In Avengers: Endgame, the surviving heroes wrestled with the reality that half of all
beings in the universe had been snapped out of existence.
But that's not all they wrestled with.
Spoilers ahead, folks!
The trauma of the initial snap, plus the revelation that Thanos had reduced the Infinity Stones
to atoms, affects each of Earth's Mightiest in different ways.
Most fans agree that Endgame depicted the range of emotions in an excellent way.
Unfortunately, there has been some serious backlash over how one particular character
and his struggle with grief was portrayed in the film.
That's right: A lot of people are outraged over "fat Thor" in Endgame.
Avengers: Endgame saw the Asgardian god of thunder Thor fight with overwhelming feelings
of failure, for not protecting Hulk, Loki, and Heimdall at the start of Avengers: Infinity
War, and for not killing Thanos when he had the chance to.
Thor's guilt sent him to a dark place mentally and emotionally, and he appeared after the
five-year time jump in Endgame having found comfort in alcohol, Fortnite, and high-calorie
snacks.
"Something I've been roasting in the sun for a number of weeks now.
It's almost ready."
He has a big beer belly, scraggly hair, and a thick beard that would make lumberjacks
jealous.
Most of all, Thor isn't as confident or self-assured as he used to be, though he's still quite
chipper.
Following that big reveal, several jokes are made at Thor's expense throughout Endgame,
with characters poking fun at his robust figure.
They joke that he looks like the Dude from The Big Lebowski, quip that he didn't fall
asleep but actually died in the middle of an important meeting, and jab that he has
Cheez Whiz coursing through his veins.
While some giggled along with the gags, many others found fault with it all, arguing that
"fat Thor" in Avengers: Endgame is problematic, as it encourages audiences to laugh at someone
who exhibits symptoms of depression, alcohol dependence, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Lacey-Jade Christie wrote at The Guardian:
Cosmopolitan's Emily Tannenbaum penned her own piece about the new Thor, writing in part:
Many more took issue with "fat Thor" for a variety of different reasons, but some offered
rebuttals to the outrage.
Slashfilm's Ethan Anderton was one such individual.
He published an opinion piece arguing that Avengers: Endgame actually handles the hero's
personal journey quite well.
In the wake of the backlash and the response to that criticism, Avengers: Endgame screenwriters
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely spoke to Vulture about their vision for Thor's physical
and emotional transformation in the film.
Markus explained that he and McFeely didn't want to put Thor "on a mission of vengeance,"
as that was basically his entire arc in Avengers: Infinity War.
"Bring me Thanos!"
Instead, they wondered what he would look, act, and feel like after facing failure and
losing family and friends.
The screenwriter made it clear that there was no ill intent in having Thor gain weight.
Markus explained:
Hopefully, Marvel Studios can take the feedback to the new Thor and use that to inform the
character's post-Endgame trajectory.
Besides, it's not like Thor is the first character to be the brunt of a few mean-spirited jokes
about his weight.
"I'm muscular."
"Who are you kidding, Quill?
You're one sandwich away from fat."
"Yeah, right."
"It's true.
You have put on weight."
"What?"
Thor seems poised to appear in the third Guardians movie, so maybe he and Quill can both rock
the dad bod while zipping through space.
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