Gorr vs Thanos

Gorr vs. Thanos

Welcome to WatchMojo and in this installment of versus, we’re pitting Gorr vs. Thanos.

For this matchup, we’re comparing everything from the motivations to the fighting capabilities of these two marvel villains to see which one deserves to reign supreme. If you haven’t caught up on every Marvel project through “Love and Thunder”, beware of spoilers ahead.

Which Avenger would you ask for help to defeat these villains? Let us know in the comments.

Round 1: Motivation

To say Gorr’s life was unpleasant would be a huge understatement. Over the years, he constantly lived on the brink of starvation while avoiding savage creatures and natural disasters. As Gorr suffered, his loved ones told him to have faith that gods will save him. But he completely stopped believing that any deities existed after losing his last child After Gorr’s views got him banished and nearly killed by his brethren, he witnessed a duel between two gods. As soon as one of the deities asked for help, Gorr snapped. That single question convinced him that every god in existence doesn’t care for mortals. After seemingly eliminating both deities, Gorr decided to dedicate his life to butchering every god he found.

In one version of the Mad Titan’s story, he was manipulated by the embodiment of death throughout his life. Thanos eventually fell for the dark construct and aimed to impress her by taking tons of lives. When the mad titan was adapted for the MCU, his main motivation went beyond death. Thanos stated that he once tried to save his homeworld of Titan from a disaster by reducing the population by any means necessary. After his brutal plan was rejected, the planet fell into ruin. Thanos became obsessed with preventing this tragedy from ever happening again by going to each world and cutting its population in half. No matter how many people protested his methods, he thought his violent actions were an act of kindness.

While the mad titan’s connection to death is a bit hard to relate to, his drive to save people by slaying others makes for a more complex story. But neither of his motivations quite measure up to Gorr’s. The amount of tragedy he experienced due to an absence of gods makes the reasoning behind his evil journey more clear and compelling than the mad titan’s.

WINNER: Gorr 1/ Thanos 0

Round 2: Signature Weapon

The reason Gorr slayed so many gods is because he wielded All-Black the necrosword. This extremely deadly weapon has extremely similar powers to that of the average symbiote. It can shapeshift, enhance its user’s strength and protect its host from harm. All-Black can also spawn armies of minions to fight independently and gets stronger every time Gorr slayed a divine being. During one story, the butcher’s weapon was so powerful that he was able to use it to become the universe. The heroes had to essentially destroy existence just to stop him! Gorr had to take out a lot of victims to achieve that level of power. However, there’s few beings who can defeat him once he’s fueled the necrosword with the blood of gods.

Although Thanos isn’t afraid to shake up his arsenal, his most iconic weapon of war has to be the Infinity Gauntlet. The golden glove gives him the ability to command the power of six cosmic items. While collecting these powerful gems or stones can be a difficult task, it is 100 percent worth it. With the gauntlet in his hands, Thanos can teleport, enhance his power in an instant, manipulate time itself and more. He can also completely avoid a battle by simply using all six stones at once to warp reality itself. A single snap of the mad titan’s fingers can instantly tip the scales of any battle in his favor.

As impressive as All-Black the necrosword is, its user needs to slay many gods before it can reach its full universe breaking potential. Although it can be difficult to complete the Infinity Gauntlet, its wide range of powers and ability to instantly shape the galaxy give it a huge advantage.


WINNER: Gorr 1/ Thanos 1

Round 3: Most Sinister Plan

On the surface, Gorr’s goal of butchering all the deities seems like standard bad guy fare. But his incredibly sadistic master plan quickly became unforgettable. After building up his power, Gorr found out how to travel through time freely. He then spent 900 years enslaving gods from across time and tormenting them on one planet. And as the cherry on top, Gorr made them all build a gigantic godbomb that was fatal to divine beings. The butcher intended to use the massive explosive and to kill every god across time in one fell swoop. Fortunately, Thor stopped the godbomb’s effects after it had gone off. But Gorr came close to making all deities perish because some of them built the method of their own extinction.

Most Marvel fans probably know the mad titan’s most infamous plan by heart. After Thanos gathers the Infinity Stones, he eliminates half of all life in the universe with a snap. All his victims appear to only suffer for a few seconds before fading away. But the same cannot be said of all the beings that are left behind. In films like “Avengers: Endgame”, superheroes are consumed by feelings of guilt and helplessness over not stopping the snap. And the mortals and gods caught in between had to deal with the complex fallout of the mad titan’s plans. Although Thanos was only thinking about a single bad consequence, his scheme allowed a ton of problems to rear their ugly heads across the universe.

There’s no question that Thanos successfully launched a plan that devastated the universe. However, he didn’t spend nearly as much time individually tormenting victims as Gorr did. The butcher’s twisted process and endgame made his plan feel a lot darker.

WINNER: Gorr 2/ Thanos 1

Round 4: Live-Action Portrayal

Despite starring in a film full of everyone’s favorite MCU heroes, Thanos stole the show in “Infinity War”. He initially presented himself as a noble and extremely calculating conqueror. But by the end of the movie, we saw that Thanos had a deep and reflective side. Josh Brolin’s excellent vocal and motion capture performance made a big purple alien feel completely real. And after making us feel for the character in “Infinity War”, the actor provided his most terrifying and menacing portrayal of the titan for “Endgame”. Thanos has quickly become one of the most recognizable on screen big bads of the 2010s. A lot of his fame definitely is a result of Brolin’s dynamic performance and incredible range.


WINNER: Gorr 2/ Thanos 2

Round 5: Who Would Win a One-on-One?

Thanks to All Black the necrosword extending his lifespan, Gorr the god butcher has centuries of fighting experience under his belt. He’s learned how to manipulate the living symbiote to create a variety of deadly weapons. And if Gorr needs more strength, he can remotely slay gods to raise his power level. He once beat and tormented Thor so badly that the mere thought of his name gave the god nightmares. Speaking of Asgardians, Gorr was powerful enough to fight three versions of the electrifying hero at once. Most enemies can only win a duel against him if they find a way to separate him from the All-Black. But his heavy battle experience makes this villain a threat even without a symbiote attached.


Thanos has established himself as a true warrior. He’s incredibly strong, can react to extremely fast opponents and has easily fought multiple superheroes at once. The mad titan’s also clever enough to adapt his battle strategy if his approach isn’t working. And Thanos doesn’t even need a weapon to defeat enemies as powerful as the Hulk. But if the mad titan is wielding his signature Infinity Gauntlet, he can unleash a variety of mighty attacks. Anyone who dares to step up to HIM solo has to be at least as powerful as a god to stand any chance. Whether he’s controlling six stones or just has his fists and brain, Thanos is one of the deadliest fighters in the universe.

If Gorr reached his maximum potential in battle, he could definitely make Thanos bleed. But the deciding factor is the symbiote. Thanos would need to separate Gorr from All-Black or make the weapon his own. While disarming the butcher wouldn’t be easy, we’re willing to bet the mad titan is clever and resourceful enough to find a path to victory.


WINNER: Gorr 2/ Thanos 3


With a score of 3 to 2, Thanos narrowly decimates Gorr and maintains his reign over the Marvel universe.