The design for Thor in the upcoming God Of War Ragnarök surprised a lot of us, as it is a world away from the chiselled looks of the heroes of Marvel movies. Well, it happens that Thor's heftiness makes him expertly suited for brawls and feats of strength - says a pro powerlifter.
Given that Mimir calls the character a "fat dobber," "thunder lummox" and the "biggest butchering bastard in the nine realms," the clues were there. While this portrayal of Thor is much more in line with the original texts from Norse mythology, there was an unfortunate crowd of fans who were disappointed with the reveal and thought he looked too big to be a real threat to Kratos.
Darren McCormac, three-time powerlifting champion with two world records to his name, needs those detractors to chill out. Speaking to TheSixthAxis, he got into the nitty gritty of why Thor's body shape is the image of serious strength.
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The next chapter in Kratos' Norse saga will introduce him to other new characters, like Týr, Thor's half-brother who travelled realms seeking peace, and Angrboda, one of the last remaining Jötunn. Check out the trailer here!
"Like it or not, God of War's Thor is the peak of male performance," explained McCormac. "As a strength athlete, there is a correlation between bulk and strength. In powerlifting, the most competitive classes are the under 100kg and under 110kg - guys who are lifting multiple times their own bodyweight. These are big men. 100kg is 16 stone, 110kg is nearly 18 stone. They won't be tall, they'll be bulky."
"Not all these guys will have abs, far from it. They'll have a layer of lard over it, a power belly," continued the pro powerlifter. "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."
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Honestly, I'm happy to take McCormac's word for it simply looking at the god of thunder. That guy is enormous. That guy could gallivant through a pile of cinder blocks like a cluster of crispy fallen leaves. That guy. Yeah. You get it.
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: PlayStation, God of War Ragnarok, God Of War