How Thor 4’s villain can redefine time travel in the MCU

What will Gorr the God Butcher add to Thor: Love and Thunder? The comic book villain is set to make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the highly anticipated Thor sequel, where he’ll be played by Christian Bale.

All early indications suggest that Bale’s Gorr will bring the same level of viciousness and brutality to the film that the character was known for in the comics though certain rumors also suggest his presence in the MCU may extend beyond Thor: Love and Thunder.

It’s unclear what — if any — lasting impact Gorr’s debut will have across the wider MCU. That said, it’s possible Gorr’s debut could introduce a powerful new way to time travel.

The Theory — In the Marvel comics, Gorr the God Butcher is — as his title suggests — a member of an unknown alien species who embarks on a quest to kill every god in the multiverse. Equipped with a powerful weapon known as All-Black the Necrosword, Gorr proves to be far more deadly and efficient than the God of Thunder — or anyone — expects him to be.

At the center of Gorr’s plot is a device known as the Pool of Forevers, which Gorr uses to travel through time and pick off various gods scattered throughout the timestream. In other words, if his Necrosword is the gun that Gorr uses to kill his targets, the Pool of Forevers is the vehicle that takes him to them. And it could very well appear in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Diving into the Pool of Forevers — In the comics, the Pool of Forevers is a portal created by the Time Gods of Chronux that allows its users to travel freely throughout time. However, the device is hijacked by Gorr after he manages to kill nearly all of the Time Gods. The multiversal villain goes on to use the Pool of Forevers to time travel, killing a different god with each jump through time.

Gorr’s plan takes an interesting turn when he begins using the Pool of Forevers to surprise different gods, pull them out of the timestream, and force them to build something known as the “Godbomb.” Gorr intends to use the Pool of Forevers to deploy the Godbomb, a massive explosive capable of dishing out untold damage and that would result in the death of every divine being in the history of the universe.

Given that Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher is expected to have the same motivations and goals as his comic book counterpart, there’s little reason to believe that Thor: Love and Thunder won’t incorporate elements like the Pool of Forevers into its plot. As a matter of fact, making it capable of multiversal travel might even be how the film explains its rumored use of God of Thunder variants like Throg and King Thor.

The Inverse Analysis — If early rumors are to be believed, Gorr the God Butcher will end up as one of the deadliest villains that the MCU has ever seen. In fact, his god-killing quest could be what spurs the introductions of other Marvel gods in Thor: Love and Thunder, including characters like Russell Crowe’s Zeus.

Now, Thor: Love and Thunder writer-director Taika Waititi could just make Gorr exceptionally good at finding his targets scattered throughout the multiverse, using that to explain how he forces gods like Zeus into the spotlight. But Waititi could also use the Pool of Forevers as Gorr’s method of murder, which would work as both a nod to the character’s comic book story and as a way for Marvel to introduce another means for traveling through time and the multiverse.

Of note: a device like the Pool of Forevers could also come in handy in fighting a time-traveling villain like Kang the Conqueror, whose full-fledged MCU debut is just around the corner.

Thor: Love and Thunder will hit theaters on July 8, 2022.