Director Taika Waititi has revealed the hilarious reason for the naked Thor scene in Thor: Love and Thunder. The latest solo effort in the MCU's Thor franchise once again stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson, and brings back fan-favorite Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, now the Mighty Thor, as well as recurring characters, including Tess Thompson's Valkyrie, Waititi's Korg, Jamie Alexander's Lady Sif, and an appearance from the Guardians of the Galaxy to boot. New characters in the franchise include Christian Bale as the main villain, Gorr The God Butcher, and Russell Crowe as Zeus.
Throughout his appearances in the MCU, Hemsworth has continued to refine his physique, similarly to Hugh Jackman when playing Wolverine throughout the X-Men and Wolverine films. However, after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Thor took a turn for the worse and his muscular physique was replaced with a more robust frame, looking decidedly un-Thor-like. The trailers for Thor: Love and Thunder have revealed that Thor has shed his post-Endgame weight by working out and questing with the Guardians of the Galaxy, looking bigger and stronger than he has before.
While doing press for Lightyear (via ComicBook.com), Waititi revealed a hilarious reason for Hemsworth's nude Thor scene in Thor: Love and Thunder, saying that it was something they wanted to do early on. Waititi says the scene in question, which has Crowe's Zeus flicking Thor's clothes off to reveal a nude God of Thunder, was to capitalize on Hemsworth's buff form, as it would've been "a waste" not to show it off. The director jokingly says that it would've been "a crime against humanity" not to provide such a visual treat "for the masses." Read his full comment below:
We all knew we wanted to do it from very early on. That was in the first draft of the script actually and Chris was on board as well. You know, I think you have a body like Chris, like, you know, even he understands. It would be just, it would be a waste to not show it off. It would be a crime against humanity. So, you know, it's, you have to provide for the masses.
Some have criticized the entire "fat Thor" storyline that stemmed from Avengers: Endgame as "fat-shaming," but the journey to get there was not something that was treated lightly. Dealing with the pain and trauma of not killing Thanos when he had the chance, Thor was suffering from severe depression and PTSD, drowning himself in food, alcohol, and distractions, while failing to address his deeper hurt. It's an examination of how an individual (even a god) can spiral into an abnormal state when they don't deal with their internal strife. Hemsworth fought for Thor to keep the weight throughout the film, allowing the character to go through a journey of recovery, rather than simply returning to his natural state with a snap of a finger.
It appears that Thor: Love and Thunder will continue with that aspect of recovery, showing Thor doing the work to get back to his best self, with Hemsworth putting in the work to show it. Superheroes in and of themselves are modeled after Greek gods and thus reflect a physique and stature that's above and beyond the norm. Actors portraying these characters have continued to become living specimens of these larger-than-life superheroes, so it seems a shame not to show off that hard work. Regardless of gender, there's nothing wrong whatsoever with celebrating the human form in whatever state it's in, especially when it's Hemsworth in all his glory.
Source: ComicBook.com
