Taika Waititi is making good progress on Natalie Portman’s big return to the MCU – i.e Thor: Love and Thunder – after having reportedly finished a draft of the script. However, he and Marvel have hit a major sticking point on the direction of the film: whether to keep Thor fat or not.
Chatting to Yahoo, Waititi says he and Marvel are having an “ongoing debate” over whether Thicc Thor is going remain chunky or revert back to his swole, pre-Endgame self.
“We’re trying to figure out how long — how many months or years — this is after Endgame, at what point does this take place? I think we always want to keep changing it up with Thor. He’s so interesting when he’s changing all the time.”
One of the biggest surprises in Endgame was the appearance of Thicc Thor because not only was it funny (to a problematic extent), it was a great exploration into the character’s mental state and guilt following his failure to kill Thanos when he had the chance in Infinity War.
Now it’s understandable why Marvel would want Thicc Thor to revert back to his hunky self for Love and Thunder – it’s hard to argue against shirtless scenes featuring Chris Hemsworth after all. But in this case, we’re really hoping Taika Waititi and Marvel decide to keep Thicc Thor the way he is.
Part of why Thor’s physical transformation works in Endgame is because he owns his new bod. By the end of that film, he’s shown that not only is he still perfectly capable of fighting with or without his gut, he’s managed to accept himself as who he is and to not treat his dad bod as a problem.
Character-wise, it’s far more in line with where Thor is at if he kept his belly for Love and Thunder than having him go back to his old swole self. Beyond the film, it’ll also be nice to see a tough superhero who isn’t rocking a six-pack and proud of it, especially if that hero is played by Chris Hemsworth.
It’s hard for fans to relate to a six-foot plus bloke who looks like he was chiseled out of marble by the gods. But a bloke who battles with self-doubt and weight gain? That’s far more grounded and relatable.
So if you’re reading this, Taika Waititi and Marvel, please give Thicc Thor his time in the sun. As great as it is seeing Chris Hemsworth show off his six-pack, he is the curvy superhero we want and need in the MCU.