Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher has Marvel fans divided

The first official trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder has finally been released and, as expected, Marvel fans are poring over every colorful frame. So far they’ve delighted in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Loki tribute and a suspected cameo from The Watcher, but they don’t seem so unanimously keen on Gorr the God Butcher’s.

Played by Christian Bale, the villainous character is set to make his MCU debut when the sequel arrives in theaters on July 8. It became clear that he’d look pretty different to the version we know from Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic’s comics when toys for the movie started popping up across the US. For starters, he looks way more human. He has a nose, doesn’t have tendrils on his head, and the film’s iteration doesn’t appear to be sporting a black cloak, either.

When the teaser surfaced online on Monday, May 23, viewers took to social media to share their thoughts on the character’s aesthetic. Some dug it, some didn’t. Keep scrolling to see what they’ve been saying…

“I remember people telling me to wait and see footage when I complained about Gorr’s design and he looks just as bad as he did in the leaks,” a disappointed fan wrote.

“Man, I don’t care if Gorr has a nose or not, I just really wanted those head tentacles lol. Makes him look more alien and less like a goth on a bad makeup day,” said a second.

“I TAKE EVERYTHING I SAID BACK!!! GORR LOOKS SO MENACING!!!!! I’M LOVING THE BLACK AND WHITE SEQUENCES!!!!” one Twitter user gushed, as another said: “Another example of ‘never judge a character based on an action figure design.’ Love the look of Gorr and the moments with him in this trailer. Already know my boy Christian Bale is gonna kill it. Can’t wait for this movie. #ThorLoveAndThunder.”

“Gorr looking like a monk who lost all his faith and is out for revenge over the gods like omfg he looks terrifying and the way you can already feel a change in tone when he’s on screen,” another tweeted. “Christian Bale is about to eat this role up.”

“A comic accurate CG Gorr the God Butcher would have looked fucking terrible and every one of you knows it, they did the right thing to change the design,” argued someone else.

Directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Love and Thunder is also set to star Akosia Sabet (as Wakandan goddess Bast), Jaimie Alexander (Sif), and Tessa Thompson (as Valkyrie). Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord), Dave Bautista (Drax), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), and Karen Gillan (Nebula), or as we know them best, the Guardians of the Galaxy, round out the supporting cast.

If you don’t have time to rewatch every film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ahead of Thor 4’s release, then jog your memory as to what’s been going down with our breakdown of the MCU timeline.