Thor 4 set photos tease first look at Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher

Thor 4 is still nine months away from being released, but fans have been given their first proper look at at the movie's villain – Gorr the God Butcher – in new on set images.

UK broadsheet The Daily Mail published a bunch of photographs of Christian Bale's antagonist in his character's full costume.

Bale is currently shooting extra scenes for Thor: Love and Thunder in Malibu, California and, based on the images shown, it appears that director Taika Waititi (and Marvel Studios in general) has mostly retained Gorr's look from the comics.

Check out some of the images, which were also posted to the Thor: Love and Thunder news Twitter fan account, below:

While Gorr is a gray-skinned, near-naked alien whose outfit comprises a black cape and cowl (and underwear) in the comics, the character's live-action iteration seems to differ ever so slightly.

The Daily Mail's images show Bale kitted out in a full light gray costume rather than the more revealing outfit he wears on the page. The former Batman and Machinist star can be seen wearing gray prosthetics and makeup, too, which is a surefire sign that Thor 4 has kept Gorr's traditional appearance outside of his clothing.

It's unclear, though, if this is Gorr's outfit before he comes into possession of the Necrosword – a blade that's powerful enough to kills gods – or once he begins to wield it. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we find out by way of a trailer or official image.

Analysis: who is Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder?

Making his comic book debut in Thor: God of Thunder #1 in January 2013, Gorr is an alien who grew up on a nameless planet constantly beset with environmental calamities, such as drought and earthquakes.

Despite never receiving help from the gods they revere, the planet's inhabitants continue to worship them – Gorr included. When his parents, wife and children die due to various causes, Gorr disowns the gods for not saving his family and is cast out of his tribe as a result.

Gorr, though, soon comes to realize that gods do exist. Witnessing a battle between two gods on his home world, Gorr adopts the 'God Butcher' mantle and vows to kill every god he finds.

Gifted the Necrosword by Knull, the dark elder god who created the symbiotes (the creatures that bonded to Spider-Man, Eddie Brock and Cletus Kasady among others), Gorr travels the cosmos to exact revenge on any god he meets. 

A regular adversary of Thor's, it seems that the upcoming Marvel movie will retain some, if not all, of Gorr's origins story and see him track down Thor, Jane Foster's Mighty Thor, and the other superpowered Asgardians to wipe them from existence.

Thor: Love and Thunder will arrive in theaters on May 6, 2022.

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