he probably would have done so, too. It would have been much easier for the patient Thanos to sift through the wreckage of the planet and find the Infinity Stones than fight the Avengers for them. He's already searched the rest of the universe, after all. As for Hela, she was clearly terrified of the realm-destroying and powerful Surtur when he emerged at the end of Thor: Ragnarok. Hela was perfectly willing to kill pretty much every single Asgardian, so it's a safe bet she wouldn't care that much if Asgard itself was also obliterated. She had ambitions to conquer all the realms and didn't seem the sentimental type. Again, if Hela could destroy planets like Gorr, she would probably have done herself what Surtur did to Asgard.
If Marvel delivers an accurate portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher and the Necrosword in Thor: Love and Thunder, Gorr can easily live up to his ominous title and serve as a comparable match to Hela and Thanos' power levels. As a character who has successfully maintained a killing spree against beings as powerful as gods and taken out Galactus and Celestials, it seems only fitting that the MCU’s Gorr should be Thanos-level or higher. As Thor's fourth solo film, Thor: Love and Thunder has to raise the stakes, and Gorr the God Butcher seems to be the perfect way to do it.
Key Release Dates
-
Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
Release Date:2022-05-06 -
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release Date:2022-07-08 -
captain marvel 2
Release Date:2023-07-28 -
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release Date:2022-11-11 -
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release Date:2023-02-17 -
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release Date:2023-05-05 -
The Marvels
Release Date:2023-11-10 -
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
Release Date:2023-02-17
