WARNING: SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME BEYOND THIS POINT. THEY'RE MINOR PLOT POINTS, BUT STILL.
God, I'm going to miss this era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For a girl who never liked Captain America as a concept, I have now fallen head over heels for America's ass (see: already coming at you with the minor spoilers. You've been thoroughly warned). I'm going to say as little as humanly possible about overall spoilers for the film because there are fans out there who have to wait to see the film, but let's just say this was a satisfying ending to certain arcs mixed with plenty of laughs and hot heroes in sexy outfits. It's just that one of those laughs crossed the line.
Actually, it's more like a laugh that could have been relatively silly and harmless was beaten to death to the point where it became uncomfortable and slightly alienating. Five years after Thor: the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) has lost his brother and a slew of found family members in one fell swoop, he's found by the remaining Avengers, hidden away in a hoarder's dream house with greasy hair and a big beer belly, yelling at teenagers on Fortnite. For a visual:
The point they're trying to make is clear: Thor is plagued by PTSD and mental health issues. My own depression manifests in overeating and weight gain so, like, it me. And if they went on to focus on his recovery and help him process his grief, this could have been an incredible moment in the MCU timeline. But instead of tackling his issues head-on, his fellow team members repeatedly ridiculed and belittled him for his appearance, specifically his weight. They were so relentless, I breathed a visceral sigh of relief when he was able to wield his hammer, half-convinced his newfound physique would mark him as unworthy in the eyes of the powers that be.
Some fans on Twitter were also confused about how to feel about "Fat Thor:"
Others didn't take the jabs too seriously:
Overall, this movie did the damn thing. For a three-hour movie, the pacing was tight, the spandex were tighter, and there was a moment of female rage and power that cleared my skin and erased my debt. Even Thor got me in the end. I teared up with pride when (major spoiler alert) Thor passed his legacy on to Valkyrie, a true queen. It's just a shame he had to leave his more accepting, less toxic friends behind to do it.
But here's the worst part: When we first walked in on "Dad Bod Thor" in his hovel, I laughed. It's like a two-hitter: On the one hand, the jokes at Thor's expense are fat-phobic and problematic, and then they had to go and make me complicit. There's something so jarring about seeing a man you know could lift your whole body one-handed in that fat suit that you can't help but react. But honestly, f*ck what Tony Stark says, Endgame Thor can definitely still get it.
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This article originally appeared on Cosmopolitan.com. Minor edits have been made by the Cosmo.ph editors.
