Thor’s voice actor inGod of War: Ragnarokreveals how The Hulk partially inspired his performance.God of War: Ragnarok’s interpretation ofThorstood out for his deviation from the typical pop-culture depiction and gained a lot of attention from fans and commentators. The actor’s statement helps to explain the origins of the version players got to see.
God of War: Ragnaroklaunched on November 9, continuing the story of Kratos and his son Atreus that began with the series’ soft reboot in 2018. As the name implies, it takes place during the mythical Norse end times of Ragnarok, which Kratos set in motion by killing the Norse god Baldur in the previous game. While the newGod of Wargame has only been out for a few days,Ragnarok’s depiction of Thor gained significant attentionafter the heavy-set thunder god appeared during the 2021 PlayStation Showcase.
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Thor’s voice actor Ryan Hurst recently sat down for an interview with Variety alongsideRagnarok’s narrative director Matt Sophos and art director Raf Grassetti. The trio discussed Thor’s influences, with Hurst revealing that his performance had two main inspirations. One was Tommy Lee Jones’ portrayal of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell inNo Country for Old Men, whose voice conveys both the character’s power and deeply held regrets. The other was Marvel’s Hulk, who is probably notthe MCU charactermost people would have expected.
Hurst explained how The Hulk andRagnarok’s Thor are both filled with uncontrollable amounts of rage and anger, which they don’t always point in the right direction. However, Thor and The Hulk also have a genuine love of fighting, which comes through in the actor’s performances. “There’s some of that, that comes in through the saying, ‘Hulk Smash,’ but in a more layered way,” said Hurst. “The way that I interpreted it is that you need access to superhuman amounts of strength, rage, and unpredictability.”
These influences make a lot of sense consideringGod of War: Ragnarok’s depiction of Thor, who has little in common with Marvel’s version of the character. However, it’s arguably more compatible with the Norse myths. In addition toRagnarok’s Thor being a redhead like his mythological counterpart, the Norse depiction was far from the ideal hero. For example, Sophos recounted a Norse myth of how Thor kidnapped and effectively enslaved two children for eternity after one of them broke his goat’s leg.
The developers also talked about the design principles behindRagnarok’s Thor and other gods. Grassetti noted that Norse gods tended to be less flashy than their Greek counterparts. However, they still needed to be imposing, which is why Thor is much larger than Kratos. Still, the Norse gods come across more like powerful barbarian warriors than divine beings in the modern sense.
God of War: Ragnarokis available now on PS4 and PS5.
