Christian Bale has a reputation for being a very serious actor, which is why it came as such a surprise that he’d agreed to board the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thor: Love and Thunder villain Gorr the God Butcher.
Excluding his three-film stint as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, the Academy Award winner’s only effects-heavy blockbuster appearances of the last 20 years came in the disappointing Terminator Salvation and underwhelming Exodus: Gods and Kings.
Given that he’s been working in the industry for well over 30 years, you’d have thought somebody of Bale’s standing would at least be aware of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; you know, the highest-grossing franchise in the history of cinema that’s raked in upwards of $25 billion at the box office? As he revealed to Total Film, though, he didn’t have clue.
“Absolutely not, no. That didn’t even enter into my head at all. I’d read that, and people would go, ‘Oh, look at this! He’s entered the MCU!’ And I’d go, ‘I’ve done what? I haven’t entered shit, thank you very much.’ I’m like, ‘The MCU?’ I had to ask what that was.”
He may not have known what the MCU was, but it’s looking increasingly likely that audiences will never be able to forget his performance as Gorr, based on what we’ve seen so far from the Love and Thunder marketing materials. We’re only a couple of weeks away from Taika Waititi’s sequel coming to theaters, and the smart money is on Bale living up to expectations as one of the best villains we’ve ever seen in the long-running superhero series.