When Colliderexclusively broke the newsthatChristian Balewould be making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut inThor: Love and Thunder, we didn’t exactly knowhowhe’d fit into the MCU yet. Well now we do thanks to co-starTessa Thompson, who confirmed that yes, Christian Bale is playing theThor 4villain.
Thompson dropped the nugget of information toET Nowduring an interview, in which she also confirmed that she’s read a script for the highly anticipated sequel.Taika Waititi—fresh off of winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay—is returning to write and direct the superhero follow-up, which also bringsNatalie Portman’s Jane Foster back into the fold as the female Thor. Portman did not appear in the Waititi-led sequel/rebootThor: Ragnarok, but was clearly impressed by how Waititi andChris Hemsworthreconfigured the franchise and wanted in.
Exactlywhichvillain Bale will play is unclear. Marvel Studios is known to play around with expectations based on the comics, so even if he is playing, say, Beta Ray Bill, we probably shouldn’t expect the character to beexactlylike he is in the comics.
This isn’t Bale’s first time playing a baddie, but those roles are few and far between for the performer. He arguably broke out in a big way with his turn as repulsive protagonist Patrick Bateman in the 2000 satireAmerican Psycho, and has similarly played morally dubious characters in films likeHarsh Times,The Prestige,Hostiles, and of course as Dick Cheney inVice. Bale loves to play characters who live in the gray area, so it should be quite fun to see what he does with a straight-up villain—written and directed by Taika Waititi no less. Indeed, Balealsodoesn’t have a ton of experience in the comedy realm despite being a genuinely funny guy, so this should be interesting.
Filming onThor: Love and Thunderbegins later this year, but up first Bale is reuniting with hisThe FighterandAmerican HustledirectorDavid O. Russellforan untitled new film. That movie starts shooting this spring.
Thor: Love and Thunderis scheduled to hit theaters on June 28, 2025. For a full list of upcoming Marvel movies,click here.
