Supervillain Origins: Gorr the God Butcher

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're exploring the origins of the supervillain, Gorr the God Butcher. Before he makes his live-action debut in "Thor: Love and Thunder," we'll look at how one becomes a slayer of gods. Is there a villain you'd like to see menace the MCU? Let us know in the comments below! This was made in collaboration with COVRPRICE.com, the ultimate online resource for comic collectors! Want to know what comics are trending or what your collection is worth? Check below for the link and visit them today. Do you love Venom, but he's not nihilistic or violent enough for you? You're in luck! We present to you, Gorr the God Butcher! While natural disasters were unfortunately common on his rough planet, basic resources like food and drink were scarce. In this hopeless environment, Gorr served as the provider for his family. And one thing that kept him going was his wife’s assurance that their gods would hear their prayers and deliver salvation. Sadly, no divine beings ever came to their aid. Over time, Gorr loses every single member of his family to either starvation, illness or the harsh elements. Enraged, Gorr takes this as proof that the gods his family prayed to are not real. He was quickly exiled for his sacrilegious views. Just when it seemed Gorr would expire alone, a chance encounter changed everything. While struggling alone, he witnessed a powerful diety fighting the dark godlike being Knull. If this name doesn’t sound familiar, one of his creations might. He was responsible for symbiotes like Venom. Before introducing a bunch of those aliens to the galaxy, Knull created a powerful symbiotic weapon known as the All-Black. The variable symbiote can turn into items like swords and armor while granting its user great power. Knull quickly showed how effective the weapon was by defeating one of the celestials that brought light to his dark realm. Ironically, the deceased head of Knull’s enemy eventually became a lively planet known as Knowhere. While the dark god continued his war against other deities, he crashed on Gorr's home planet and was seriously injured while battling a rival god of light. Seeing Knull and his enemy proved to be eye opening for the alien who suffered so much. Gorr saw that godlike beings had existed throughout his life but neglected he and his family's prayers. He was so enraged that when the light warrior asked for help, he seized the opportunity to steal the All-Black from Knull. Now bonded with a weapon of living darkness, Gorr formed a dagger from the symbiote and assassinated the god of light. He immediately flew off his planet with the help of the All-Black. Long after Gorr first takes flight, a young and cocky Thor is celebrating a victory over ice giants on Earth. Suddenly, the remains of a god are discovered nearby. Thor initially dismisses the villagers' concerns and assures them no force could be a match for him. But that turned out to be a bit of an arrogant statement. In 893 AD, the youthful Thor and some Vikings went out to battle a group of Slavic warriors who called upon their gods to defend them. The Slavs (slawvs)) are psyched to see the winged steed of Perun (pair-ROON), the Slavic god of storms. They are less psyched to discover the animal has no rider. Thor looks past the red flags and discovers both another deceased god and Gorr the god butcher. Despite putting up a good fight, the Asgardian can’t overpower his twisted enemy. In a move of desperation, he summons thunder to separate them at the last second. An injured Thor wakes up after resting for days and immediately goes after Gorr again. Unfortunately, the Asgardian doesn’t like what he finds. Gorr puts Thor in chains and hurts the god for days. Just when the god of thunder is about to crack, a group of warriors show up to give him some much needed backup. Thor rallies and picks up his axe to end Gorr once and for all. Initially, the Asgardian believed he’d slain the butcher. But Thor made the exact same mistake that he’d made in “Infinity War”. Unfortunately, Gorr survived their encounter and started scheming about how he’d get his revenge on the Asgardian and all the other gods of the cosmos. His greatest gambit would become clear in the present day. While the Avenger-era Thor was visiting an alien planet to bestow rain and water on a ravaged people, he discovered their gods had been slain. The Asgardian soon realizes that Gorr is behind it. Thor follows a trail of tormented and deceased gods to try and find the butcher. In the future, an old Thor vows to die a God's death on a decimated Asgard surrounded by Gorr’s minions. But the cruel enemy refuses to let the Asgardian die. To make matters worse, Gorr assassinates all the gods of time and becomes able to reach into different eras. The sadistic villain finds and torments the young Thor from the Viking era. Fortunately, the Avenger Thor chases the butcher to the future. Eventually, three versions of the god of thunder from across time unite to stop the butcher’s mad plan. Gorr intended to detonate the appropriately titled Godbomb, an anti-divinity weapon capable of killing all gods who had ever or will ever exist across time. Despite the heroes’ best efforts, the deadly weapon goes off. Before every god can be erased from existence, Avenger era Thor steps forward and voluntarily absorbs the force of the blast. The desperate and epic ploy works like a charm. And in the aftermath of this explosive conclusion, the young Thor corrects the mistake he made against his enemy the first time and finishes the butcher off once and for all. But that was just the end of one version of Gorr. Christian Bale will play the deadly and wrathful Gorr in “Thor: Love and Thunder”. The actor’s resume proves he can play a menacing butcher who strikes fear into the heart of his victims. Given the villain’s reputation, are you as worried as we are about those smiling Greek gods seen in the trailer? Bale wouldn’t have been able to become this heinous villain onscreen without Gorr’s first full appearance in Thor: God of Thunder #2. Recently, the value of the comic has escalated to all new highs. In May 2022, it trended at an ungraded fair market value of $145 and as high as $700 graded. Artist Daniel Acuna (dan-YELL ah-COON-yah) also has a rare variant that trends at a fair market value of $320 ungraded and $2000 graded. So, if you’re a comic collector, you might want to get your hands on a back issue copy before Bale brings even more attention to Gorr. While the butcher’s origins are undoubtedly tragic, the unspeakable actions he committed with the All-Black could never be forgiven. But we have to admit that Gorr’s violence, hatred of deities and incredible power made him a great enemy for Thor to overcome. It’s exciting to think of where this relatively recent villain might pop up after appearing in “Love and Thunder”. If Gorr appears in your neck of the woods, just pray he doesn’t believe you’re a god.