Chris Hemsworth’s New Training Videos Indicate No Fat Thor in Love and Thunder—and Why That’s a Good Thing
When Fat Thor, or Bro Thor, or whatever people like calling him, appeared in Avengers: Endgame, many audiences cringed at first. But as the movie progressed, and especially as he stayed fat even when he overcame much of his depression and found that he was still worthy, audiences started to love him. Fat Battle Thor is a true hero. But at the end of Endgame, though he is still fat, he’s at peace with all of his mistakes and failures. And he’s ready for more change. He gave his throne to Valkyrie and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy. Now, as Chris Hemsworth starts training for Thor: Love and Thunder, it seems Fat Thor might have toned those rolls a bit. And this is a good thing.
From Fat Thor to Abs Upon Abs, Hemsworth is Beefier than Ever for Love and Thunder
Thor’s struggle with depression in Endgame led to a powerful moment. (Image: Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios)
So yes, the Instagram videos are impressive. His six-packs have six-packs. We’ve actually known for a while that we probably wouldn’t see Fat Thor in Love and Thunder since director Taika Waititi pointed out that it was done already. As a character arc, we don’t need to see the unkempt, Fat Thor any longer, even if we do love him. So seeing Hemsworth’s training regimen (for what we can assume is for Thor: Love and Thunder), it certainly seems like his body is ready for the musclebound Thor of old. Still, what does this mean for everyone’s favorite Thorgle (Thor + Girdle)?
Thor’s Fatness Was a Symptom of His Depression, and We Need to See His Recovery
Bro Thor was the lowest Thor ever went—not Fat Thor. (Image: Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios)
Some people are naturally fat. And when a naturally fat person starts suffering from depression, they sometimes start losing a lot of weight. This ends up being dangerous, as people start complimenting them just for losing weight even though they are suffering. And then there are people like Thor. His coping mechanism for his depression was food and alcohol—and a lack of movement, which is a major symptom of depression. As a result, we got Fat Thor. Yet, even after he avenged the world and started healing, we leave him fat but groomed—the first sign of change.
In Love and Thunder, we need to see that he kept working on his mental health, and by working on his mental health, Fat Thor needs to shed some pounds slowly. This doesn’t mean he needs to be completely buff. Actually, it depends on how much time has passed in the MCU. After one year, we should have a Kind of Fat Thor in Love and Thunder. But if it’s been several years, and his time with the Guardians has helped him, then keeping Fat Thor becomes much more gimmick and much less representation of his psyche. That’s not to say that all depressed people need to return to the body they had, fat or skinny.
Cerebral Vs Physical Representation: Fat Thor on his Path to Love and Thunder
Fat Thor can also be a Happy Thor. (Image: Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios)
It is tough to represent psychological healing in a visual form. Novelists have a much easier time, since they can really get into a character’s head. But films have to find other ways to show that healing without a ton of expository dialogue. That’s actually where the bombastic world of superheroes and the MCU can help. Seeing a physical, yet exaggerated, representation of someone with a handle on depression could be inspiring. However, we can only get that exaggerated recovery from a superhero film.
But he should still show imperfections in other ways. Depression and recovery go well beyond the size of one’s stomach. In fact, sometimes, the recovery process becomes a harmful coping mechanism (because depression is evil like that). In fact, that toxic coping mechanism can be exercise.
Hey, maybe instead of Fat Thor in Love and Thunder, we get Broke Thor. He’s developed a bad shopping habit as a coping mechanism. Or Needy Thor. He’s trying to be so helpful as a Guardian of the Galaxy that his teammates are just sick of his niceness. Or Social Thor. What does a social media addiction look like on a galactic scale? Regardless, let’s let Fat Thor progress into Thor’s next stage of recovery.
(Featured Image: Avengers: Endgame)
Roman Colombo finished his MFA in 2010 and now teaches writing and graphic novel literature at various Philadelphia colleges. His first novel, Trading Saints for Sinners, was published in 2014. He's currently working on his next novel and hoping to find an agent soon.
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