One of the pointless controversies that arose following God of War Ragnarok‘s PlayStation Showcase appearance is Thor’s physique, which people couldn’t help but compare to Marvel’s interpretation of the character. Santa Monica Studio’s rendition of Thor is a bulky character with a big, round belly – a far cry from the handsome, well-built character depiction that people are used to.
Director Eric Williams addressed Thor’s physique during an interview with Game Informer, and said that the development team wanted to “go a little deeper” into the mythology and make Thor “a big boy.” Williams added that the character’s physique contributes towards making his presence known – something that falls in line with Thor being godly.
Williams said:
We just want him to be a big boy, you know. There’s Marvel’s interpretation of him is one thing. It’s interesting. We wanted to, you know, go a little deeper into the mythology itself. They [gods] have a presence immediately. And it’s not always because of muscles. They’re just like that is a wall of a human being, you know. So this is a wall of a God, you know, and that’s why it was very important.
Santa Monica Studio’s Cory Barlog added that being well-built and muscular isn’t a pre-requisite for being powerful and intimidating. That said, God of War Ragnarok‘s version of Thor will feel like “a man child” in that he will be extremely powerful and will do whatever he wants.
“If you had that much power and you can do those things, you’re not going to grow,” Williams concluded.
[Source: Game Informer]
