Avengers: Endgame Writers Explain Meaning Behind Thor's Physical ...

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The writers of Avengers: Endgame have explained the meaning behind Thor‘s transformation in the blockbuster.

As those who have already seen the final instalment of the MCU Infinity Saga will have noticed, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is noticeably heavier in Endgame than in previous films.

This change – which has led to mixed reactions – is attributed in the movie to Thor’s difficulty to process the consequences of Thanos’s fateful snap, which wiped out half of the galaxy and brought the Avengers to a standstill.

Some have accused the film (which includes several jokes about Thor’s new figure) of fat-shaming, while some have praised it for portraying a curvier superhero, in a notable departure from Thor’s usual muscular frame.

Christopher Markus, who co-wrote the Endgame screenplay with Stephen McFeely, told Vulture that “the weight gain was just part and parcel” of Thor’s state of mind after the five-year jump – which has left him depressed and addicted to alcohol.

Markus also pointed out that by the end of the film, Thor achieves emotional resolution but doesn’t shed the weight – showing that his figure is not the problem.

“We didn’t go, like, ‘Let’s chunk him up, it’ll be hilarious.’ And we leave him in that state at the end of the movie. Even though he’s emotionally resolved... We fix his problem, and it’s not his weight,” Markus said.

“I know some people are sensitive about some of the humour that comes from it, which I understand. But our issue that we wanted him to deal with was his emotional state that his mum addresses. And I think he is the ideal Thor at the end of the movie, and he’s carrying some weight.”

According to Markus, the change was a way to make Thor more relatable and show the God of Thunder becoming “human, for the first time”.

Click here to read our review of Avengers: Endgame.