Fan Poll Shows An Overwhelming Majority Of Gamers Prefer Ragnarok Thor To MCU
As God of War: Ragnarok (GOW) was announced, fans were excited to see the battle between Kratos and Thor that was teased at the end of the first game - but then they got a look at him. The first promo image of Thor was revealed, and he’s an absolute tank. A lot of fans were miffed.
Call it 'fatphobia' if you like, but the presentation of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has clearly altered people’s vision of the character, especially the very same Thor that appears in Norse mythology. Fans want a shredded Chris Hemsworth or nothing, apparently. Or, they did - because a fan poll seems to have turned the tide of public opinion.
Fan Poll Decides Ragnarök’s Thor Would Beat MCU Thor In A Fight
Gamespot polled their audience and received over 240,000 votes back, to decide definitively which version of the God of Thunder is the greatest. Well the results blew our expectations away, because Rangarok’s Thor got 74% of the vote, compared to MCU Thor’s measly 26%. The public have spoken.
One fan on Reddit, spoke about their reasoning for choosing GOW’s Thor, stating: "Personally I prefer GOW Thor. Feel like MCU made Thor to be a pretty boy with the power of lightning. But according to mythology Thor wasn't that pretty and he wasn't that nice." A pretty fair explanation overall, as the MCU does take some liberties with the mythology. For example, in the Norse mythos, Thor isn’t an Avenger. Who knew?
What Do We Know About God Of War’s Thor So Far?
Well, in the last game, Mimir did inform Kratos that Thor was supposedly a 'fat drunk'. So the initial reaction to Thor’s appearance shouldn’t have been surprising to anyone paying attention to the game’s lore. The God of Thunder is also set to be played by Ryan Hurst, who is a big, bearded boy in real life, and has shown he can bring the demanding presence that Thor requires.
Eric Williams, director of the next game in the franchise, also spoke up on why they decided on the version of Thor we’ll be getting in Ragnarök. Speaking with Game Informer, Williams spoke about why they didn’t go in the same direction as Marvel, stating: "Well, I don’t know, we just want him to be a big boy, you know."
Cory Barlog, who directed the previous instalment, also weighed in with his take on the matter. "I think there’s something so fantastic in that not everything needs to be this glistening muscle hulk kind of concept to still be fantastic and powerful and intimidating," said Barlog.
Regardless of what your opinion is on Thor’s look, are you looking forward to God of War: Ragnarök? The game will be coming in 2022, for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Until then, the previous game is finally set to come to PC in January for those who never got the chance to try the previously Sony console exclusive.