Christian Bale is unrecognizable in “Thor: Love and Thunder,” but while fans are not surprised by his dramatic shift in appearance, they’re likening it to a heavy metal band photo.

Previously known for DC Comic’s “Batman,” Bale is crossing over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the latest installment, playing the villain this time.

On-screen, he portrays Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks to destroy all gods, going head-to-head with hero Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth.

Hemsworth, 38, promised fans the movie “is gonna blow your mind” in a clip posted to Instagram — and true to his word, it didn’t disappoint.

The film trailer showed a chilling first look at Bale, whose character appears bloodied and scarred. The sneak peek bewildered fans who described his look as unrecognizable, comparing him to Marilyn Manson and Voldemort from the “Harry Potter” series.

Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher in the upcoming Thor film
Christian Bale appears unrecognizable as Gorr the God Butcher in upcoming Thor film.Marvel Entertainment

Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher
Bale’s character seeks to destroy all gods in “Thor: Love and Thunder.”Marvel Entertainment
“Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher looking like the cover for some heavy metal album,” wrote one Twitter user.

“I didn’t even recognize him,” tweeted another.

In the trailer, Bale as Gorr emerges from what looks like a shadowy forest before cutting to various scenes of fighting between Gorr and other heroes, as well as Thor reuniting with ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman.

Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher
Bale was compared to Marilyn Manson and Voldemort by surprised fans online.Marvel Entertainment
“You are not like the other gods I’ve killed,” Gorr says to heroes Thor and Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson, as they duke it out on screen.

The latest teaser debuted Monday via the official Marvel Entertainment YouTube channel, and within two hours it garnered more than two million views. As of Tuesday, it had amassed more than 13 million.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor

Gorr fights Thor, played by Hemsworth, in the film.Marvel Entertainment
The film, which premieres on July 8, also shows a naked Hemsworth, giving fans a sneak peek in the trailer of a blurred-out bum.

In a post-credit scene in the teaser video, Zeus, played by Russell Crowe, flicks his wrist to disrobe Thor, leaving little to the imagination.


“You flicked too hard, dammit!” a stripped-down Thor yells as he’s restrained before Zeus, his full package making the women around him faint.

A previous trailer for the film last month had fans reeling, speculating that Thor had a “gay awakening” with co-star Chris Pratt, who appears as Star-Lord.

Chris Pratt as Star-Lord
Chris Pratt appears in the film as Star-Lord, a hero who made his MCU debut in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy.Marvel Entertainment
“Remember what I told you, if you ever feel lost,” Star-Lord says to Thor. “Just look into the eyes of the people that you love.”

Thor, then, humorously gazes into Star-Lord’s eyes, the moment Marvel fans say makes Thor “gay as hell.“

Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie
Thor enlists King Valkyrie, played by Thompson, to help defeat Gorr.Marvel Entertainment
Among the other Guardians of the Galaxy who show up in the film are Karen Gillan’s Nebula, Dave Bautista’s Drax The Destroyer, Pom Klementieff’s Mantis as well as anthropomorphic tree/raccoon sidekicks Groot and Rocket, voiced respectively by Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper.

Fans have been anticipating the upcoming movie since its announcement at Comic-Con in 2019, where Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige also revealed Portman would return to the franchise for the first time since 2013.