Shortly after the Ragnarok trailer at the PlayStation Showcase last week, the internet quickly became filled with God of War fans and Thor memes. Those who have played 2018’s God of War know that Thor was briefly shown at the end of that game, appearing at Kratos and Atreus’ doorstep, appearing ready to fight. As exciting a tease as that was, fans never got a good look at Thor until the game’s art director, Raf Grasetti, shared stills of the game’s cast. Unlike Chris Hemsworth’s chiseled, clean-shaven, Thor from the MCU, God of War’s Thor is a large, gruff-looking man, whose hair is long and shaggy, and whose stomach protrudes off his chest.
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TheSixthAxis’ Tuffcub spoke with world record-breaking powerlifter Darren McCormac about his thoughts on Thor’s appearance in Ragnarok. McCormac shares his thoughts quite directly, stating, “Like it or not, God of War’s Thor is the peak of male performance.” He goes on to explain the correlation between bulk and strength, that the powerlifters who are lifting multiple times their bodyweight “won’t be tall, they’ll be bulky.” Incidentally, with Thor as the bulky one, and the Norse mythology’s Tyr as the tall one, Ragnarok is set to show off two very distinct types of male performance.
McCormac continues his conversation, describing more specifically the appearance of powerlifters. According to McCormac, “Not all these guys [lifting the biggest weights] will have abs, far from it. They’ll have a layer of lard over it, a power belly.” Although bellies are often associated with a lack of athleticism, clearly in powerlifting that is the opposite case, it even seems like a key to success. Before ending his discussion, McCormac made the inevitable Thor comparison to the MCU’s version, stating, “Any old fool can get abs – yes I am looking at you, Mr. Hemsworth – but a power belly and big traps (the muscles either side of your neck) are the sign of a bloody strong man.”
It is an awesome sight, seeing such a variety of characters appearing in games today. While some fans may not like the design of Ragnarok’s Thor, Santa Monica is simply telling a story with its interpretations of these mythological places and figures, as indicated through the God of War Angrboda controversy. Rather than becoming frustrated at character depictions when the game finally launches, fans should sit back and let the game take them on the adventure Santa Monica has planned. Like McCormac notes, this bulky Thor is not going down easy.
God of War: Ragnarok is set to release in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.
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Source: TheSixthAxis
