Gorr: Who is the God Butcher?

Twilight of the Gods

Gorr: “Feel that, little lord of heaven? That sense of helplessness as you fall? That is how it feels to be mortal. Next, you will learn how it feels to be butchered.”

Thor: God of Thunder #2

You, the God of Innocence, groan in pain. An army of shadowy monsters has attacked your home. Divine blood stains the platinum pillars bearing your acropolis. One of the monsters hurls you into the main hall. Looking up, you see your fellow deities being tortured.

The Lady of Stories burns on a pyre of sacred texts. The Lord of War is impaled on his own weapons. The God Queen is stuck to her throne by spears. They are still alive. You shut your eyes in horror, but a scraping sound draws your attention. The monster who led the charge against your pantheon is approaching, a hellish black sword in hand.

Reaching deep, you fire a beam of concentrated innocence at the creature to placate him. Burning golden eyes glare into yours, filled with loathing and reflecting your desperate face. The sword becomes a dagger as he slices your eyelids off. It returns to sword length as he approaches your fellow gods. Two shadow monsters restrain you and you realize he’s saving you for last. You will watch. You scream in despair as Gorr the God Butcher begins his work.

Gorr the God Butcher is one of Marvel’s deadliest villains. He has slaughtered his way through hundreds of pantheons in order to bring about a godless age. So who is he? Why does he have a mad-on for gods? How does one kill a god anyway? Let’s find out.

First Blood: Gorr’s Backstory

Wounded God: “Help… me…”
Gorr: “Help… you? Help you?! Where were you?! Where were you when my children were starving?! When my wife was screaming for your help?! When my mother was being butchered like an animal?! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN WE NEEDED OUR GODS?”

Thor: God of Thunder #5

Gorr the God Butcher debuted in Thor: God of Thunder #1 in 2013. He was created by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic.

On an unnamed planet lived an unlucky farmer named Gorr. His mother was killed by animals while visiting a shrine to their gods. The planet suffered a massive drought, leading Gorr’s people to search for a promised land. Gorr’s pregnant wife was killed in a cave-in and his children died of thirst and starvation. When his last son fell, Gorr denounced his people and their gods and was banished.

Gorr wandered the desert in a suicide attempt before stumbling across a dying god and a black sword. The god asked for his help, causing Gorr to snap. He picked up the sword and murdered the god. The sword, All-Black, showed Gorr countless gods and gave him the ability to leave the planet. Gorr swore to kill them all to bring about a godless age.

Gorr found his way to Earth and butchered the Slavic pantheon before meeting a young Thor. Gorr defeated Thor and tortured him for information about Asgard, but was interrupted by a group of Vikings. Gorr was distracted by the misguided humans, allowing Thor to seemingly kill him. A traumatized Thor swore his followers to silence and the threat of the God Butcher was ended. Or was it?

Deicide: Gorr’s History

Gorr: “In my travels, I have learned there are two types of gods: Those who do harm and those who do nothing at all. I have yet to decide which I find more worthy of my wrath. But soon, they shall all have one very important trait in common. They will all be dead.”

Thor: God of Thunder #4

Gorr survived his wound and had a revelation. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn’t kill every god alone. He used All-Black’s power to create an army of Black Berserkers, monsters similar to Venom. The God Butcher and his army resumed their work in secret, slaying entire pantheons without any deity’s knowledge. Gorr swore that Thor would be the last god to die.

Thor learned of his foe’s survival and began hunting him. The thunder god was joined by his past self and the future King Thor, who had fought Gorr’s armies for ages. The Thor trinity learned that Gorr was building The Godbomb, an almighty weapon that would simultaneously kill every god in the universe.

The Thors gathered an army of gods to fight Gorr, but couldn’t overcome his powers and army. The tide was turned when Gorr was confronted by a copy of his family that he had created. They rebuked him for using their deaths as an excuse for genocide and dubbed Gorr the God of Hypocrisy. The distraction was sufficient to allow Thor to kill Gorr.

Gorr had one last trick up his sleeve. He had wielded All-Black so long that his consciousness survived in the sword. He was freed at the end of the universe when Loki tried one last time to kill King Thor. Gorr predictably tried to murder them both, leading Loki to sacrifice his life to finally destroy the God Butcher. For real, this time. 

All-Black the Necrosword: Gorr’s Powers and Personality

[An ally has asked why Thor can no longer wield Mjolnir]
Thor: “Gorr was right.”
Beta Ray Bill: “Gorr? Gorr the God Butcher was right? Right about what?”
Thor: “About everything. Gods are vain and vengeful creatures. Always have been. The mortals who have worshipped us for eons would be better off without us. We gods do not deserve their love, no matter how much we fight to fool ourselves. We are all unworthy.”

The Unworthy Thor #5

Gorr doesn’t have inherent superpowers, but he does have some nasty talents. He is an expert fighter, has an unbreakable will, and is a skilled torturer. He claims that a God of Torture sold out his family after one night with him. Gorr is creepy, but not a major threat until he brings his sword to bear.

All-Black the Necrosword is a shapeshifting superweapon forged by the evil god Knull to kill gods. It gives Gorr superhuman strength, speed, flight, durability, and healing. It can also create endless armies of Black Berserkers, spawn tendrils to impale foes, and make julienne fries.

The catch to using All-Black is that it is sentient and evil. It will gladly abandon its wielder if a stronger host appears. All-Black was the very first Symbiote created in the Marvel Universe, making it the prototype for Venom, Carnage, and other characters. Knull forging it into a sword is why their race is susceptible to fire and sonic vibrations.

Gorr is a vengeful person obsessed with killing gods in retaliation for his crappy life. He views all deities as tyrants ruling over mortals, even the benevolent gods. Bonding with All-Black caused him to achieve apotheosis and become the God of God Butchers. However, he will kill anyone who suggests he is a god because he hates them.

The Actors Who Play Gorr

Christian Bale – Thor: Love and Thunder

Didya Get All That?

The most militant atheist imaginable.

Jared Bounacos

Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.