Thor (God of War: Ragnarok)

About

Thor is a character in the upcoming 2022 video game God of War Ragnarök based on the god Thor in Norse mythology. In September 2021, the character's design was revealed with Thor given a bulky body type similar to that of a strongman rather than the lean physique of Thor in Marvel Comics and the MCU, which sparked online debates and memes. Due to the similarities to Fat Thor from Avengers Endgame, the two characters are sometimes associated.

Origin

On September 9th, 2021, God of War: Ragnarok art director Raf Grassetti tweeted^[1] a promotional art for the character Thor from the upcoming video game after the PlayStation Showcase event was held. The artwork depicted Thor as a bulky character with a sizable belly, which contrasted with Thor's recent depictions in media, most notably in Marvel's superhero films in which he is portrayed by Chris Hemsworth. The post received over 11,900 retweets and 135,500 likes in two weeks (shown below).

Within one hour of the post, two threads dedicated to the design were created on 4chan's^[2][3] /v/ board (screenshot shown below, left), with some users praising the design of the character due to its accuracy to Norse mythology while others criticized the design due to Thor appearing obese rather than stocky or buff. On Twitter,^[4] user @lackingsaint posted screenshots of another Twitter user complaining about the character "not looking intimidating like Thor should be." The tweet received over 4,400 retweets and 54,800 likes in two weeks (shown below, right).

Spread

Starting on September 9th, 2021, multiple posts about the design of the character were created, with users generally praising the design and criticizing those opposing the art decision. For example, on September 11th, Twitter^[5] user @Elajjaz made a tweet that received over 450 retweets and 5,900 likes in nine days (shown below, left).

Additionally, the design was humorously compared to various characters and memes. For example, on September 9th, 2021, Twitter^[6] user @tihsehtmi made a CAM ON INGERLAND meme that gained over 410 retweets and 6,300 likes in two weeks (shown below, right).

The design also inspired fan art (examples shown below, center and right). For example, an artwork posted by Twitter^[7] user @Zacarovs on September 13th received over 340 retweets and 2,700 likes in one week (shown below, left).

Related Memes

Fat Thor

Fat Thor refers to numerous references to the character Thor's appearance in 2019 Marvel superhero film Avengers: Endgame. In the film, Thor is portrayed as depressed and over-weight, which has spurred both a series of jokes by those who enjoyed the change and criticism from those who found it insensitive.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References