Earlier this year it became known that acclaimed Oscar winning actor Christian Bale was switching from DC films to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to play the villain in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. As one of the most talented actors of his generation there is little doubt that Bale will bring a great gravitas to whichever baddie he plays. Since they have not announced who this villain will be, I speculate on who Christian Bale could be playing.
Gorr: Since this film will feature not one but TWO Gods of Thunder, it should definitely gain the attention of the God Butcher. Since this film is taking a great deal of inspiration of Jason Aaron's fan favorite run on Thor, it would make sense to use his primary villain. When the gods of his world abandoned his people, Gorr watched his entire family die. He has since swore revenge not just on the gods of his world but ALL gods. Christian Bale's last major comic role involved him playing a man who lost his family and as a result swore vengeance on ALL crime. Needless to say this is definitely in his wheelhouse.
Dario Agger: Another major foe from Jason Aaron's tenure is the Roxxon CEO/Minotaur who is more than willing to destroy the world for a profit. A remorseless CEO who has no qualms about laying waste to the planet and exploiting it's people so long as there is a profit is incredibly topical for today's audience. As proven in American Psycho, Christian Bale has no problem playing a wealthy corporate sociopath. With his notorious body changes to get into character it would be interesting to see the lengths he would go to in order to become a Minotaur.
Doctor Doom: It is long past time that Marvel's greatest villain makes his debut in the MCU. With Disney's recent conquest of Fox they can finally make that happen. Given his gift with magic is on par with Doctor Strange and he is a head of state like Black Panther, Doom would be the ideal foe for the heroes of this universe for several movies. Why not establish him as a threat from the start by having the Latverian ruler go toe-to-toe with two Thunder Gods? As an actor Bale truly has the gravitas and ability to portray the villain's notorious arrogance.
Mephisto: With the scope that Thor Love and Thunder promises a massive evil is needed so why not the devil of the Marvel Universe? For decades Mephisto has wielded immense power in order to rain evil and chaos on the heroes. He has done everything from imprisoning the soul of Doctor Doom's mother to destroying the marriage of Spider-Man. He even transformed Las Vegas the "Sin City" into a literal Hell on earth. Of course he has had his share of battles with Thor over the decades. Given director Taika Waititi's use of theatrical characters his take on Mephisto would be very interesting.
