“Thor 4”: Being a villain is easier than being a hero? Christian Bale, the best Batman, says yes

Eleven years after the debut of “Thor” in theaters, Marvel Studios shows the counterpart of the gods; a role that falls into the hands of Christian Bale as a man who renounces his faith and becomes Gorr, “the butcher of the gods.” And as his name says, every being that receives worship becomes the target of his sword.

Regarding this film, El Comercio participated together with other Latin American media in a round table with Christian Bale; Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor in 2011 for “The Fighter”; and world famous for his work on the Dark Knight trilogy, where he played Batman. In fact, “Thor: Love and Thunder” (“Thor: Love and thunder”) is the first superhero film in which he participates since 2012.

Horror and something else

Ever since Gorr’s appearance was revealed, reactions online have been abysmal; the consensus is that the character seems to be taken from a horror movie, something that contrasts with the film’s proposal: a family adventure with musical touches and romance. Before the consultation of El Comercio, Bale highlights that this mixture of genres is nothing new.

“Tragedy and comedy have always gone hand in hand. And Taika Waititi (the director) is incredibly talented. Look ‘jojo rabbit. You have absolute irony, but incredible sincerity. They go hand in hand. It is an incredibly moving film. I found the same thing in ‘Love and Thunder’. Honestly, Taika had to hold back a lot on his comedy to keep the family vibe, which is what we were aiming for.”, maintained the actor; who also highlighted the emotionality of the film, even considering it “moving”; a unique experience”.

Bale said that he imagined Gorr more as an ethereal, abstract being, rather than a physically imposing villain; but that he was surprised by the need to stay in shape to play it. Coming from him, who has repeatedly changed his appearance to fit his characters, this is not a random comment; but one that accurately reflects his path to becoming the terror of the gods.

The power of a villain

Bale also revealed to the Latin American press that, for him, being a villain is easier than being a hero. Considering he’s played characters on both sides of the moral spectrum, whether it’s the killer Patrick Bateman in “American Psycho” (2000) or Batman himself, he knows what he means.

“Not only is it fun to be a villain, but it’s also a lot easier than being a hero. But people think it’s more difficult. So you get a lot of attention for a lot less effort,” Bale says in a different voice, as if he were the egotistical antagonist in a movie. “Because it’s very difficult to do Chris’ (Hemsworth) job and make a hero interesting, when he’s well-motivated and completely good. Villains…. Human nature fascinates people, right? So you already have people fascinated just by being the bad guy“, held.