Fat Thor’s Best Endgame Moment Made The Joke Worth It
The Fat Thor joke in Avengers: Endgame drew its fair share of controversy, but one moment in the film made the punchline worth it. Each character in Endgame dealt with their Avengers: Infinity War loss differently; Black Widow had devoted herself to continuing the efforts of the Avengers, while Captain America counseled people in a similar fashion to what Falcon used to do. Then there was Hawkeye, who adopted the Ronin persona and hunted down criminals around the world, seeking vengeance. And finally there was Thor.
Because he didn't go for Thanos' head, Thor was ashamed of his loss and deeply saddened by the events of Infinity War. Not only had Thor lost his home shortly before Infinity War, but both Heimdall and Loki were killed by Thanos and his henchmen. Then half the world was disintegrated in mere seconds. So Thor spent the next five years living a sheltered life in New Asgard, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, playing video games like Fortnite, and gaining weight, thus resulting in one of Endgame's biggest jokes: Fat Thor.
Endgame, unfortunately, overlooked the darker aspects of the characterization - the source of the weight gain, hermit lifestyle, and depression - in favor of delivering the key punchline one too many times. But in the end, it was all worth it because of one redeeming moment. Thor and Rocket went to Asgard to obtain the Reality Stone during the Avengers' Time Heist, but before they left, Thor needed to know if he could call his hammer. Thor realizing he was still worthy by calling Mjolnir to him showed that no matter what happens to a person on the outside, they are still worth it and worthy of greatness - regardless of whether or not they’re muscular, crime fighting superheroes.
In the end, it doesn’t matter if they have inherent goodness so long as they’re capable of working towards that and obtaining it; it’s all about that inner worth - the worthiness people put upon themselves. Considering Thor’s journey from his first film in 2011 to Endgame, that one moment in Asgard highlighted the value he still had, the value he fought so hard to attain years before, even though it was there inside him all along, waiting to be unlocked. Mjolnir knew it was there, that he was truly worthy, the moment Thor did.
The best aspect about that moment is that it wasn’t about overall achievement or ticking off a box, nor was it about doing a specific thing to be worthy. Rather, being worthy was more of a factor of the person themselves - being who they are, not what they do - which is a theme that has been raised once again in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with the new Captain America, John Walker, and his worthiness of carrying the shield; in fact it, too, dates back to another 2011 film - Captain America: The First Avenger. There, as Dr. Erskine told a skinny Steve Rogers, it wasn't about finding the perfect soldier but about finding a good man. It’s no wonder that Rogers was also worthy of wielding Mjolnir.