It’s amazing really how many people have had an issue with the ‘fat Thor’ image that was presented in Endgame and decided to comment on it in various ways. Kevin Burwick from MovieWeb at least goes into the short explanation of why Fat Thor was so depressed, and it’s pretty obvious since he failed to kill Thanos in a sudden fit of rage as he buried Stormbreaker into the mad titan’s chest instead. His inability to kill Thanos and stop the Decimation weighed heavily on him, so heavily in fact that not even decapitating Thanos later managed to assuage his feelings of guilt. From that point he went into exile in New Asgard with Korg and Miek, drinking beer, eating, and playing video games as his godly physique eventually turned to fat. People have actually praised the Russo’s for keeping Thor heavy throughout the rest of the movie and making it obvious that he was still battling his inner demons. Had he suddenly been thin again or gone through a training montage to shed the weight it almost seems as though people would riot.
Chris Hemsworth actually defended the character as he thought it was great, considering all that Thor had been through and how he’d responded. After all this was a god that had the chance to save the universe, or half of it at least, and in a fit of well-founded rage struck in a manner that might have been good enough if not for the sheer resilience of his opponent. Thanos was simply too tough to go down with a single blow that wasn’t leveled at his head. While the other heroes obviously suffered from their own bouts of depression and PTSD, Thor had to live with the fact that he could have ended the horror right then and there, but instead fell just short of the goal. The idea that he became depressed because of this wasn’t hard to understand, but the idea that he would go from being a ripped Norse god to a beer-swilling, pot-belled god was a natural progression that a lot of people didn’t seem to get. Quite honestly it would have been a little more insulting if he hadn’t been psychologically broken following the Decimation, as it would have shown a callous side of his nature that would have been nearly unforgivable.
But the idea that Thor was being fat-shamed in this movie and that his character is anything but an accurate representation of his character in the movie is kind of foolish really. Thor was one of those that was hit the hardest by the Decimation, in fact he was hit the hardest of anyone when Thanos and his Black Order came to play since he had to witness the demise of half of his people, his brother Loki, and then had to live with the fact that he’d failed. Among them all he had the most responsibility laid on his shoulders, and the idea that he sought to escape it isn’t exactly holding with what we expect of a hero, but it’s also easy to understand since the weight is enormous, even for a god. But to insinuate that the representation in film and in toy form are anything other than entertainment for the sake of entertainment indicates that those yelling the loudest have bigger problems than the manner in which the MCU decided to handle Thor’s depression. He’s a FICTIONAL character after all, and despite the attributing of very real characteristics to his person, Thor is someone that fades back into Chris Hemsworth when the cameras stop rolling. Abraham Riesman of Vulture points out that even the Russo’s defended this character. His depression and his subsequent fall from grace, and his lack of physical appeal, were not meant to shame or mock anyone, but were instead meant to display just what had happened when he opted to refuse facing reality rather than face the consequences of his actions.
Too many people these days are taking their entertainment far too seriously no matter if the subject material hits close to home. The Infinity War movies were emotional, they were intense, and they were obviously charged with the kind of feelings that a lot of people took to heart. But railing on and on about a movie and then a toy doesn’t seem to be the most rational way to deal with it. The fact that Thor became Fat Thor isn’t a big deal, nor is it a big deal that in the next Thor movie that he might be back to his fit form and ready for another adventure. When you think about it, the idea that any hero gets away without a serious case of PTSD from time to time would be kind of hard to imagine. Their lives are considerably dangerous, they have to deal with people dying, and they face off against some of the most terrifying creatures and villains ever created. Who in the world wouldn’t want to step away now and again?
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