WARNING: There are some SPOILERS in this story for Thor: Love and Thunder.
The new Marvel movie Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in theaters and some fans aren't quite sure how to take the film's portrayal of Zeus. Played by veteran actor Russell Crowe, Zeus is the leader of the gods whom Thor approaches for help with Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale). Presented as much more cowardly and sleazy than other versions of Zeus we've seen in fiction, the film's Zeus serves as an antagonist to the heroes.
Going this route has some viewers feeling conflicted, as many were clearly expecting Crowe's Zeus to be more of an honorable hero. Others have criticized the humor of the jokes used in the Zeus character's scenes. In any case, there are some people taking to social media to lament the way director and co-writer Taika Waititi presented the Marvel Cinematic Universe's incarnation of the mythological Greek god.
"I don't even care about spoilers," writes one person on Twitter. "But seriously what the f*** were they thinking with how they handled Zeus in Love and Thunder... It was such an unfunny, boring scene that did nothing but turn marvel's interpretation of mythology into a cheap uninspired and unfunny joke..."
Touting the SnyderVerse version of Zeus as played by Sergi Constance as superior, another tweet includes side-by-side images of the two and states, "SnyderVerse Zeus vs MCU Zeus. They legit made him worse than a joke."
Someone else who was no fan of the movie but especially disliked Crowe's Zeus also tweeted, "hard to pick a 'worst' moment from Thor: Love and Thunder because the bar is so low, but I think I'd choose the scene where Russell Crowe puts on a Greek accent to play Zeus, implicitly emasculated because he's fat and wears a skirt."
Thor: Love and Thunder's Portrayal of Zeus Is Accurate, Fans Say
These kinds of critiques have gotten others who've seen the film crying foul. Many are insisting that Zeus, as depicted in actual Greek mythology, is more in line with the version we meet in Thor: Love and Thunder. It's true that he has often been presented as more bold, tough, and heroic in past iterations, but Crowe's version is getting praise for presenting a take that's said to be more accurate.
"I think Snyder fans praising their Zeus for being a badass is hilarious when he’s actually more accurate to Greek Mythology when he’s this lazy jackass like in Thor," one fan said.
"Spoiler for Thor: Love and Thunder But Zeus caring more about orgies than saving the universe officially makes Marvel's Zeus the most accurate portrayal of the mythic deity on-screen," explains another fan. "The only reason anyone would prefer someone else is because you don't really know who Zeus is."
Similarly, another fan puts it: "Thor Love and Thunder has the most accurate portrayal of Zeus ever. Mostly because 99% of his screen time is him caring about an orgy more than the god butcher killing people."
In any case, Crowe's Zeus has gotten a lot of people talking. Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in movie theaters.