Tony Stark’s first reaction to seeing Fat Thor in Avengers: Endgame proves that the film’s treatment of the God of Thunder was never just a joke.
Tony Stark’s reaction to Thor becoming “Fat Thor” in Avengers: Endgame confirmed that it was never just a cheap joke at his expense. The God of Thunder’s transformation after his failed attempt to kill Thanos with Stormbreaker was the subject of fierce debate, centered around the concept of fat shaming, but a hint at the intent might lie in an exchange with Iron Man.
Thor’s complete change after the opening of Endgame is directly linked to his total loss of hope in the wake of Thanos’ death. Each of the surviving Avengers reacts differently to the Snap (and it seeming irreversible), with each reaction speaking to inherent character weaknesses. For Thor, his self-value that had previously been defined by his near-infallibility was so deeply challenged by his failure to stop Thanos that he changed his body to reflect how he felt: imperfect, vulnerable, “unworthy”.
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The key in Endgame is that the audience is not supposed to laugh at Fat Thor because his downfall is hinged on a tragic shift in his psychological state. Thor’s mental health crisis is no joke and Tony Stark’s reaction to his team-mate’s change confirms as much.
All the way throughout the MCU, Iron Man’s sense of humor and often his comical disrespect for authority manifests in him challenging his fellow heroes and villains intent on killing him. His motormouth is as important in his armory as his blasters and while it’s often just a part of the armor he uses to protect himself from his PTSD and apocalypse anxiety through bravado, his use of nicknames is a key to how he views other people. He often uses names for villains that minimize their threat – like calling Loki “Reindeer Games” – or throws around barbs in the midst of battle like asking Thor if his mother knows he’s stolen her drapes.
But there’s a difference in how he treats Thor after he sees what his grief has done to him. While James Rhodes and Rocket Raccoon both say hurtful things about his weight, Stark the group’s arch-joker and frequent name-caller, refuses to. Rhodey’s reaction can be put down to shock, Rocket’s to the fact that that’s just who he is, but Tony’s says the most. His first reaction to Thor is simply to call him “Lebowski”, a meta-joke referencing Thor’s on-set name but also his likeness to The Dude. Instead of choosing to call him something entirely focused on his weight, Stark refers more to his new look, even adding an affectionate note.
For all of the concerns over Endgame minimizing the experience of PTSD and mental health issues, Tony’s reaction speaks to an understanding of Thor’s psychological state. He too had previously struggled with the fall out of major trauma, in Iron Man 3 after the Battle of New York and he recognizes what has happened to Thor. His refusal to heap on any negativity is indication that the film was taking Thor’s decline more seriously than the comedic exchanges around him. Had those audience members who angrily took to social media to denounce the movie’s fat-shaming paid more attention to that little moment with Tony Stark, their fears may well have been soothed.
