Ragnarok is coming in the new God of War. Kratos and his son Atreus may be gearing up to battle some of the remaining members in the Norse pantheon, and we know one for sure that’s going to show up. In a stinger tease at the end of the previous game, Thor, the legendary god of thunder, arrived at our protagonists’ front door unannounced. We all know the headstrong and musclebound Thor from the MCU or other depictions, but Sony Santa Monica is taking a different approach for the popular mythological figure. Our own Alex Stadnik spoke with God of War: Ragnarok’s director Eric Williams and creative director Cory Barlog about how the Asgardian is portrayed in the new game and why the team settled on his rounded physique.
“Well, I don’t know, we just want him to be a big boy, you know. There’s Marvel’s interpretation of him is one thing. It’s interesting. We wanted to, you know, go a little deeper into the mythology itself,” Williams says about Thor having a burlier body type. Being godly is all about presence, and while this version of Thor doesn’t look like a sculpted underwear model, his traits of power and intensity are no less effective. Williams also talks about people he knows in real life with a bigger stature and how that translates into Thor: “They have a presence immediately. And it’s not always because of muscles. They’re just like that is a wall of a human being, you know. So this is a wall of a God, you know, and that’s why it was very important.”
“I think there’s something so fantastic in that that not everything needs to be this glistening muscle hulk kind of concept to still be fantastic and powerful and intimidating,” Cory Barlog chimed in. However, according to Williams, this take on Thor will be a bit immature because he wields all that power. “I wanted him to almost feel like a man child, you know, like if you had that much power and you can do those things, you’re not going to grow. You don’t need to. You just do what you want,” Williams describes as being the core vision of this Thor. In our full interview, Williams talks about what Thor is like as a character in this world and his relationship with his sons in the previous God of War.
It’s refreshing to see a character that typically looks like a Chris Hemsworth type not being the Hollywood ideal body shape. Big bodies are real and everywhere. They should be celebrated as well as included in all forms of media. We can’t wait to see more of this “big boy” Thor in action and how he’s woven into the story of God of War: Ragnarok, even if we have to rough him up along the way.
Our full interview with Eric Williams and Sony Santa Monica Creative Director Cory Barlog will be available in the coming days. Be sure to check it out when it drops on this very website next week, but in the meantime, take a look at how Eric Williams is bringing a fresh perspective to this arc in the franchise here!