We know very little about Gorr in terms of his upcoming MCU appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, other than he is being played by Batman actor Christian Bale. Gorr is one of the seven Love & Thunder Marvel Legends figures released in April 2022 ahead of the movie's release in July.
This review is written ahead of the movie release and is done so only with the information to hand via the packaging of each figure and the teaser trailer from late April 2022. I will update these reviews once the film has been released. This review may contain minor spoilers but only in the context of any information provided on the package or visually on the figure.
The Love & Thunder Gorr uses the standard Legends box with no specific accent colour and rather a strong use of the blue through red scheme we see in the movie logo from the box front. He is named simply Gorr and while this may be significant to the plot, the most likely reason for not using 'The Godbutcher' part of his title is to avoid any negative press when the figures arrive on store shelves. The two side panels carry a mirror image of Gorr, and this is repeated again on the reverse. Beneath this is the checklist for the Korg BAF and to the side of the image is the standard background text that simply adds more mystery and gravitas to the character.
"Wielding a strange and terrifying weapon, Gorr will let nothing stand in his way."
Gorr is an all-new sculpt and features a full pinless body. He is dressed in a simple white robe with a central sash and an over-the-shoulder cape. His skin tone is a slightly darker shade of off-white than the robes and features particular markings which may or may not be scars. His fingertips are black and there has been some speculation around this considering what this indicated when the feature appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Both robes and cloak feature a texture similar to rough cloth and the sash piece is intricately sculpted with folded and creased cloth through to a simple tied fastening at the rear.
Each body part is cast in the base colour with paint applied over the top to create some subtle weathering at the base of the lower skirt, and a darkening and slightly pinkish skin tone around the scars up the arms.
The head sculpt leaves you in no doubt that this is Christian Bale, with such a crisp and clear likeness despite the bald head, pale skin, and deformities. These deformed sections are a similar scarring to the arms, but next to these we also have a purple rash that branches out on both sides of the head and down the neck.
The photo-real decor is intense, as it not only recreates realism for the Bale sculpt but the colouring is aligned to the Gorr makeup with purple eyes and a deep dark colouring around the eyes and a similar dark purple unnatural finish to the lips.
While we have not seen any images of Gorr save the ones on the figure's packaging, this is the best likeness of the Thor: Love & Thunder wave and the only concern would be how this look does line up with what we will see on screen. Will it be accurate? Or will Gorr be another figure who is flawed by being based on early concept art and designs?
You can remove the cloak from Gorr to give a second look for the figure. Again this may be something we see on screen, it may not, but it does look good and gives Gorr an even more intimidating look like some kind of warrior monk - with vibes also of the Engineers from Ridley Scott's Prometheus.
Gorr comes with the mysterious and terrifying weapon as quoted on the box. We are all assuming this is the All-Black, the blade Gorr wields in the comics and that originates with Knull the creator of the Symbiotes.
The piece certainly has a little bit of a Venom-Esque vibe with a rough and notched blade that does look organic in places. The handle is however very much more grounded with an Arthurian feel and with potential links to the blade we see Dane Whitman inspecting at the end of Eternals. The sword is cast in a dark black finish with a painted brown grip a gunmetal colour used on the crossguard and the pommel.
The sword fits into the right hand of Gorr, with the left hand sculpted in a more open gesture. There is no way to holster or store the weapon.
While Gorr is a robed figure he still features 18 points of articulation across a fully pinless body. The upper body has a wide range of options for posing with the double joint elbows allowing for plenty of weapon grips and poses - including a sort of two-handed grip with careful placement of the left hand. The head is also able to tilt and look up or down, giving some personality to Gorr - although without a reference point we simply do not know who he carries himself, how he moves or how indeed he fights.
The legs have the full joint complement but are held in by the fixed skirt. You can use the slits in the skirt to widen the stance but kneeling or sitting is out. I found Gorr a little harder than usual to stand up as his feet are very close together and the ankle rockers are ratcheted so the feet do not fully sit flat to the floor. This means Gorr can overbalance both forward and backward if you are not careful. The easiest fix is to rotate the feet out a little using the thigh swivel to create a wider base.
While Gorr looks amazing and is executed in such a way that the Christian Bale likeness shines through - the strength of this figure will depend on the accuracy of the on-screen Gorr. Without any reference images so far, we may find this another example of Hasbro working with pre-release concept designs and in that case the figure may well become much-maligned for its inaccuracy like Cull Obsidian or the Endgame Quantum Suits and we may need to wait on Hasbro to do Gorr 'properly'. If, on the flip-side, this is the look for Gorr on screen then the figure will become more desirable, although the lack of accuracy to the comic book will disappoint some. I have a feeling this may be an early look for Gorr and we may see an evolution during the movie - and that should mean more Gorr figures to come.
For now, and until the movie confirms, either way, the Gorr figure is a triumph of looks, sculpt, actor likeness, paint, texture, and to a degree articulation - although some sacrifices have been made here. The sword (All-Black?) will again be judged by accuracy to the movie, but as an accessory, this works as it should and can be wielded in a number of positions.
For now, buy Gorr and enjoy Gorr. We will know more come July.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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