The Surprising Twist: How Christian Bale Elevated Thor: Love & Thunder to New Heights After 1 Year!

Summary

Marvel fans think Christian Bale was wasted in Thor: Love and Thunder, with minimal screen time for his character, Gorr the God Butcher.

Bale's portrayal of Gorr in the MCU is widely regarded by fans as the most underutilized. Additionally, other instances of casting that were perceived as wasted involve John Krasinski being Reed Richards, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, and James Spader as Ultron.

A year following its release, fans of Marvel express disappointment in Christian Bale's portrayal in Thor: Love and Thunder. Although the character experienced a resurgence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok in 2017, Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder returned for a film that received mixed reviews. Thor: Love and Thunder did not reach the same level of success as its predecessor, and one of the aspects that could have been improved was Bale's portrayal of the villain, Gorr the God Butcher.

On Twitter, @therealsupes prompted fans to identify one wasted casting from Marvel or DC, and a significant number of responses pointed to Bale's role in Thor: Love and Thunder, with some considering it the most wasted casting in the MCU. While Bale delivered an impressive performance as Gorr, the character was absent from substantial portions of the movie and did not showcase much of his "God Butchering" abilities. Take a look at the original tweet and various responses below:

@therealsupes starts the debate by asking, "what is a wasted marvel/dc casting?"

@ComicLoverMari simply stated "Christian Bale," sharing four photos of the actor as Gorr.

@GeorgeShambira shared an image of Bale as Gorr smiling as he picked up his sword.

@Berger006 thinks Bale's Gorr had "Lots of potential but very minimal screen time."

@Adwm__ maintains that Bale had little screen time while also saying he is "arguably one of the best actors of all time."

@JMorriss96 calls Bale as Gorr the most wasted casting in the MCU.

@Gunnymoney80 shares a GIF featuring Bale's Gorr pointing at the screen in Thor: Love and Thunder, expressing frustration with the topic.

@spongebobsloth strongly criticizes Thor: Love and Thunder, claiming that Bale's talent was squandered in one of the most disappointing comic book films ever made.

Other Superhero Movie Castings Fans Say Were Wasted

Fans continued to express their disappointment regarding the wasted castings in both Marvel and DC movies and shows. One of the frequently mentioned examples was John Krasinski's portrayal of Reed Richards, who only had a brief appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and was quickly killed off by the Scarlet Witch without much challenge. It is also worth noting that Krasinski is not in contention to play the role of Reed Richards in Marvel's Fantastic Four movie, further reinforcing the notion of him being a wasted choice for the character.

Among Marvel fans, there was also disappointment over the underutilization of Bale as Gorr in Thor: Love and Thunder, but several other Marvel actors were also mentioned in the tweet. Cobie Smulders' character, Maria Hill, died in the first episode of Secret Invasion, which was seen as a culmination of her minimal presence in the MCU over the years. This led to her name being repeatedly brought up by fans. Other examples that surfaced included James Spader's one-off portrayal of the villain Ultron, Mads Mikkelsen's portrayal of the uninteresting Kaecilius in Doctor Strange, Karl Urban's portrayal of the minor character Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok, and more.

Willem Dafoe, famous for his role as Spider-Man villain Green Goblin in Sam Raimi's trilogy and the MCU, was also mentioned in the DC universe as Vulko in Aquaman. Similarly, J.K. Simmons disappointed fans with his portrayal of Jim Gordon in the DCEU, as the character only had a brief appearance in 2017's Justice League. Joe Manganiello's casting as Deathstroke in Justice League also received criticism for being wasted, with the character only making a cameo appearance. While there have been other superhero movie castings that fans believe were wasted, none have been mentioned as frequently as the speculation surrounding Bale's potential role as Gorr in Thor: Love and Thunder.