Sharing photos of himself dressed as Thor in the fat suit that gave his character the nickname “Fat Thor,” actor Chris Hemsworth joked about a “beThor and after” transformation on Instagram Monday, showing off his ripped body in a comparison photo.
Shouting out his health and fitness app, the Australian entertainer wrote on his social media, “@centrfit couldn’t be more proud of this young chap from Asgard.”
“One of the best ‘bethor and afters’ we’ve seen. Congrats Thor Odison #thorloveandthunder,” he continued.
Hemsworth recently starred in Thor: Love And Thunder, which proved to be a summer blockbuster. After premiering in theaters this past July, the Marvel film pulled in over $140 million during its opening weekend alone.
According to Variety, “Fat Thor” appeared at the beginning of the film, with the character later going through a brief montage involving rigorous exercise and training before returning to his traditionally ripped and muscular figure.
Starring Hemsworth along with Tessa Thompson, Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, and Natalie Portman, the star-studded film also features a cameo from comedienne Melissa McCarthy. Thor: Love And Thunder is expected to hit Disney+ in the coming months, though no official release date for the streaming platform has been announced.
Controversy of “Fat Thor” Character
The heavier version of Thor first appeared in the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame, resulting from the character noticeably gaining weight following a depressive episode.
On playing a different version of the character, Hemsworth told Variety, “I love that version of Thor. There’s a vulnerability to that character and to that version that I think we hadn’t seen before.”
The 38-year-old continued. “He was going through some hard times, and that’s his physical expression of that. I think he embodied that. The first time I read the script, I loved the fact that he went, ‘This is who I am, this is how I’m feeling, this is what I’m doing.’ I think it’s fantastic.”
But many fans weren’t as excited about the superhero’s direction, with some calling out the film’s jokes for being fatphobic and using Thor’s weight as comedic relief. Others were upset at Thor’s quick physical transformation in the latest Thor: Love And Thunder movie instead of letting the character keep the new weight.
On deciding the best time to have Thor shed the pounds, Thor: Love And Thunder director Taika Waititi described it in 2019 to Yahoo! Entertainment as “an ongoing debate that we’re still having at Marvel,” adding, “’Cause we’re trying to figure out how long — how many months or years — this is after Endgame, at what point does this take place?”
How Chris Hemsworth Snagged Thor Role
Since 2011’s Thor, Hemsworth has been largely associated with the Asgardian God of Thunder. But a little-known fact is that his younger brother, Liam Hemsworth, was initially prepared to take on the role himself.
Casting for the film reportedly wanted someone a little older, allowing Chris, born six years before Liam, to audition and snag the role.
Though the younger brother wasn’t able to be featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he went on to find his own success as an actor, starring in The Hunger Games film series alongside Jennifer Lawrence and 2016’s Independence Day: Resurgence.