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.
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:
“I had seriously conflicted emotions about the physical appearance of Thor. Thor has seen war, death and destruction and as a result he has PTSD. I applaud Marvel for highlighting mental illness, particularly as it relates to veterans, but it could have been treated more sensitively… I had hoped that we were past the point in history where we are allowed to poke fun at fat people.”
Cosmopolitan’s Emily Tannenbaum penned her own piece about the new Thor, writing in part:
“The point they’re trying to make is clear: Thor is plagued by PTSD and mental health issues… But instead of tackling his issues head-on, his fellow team members repeatedly ridiculed and belittled him for his appearance, specifically his weight.”
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.
“As someone who has struggled with weight loss, got bullied here and there in my younger years, and still carries a hefty belly of my own, this movie doesn’t feel like body-shaming to me. If anything, it’s about time we had [a] chunky superhero, and I can only hope that Thor keeps this weight if he’s coming back around in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in the coming years.”
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.
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:
“We wondered, ‘Okay, well, what if he does become a sort of depressive alcoholic?’ And the weight gain was just part and parcel of that state of mind. We didn’t go, like, ‘Let’s chunk him up, it’ll be hilarious’… I think he is the ideal Thor at the end of the movie, and he’s carrying some weight.”
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.
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.