Among the many shocking developments in Avengers: Endgame, Thor's transformation from buff God
of Thunder to depressed dad bod has to rank near the top of the list and while there's
a lot to love about this narrative twist, it's far from perfect.
Here are the three best and worst things about Thick Thor.
Heroes always have their low points, but Thor's is pretty darn low.
He spends the bulk of Infinity War off on his own side quest in the hopes of coming
back with a weapon that could ultimately turn the tide and it almost does, too.
When we get to Endgame, though, Thor isn't just distracted by his own motivations and
plans, he's completely lost his way.
Throughout much of Endgame, "Bro Thor," as Marvel officially labels him in a Blu-ray
featurette, continually makes poor decisions and prioritizes his own needs over everyone
else's.
This is immediately made clear when Rocket and Professor Hulk arrive in New Asgard to
find that the "king" is hiding away playing video games and only interacts with his people
in order to restock on beer.
And what about when he time travels to Asgard with Rocket in order to extract the Aether
from his old flame, Jane Foster?
He crumbles in fear as soon as the rubber hits the road, needing Rocket's tough-guy
pep talk to help him turn a corner.
Which even then, doesn’t work!
"I think I'm having a panic attack."
"Get it together!"
By the time Avengers and Thor: The Dark World rolled around, the one-dimensional aspect
of Thor's character as a musclebound hero was getting old fast.
The early manifestations of the son of Odin were powerful and all, but there just wasn't
much substance there … that is, until director Taika Waititi arrived on the scene.
Thor: Ragnarok reinvigorated the Thor franchise with a humorous energy that thrilled audiences
across the board.
The threequel strips down Thor's story to its emotionally raw underpinnings and provides
the perfect springboard to carry the character through his vengeful mission in Avengers:
Infinity War.
In Endgame, the "Bro Thor" narrative twists the story even further, dragging the Asgardian
to all new lows before ultimately bringing him some long-awaited emotional resolution.
The developments in Thor's story from Ragnarok through Endgame didn't seem possible in the
early days of the second phase of the MCU, and the entire affair stands as a testament
to the inherent potential that the character possesses.
For all of his heroics and character development over the years, Thor really is still a gruff
warrior at his core.
That's why he went off in search of a bigger, badder weapon when Thanos arrived on the scene.
If he could outgun his opponent, he knew he could win by sheer brute force.
But, while his strong-handed approach to life has been instrumental on multiple Earth- and
universe-saving occasions, there's one moment in Endgame that exposes how nasty Thor's belligerent,
competitive attitude can get when he's off duty.
When Rocket and Hulk arrive at Thor's hut, the trio of heroes catch up on the past five
years and discuss future plans while Korg plays Fortnite off to the side.
At one point, Korg informs Thor that "NoobMaster69" is giving him a hard time again, at which
point the God of Thunder grabs his friend's headset and delivers a thundering string of
threats, including literally flying to the person's house and tearing off his arms.
The little spurt of cyberbullying exposes the fact that, while Thor's brazen approach
to life may work out well in the hero department, when it comes to the regular, everyday stuff
he sometimes ends up looking like a bully.
Thor is an alien.
He can fly around the universe using the Bifrost.
The guy survived floating through space until the Guardians of the Galaxy picked him up
in Infinity War.
And yet, over the years he's become one of the most oddly relatable characters in the
MCU.
In spite of the rather exaggerated nature of everything he does, the truth is, Thor
has had some very human struggles over the years, a fact that is on full display during
Endgame.
He'd suffered heartbreak and emotional trauma more than once leading up to the film, but
it's in Endgame that we come face to face with a Thor that is truly relatable.
As he grapples with his emotions, struggles through depression, and faces the consequences
for his actions, it becomes easier than ever to connect with the god on entirely new levels.
On a more practical note, his hefty appearance also creates new frontiers.
Thor's bod opens up a whole new world for cosplayers to connect with their favorite
Avenger without feeling inadequate in the process.
While the Son of Odin is a heavy hitter whether he's sporting a beer gut or not, when you
break it down, all the extra weight and years of inactivity in Endgame do seem to take their
toll on the Asgardian's ability to keep up.
"Thor!"
"Is he asleep?"
Thor is definitely slower this time around.
In fact, Hemsworth filmed scenes with weights on his hands and ankles to change the appearance
of his walk.
He also doesn't make quite as big of a splash in the final battle as he did, say, when he
arrived in Wakanda in Infinity War.
In fact, this time around he finds himself so outmatched by Thanos that he ultimately
needs to be bailed out by the Mjolnir -wielding Steve Rogers.
"Give me that.
You have the little one."
Of course, it's natural that he'd be a bit rusty after taking five years off and packing
on so many pounds.
There's no question that the effects of his new lifestyle ultimately ended up hampering
his battlefield prowess a bit, which is an unfortunate turn for fans of Thor's epic approach
to combat.
For all of the ups and downs the "Bro Thor" character goes through in Endgame, hands down
one of the best things about the entire film is his final decision to join the Guardians
of the Galaxy.
While his presence will be missed on the Avengers, the thought of an overweight, self-confident
Thor, unhampered by responsibilities, traipsing around the cosmos with the Guardians in search
of adventure is the definition of awesome.
The thought that the entire scenario will be overseen in Guardians 3 by the offbeat
genius of director James Gunn makes it that much more appealing.
From adding some muscle to the already impressive team, to his ongoing bickering with Star-Lord
over who's really in charge, the possibilities are tantalizing.
We'll have to wait and see if the "Asgardians of the Galaxy" really will be a full-length
feature affair or if it'll just be a passing nod as Thor heads into the unknown for a fourth
solo film.
Then again, maybe we'll get both.
Here's hoping.
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