Thor is one of the gods ofAsgard and the son of the Asgardian kingOdin. In addition to his Asgardian strength and extended lifespan, Thor wields control over the weather, including rain and lightning. He also carries the enchanted hammer Mjolnir, that enhances his abilities and grants him the ability to fly. Thor was first introduced as the alter ego of surgeonDonald Blake, who acquired Thor's power, which was later revealed to be a fabrication by Thor's father. Thor has since assumed other human identities and sometimes ruled as king of Asgard.
Thor was created byStan Lee,Jack Kirby, andLarry Lieber.[1] After initially drafting the character, Lee gave the project to his brother Lieber to write the stories.[2] Kirby developed Thor's visual design,[3] and he had an interest in ancient mythology that lent itself to the character's creation and design.Bulfinch's Mythology was used as a reference during Thor's creation.[4] As superhero comics became more popular, Marvel began replacing its previous comic book lines with superheroes.[5] Thorfirst appeared inJourney into Mystery #83 (1962).[1] Like other superheroes created at the time, Thor usurped acomic book anthology that had previously been dedicated tomonster fiction.[6] Thor arose from Lee's desire to create a superhero who was more powerful thanHulk or theFantastic Four.[7] Lee in 2002 described Thor's genesis early in the Marvel pantheon, following the creation of the Hulk:[8]
[H]ow do you make someone stronger than the strongest person? It finally came to me: Don't make him human — make him a god. I decided readers were already pretty familiar with the Greek and Roman gods. It might be fun to delve into the old Norse legends... Besides, I pictured Norse gods looking like Vikings of old, with the flowing beards, horned helmets, and battle clubs. ...Journey into Mystery needed a shot in the arm, so I picked Thor ... to headline the book. After writing an outline depicting the story and the characters I had in mind, I asked my brother, Larry, to write the script because I didn't have time. ...and it was only natural for me to assign the penciling to Jack Kirby...
The idea for adapting Thor as a superhero was first developed when Lee and Kirby heard of Marvel being discussed as "twentieth-century mythology".[3] Thor was well-suited to be recreated as a superhero, as the mythological character already had an established supporting cast, superpowers, and sense of justice. At the time Thor was created, there were approximately 15 millionScandinavian Americans, and the United States had a general cultural awareness of historical Scandinavian culture through ideas ofVikings andLeif Erikson.[9] A previous adaptation of Thor had first appeared inVenus #11 (November 1950),[10] published by what is now Marvel Comics.[11] Kirby had previously adapted Thor forDC Comics inAdventure Comics #75 (1942),Boy Commandos #7 (1944),Tales of the Unexpected #16 (1957).[12]
Shortly after Thor premiered, Lieber moved on to other projects, and Thor was given to other writers.[13] Various artists worked on Thor in his first issues, includingDon Heck andJoe Sinnott.[14] Lee soon took over writing duties for several Marvel superhero titles, as the writers did not meet his expectations,[13] and he became the writer for Thor beginning inJourney into Mystery #97 (1963). Kirby became the artist shortly afterward, beginning inJourney into Mystery #101 (1964).[15]
When Marvel's distributor allowed them more monthly releases,The Avengers was developed as a new comic book series.[16] Thor was included as an inaugural member of thetitular superhero team.[17] By 1965, the difficulty of maintaining continuity betweenThe Avengers and the titles of the individual characters prompted Lee to write the original cast out of The Avengers, including Thor.[18]
Lee created a second series that centered on Norse mythology, "Tales of Asgard".[19] First appearing inJourney into Mystery #97 (1963), this series focused on Thor's mythological adventures and greatly expanded his roster of supporting characters, includingSif,Balder the Brave, and theWarriors Three.[14]Journey into Mystery was eventually renamed toThor, beginning withThor #126 (1966).[20] This marked a significant shift in Thor's characterization: the primary setting was moved from Earth to Asgard, Thor's love interestJane Foster was written out of the story in favor of Sif, andHercules became a major character.[21] "Tales of Asgard" continued untilThor #145 (1967).[22] The character's backstory was changed inThor #159 (1968), when it was revealed that Thor was the actual mythological Thor rather than a mortal who obtained Thor's power and that his secret identity of Donald Blake was a fabrication created by Odin to teach him humility.[23] As Kirby's work onThor came to an end, the setting shifted back to Earth and Jane Foster was reintroduced.[21]
Kirby stayed on as Thor's artist untilThor #179 (1970).[24] Lee eventually ceded control of the titles he worked on to other writers, andThor was given toGerry Conway, who at the time was a teenager.John andSal Buscema were the artists for this run.[25] After Conway gave up the series, editorLen Wein took over as its writer.[26] After returning to the Avengers, Thor was again removed inAvengers #151 (1976) because writerSteve Englehart believed that Thor was too powerful for the group. Fan backlash ensued, and the subsequent writer,Jim Shooter, returned him to the team inAvengers #159 (1977).[27]
Doug Moench wrote forThor from 1981 to 1983.[29] This run was poorly received, which Moench argued was due to the limitations imposed by editorMark Gruenwald.[30]Walter Simonson subsequently took over the series, revitalizing it and increasing sales.[31] Simonson's run was highly regarded by critics, and it included several major milestones in Thor's history, including "The Surtur Saga", "Skurge's Last Stand", "Mjolnir's Song", and "The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill".[32][33][34][35] His introduction ofBeta Ray Bill shifted the dynamic ofThor introducing a second character who Odin recognized as worthy of Thor's power.[34][35] In the 1990s, Marvel briefly supplemented its main superheroes with more violent anti-hero versions. During this time, Thor was replaced withEric Masterson.[36]
During theHeroes Reborn event, many of Marvel's superheroes were given new volumes, restarted at issue #1, but Thor's series was not renewed.[37] A new volume ofThor instead launched during the subsequentHeroes Return event.[38] This volume was written byDan Jurgens and illustrated byJohn Romita Jr. To humanize Thor, he was again bound to a mortal, this time giving him the alter-ego of paramedic Jake Olson.[39]
The subsequent period of Marvel's history reflected the political turmoil that followed theSeptember 11 attacks and theWar on Terror. For Thor, this involved becoming the king ofAsgard, giving him political power that he abused.[40] An alternate version of the Avengers, theUltimates, debuted in 2002 as part of theUltimate Marvel branding that re-imagined Marvel characters in an alternative universe. This universe'sversion of Thor has the same powers, but he is a pacifist and it is left unclear whether he is truly a god or mentally unstable.[41]
Thor volume two ended with a tie in to theAvengers Disassembled storyline that saw major changes to Marvel's main characters. Issues #80–85 (2004) follow the events ofRagnarök as the story's primary setting, Asgard, is destroyed. This story arc was written byMichael Avon Oeming and illustrated byAndrea Di Vito.[33][34] A third volume ofThor began publication in 2007, written byJ. Michael Straczynski and illustrated byOlivier Coipel.[42] This volume began by addressing the ramifications ofAvengers Disassembled and slowly reintroducing Thor's supporting characters.[33][34] Thor was then a central character in theSiege event in 2010, which featured Marvel's cast of superheroes defending Asgard fromNorman Osborn.[43]
To coincide with theThor film, Marvel launched a number of new series starring the character in mid-2010. These includedThor: The Mighty Avenger byRoger Langridge and Chris Samnee,[44]Thor: First Thunder byBryan J. L. Glass andTan Eng Huat,[45]Thor: For Asgard byRobert Rodi andSimone Bianchi,[46] andIron Man/Thor by the writing duo ofDan Abnett andAndy Lanning.[47] The limited seriesThor: The Mighty Avenger was published across eight issues from 2010 to 2011, following Thor in his earlier years as a less serious, family friendly interpretation of the character. This series was written byRoger Langridge and illustrated byChris Samnee, and was met with critical praise.[32][33][34][35]
Jason Aaron was an influential writer for Thor in the 2010s.
The next Thor series,Thor: God of Thunder, began publication in 2012 during theMarvel Now! relaunch. This run was written byJason Aaron and illustrated byEsad Ribic. The first eleven issues followed Thor, accompanied by an elderly Thor from the future and a young Thor from the past, battlingGorr the God Butcher.[34][35] In the 2010s, Marvel began substituting its main characters with a new diverse cast of characters.[48] Thor was replaced by Jane Foster as part of this trend during the 2014Original Sin story arc, and she became the main character in theThor franchise. The original Thor was called The Odinson during this period, and he starred in a separate series,The Unworthy Thor, written by Aaron and illustrated byOlivier Coipel.[49]Thor was relaunched with Marvel'sFresh Start branding, still written by Aaron, restoring The Odinson as Thor and leading up to "The War of the Realms" (2019).[50]
A new volume ofThor began publication in 2020, written byDonny Cates and illustrated byNic Klein, which follows Thor as the ruler of Asgard.[51] The next series,The Immortal Thor, premiered in 2023.[52]
Thor was born toOdin, the king of Asgard, andGaea, the Earth goddess. He was then raised by Odin's wife,Frigga, believing her to be his mother. As Thor comes of age, Odin gifts him a magic hammer, Mjolnir, which is enchanted so that only the worthy may lift it.[53] Thor had existed in a past form more reminiscent of the mythological Thor, but he was eventually reincarnated as a new version.[9] In the past, Thor fought alongside the Vikings, but he condemned them after an attack on a Christianmonastery.[54]
Deeming him too arrogant, Odin banishes Thor to modern day Earth with no memory of his Asgardian origins, giving him the identity of Donald Blake.[9] As Blake, Thor visits Scandinavia where he stumbles upon a walking stick, which he discovers can turn into Mjolnir and give him the powers of Thor.[6] In a plot to defeat Thor, Loki provokes the Hulk into attacking a train. While Loki is successful in luring Thor out, he is accompanied byIron Man,Ant-Man, andWasp. After defeating Loki, the heroes come together as a superhero team, forming the Avengers.[17] Odin eventually restores Thor as an Asgardian, revealing that Blake was a persona that he had invented for Thor.[23][55] When Thor is defeated by Beta Ray Bill, Odin transfers the ability to transform into Blake from Thor to Beta Ray Bill.[55] To continue living among mortals, Thor takes the name Sigurd Jarlson and becomes a construction worker.[56] Odin later binds Thor to the mortal Eric Masterson to save Masterson's life.[55] Thor is exiled for seemingly killing Loki, but Masterson retains the powers of Thor and becomes the superheroThunderstrike.[56]
During the 1996 "Onslaught" storyline, Thor is one of the heroes who is transported to an alternate dimension byFranklin Richards, but they are soon returned.[57] Thor is again bound to a mortal, this time to Jake Olson, but this connection too is severed.[58] When Odin seemingly dies, Thor becomes the king of Asgard.[59] To cure humanity's ills, he relocates Asgard above Earth and takes control of human affairs to give them clean energy, healthcare, and economic prosperity. The extent of the entanglement and the resulting loss of liberties cause strife within Asgard and resentment from humanity. This leads to military conflict that destroys Asgard andNew York City.[60] Such is Thor's hubris that he finds himself unable to lift Mjolnir. He remains steadfast, consolidating his power over Earth for many years before he remorsefully goes back in time to prevent himself from seizing power over Earth.[58]
AsRagnarök begins, Thor learns that the Asgardians undergo an endless cycle of death and rebirth through Ragnarök, enforced by higher beings. To break the cycle, Thor destroys the tapestry of the Three Fates, reincarnating the Asgardians as mortals.[56][61] In the meantime,a clone of Thor is created by the pro-registration faction during thecivil war between superheroes.[62] While in the afterlife, Thor once again binds himself to Blake to resurrect himself, and creates a new Asgard floating overOklahoma, gathering the Asgardians who had been reincarnated as mortals.[56] When Loki resurrects Thor's grandfather,Bor, Bor goes into a berserker state and Thor is forced to kill him. As Bor was the rightful king of Asgard upon his resurrection, Thor is banished for regicide. While banished, Thor seeks out Sif, who was still lost from the destruction of the Asgardians. AfterNorman Osborn seizes power in the United States, he orders an attack on the new Asgard, and Thor returns to his home. Though Asgard is destroyed and Loki is killed after coming to Thor's aid, Thor ends the attack and his banishment is commuted. After Thor discovers that Loki has been reborn as a child with no memories, they reunite as brothers.[63]
In the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, Odin's brotherCul, who is known as The Serpent, emerges from his imprisonment by Odin, andwages war on Earth. Thor fights and defeats the Serpent, sacrificing his own life.[64] Kid Loki seeks out Blake to resurrect Thor.[65] A revived Thor then faces Gorr the God Butcher and teams with a younger and an older version of himself to defeat Gorr, though Gorr's condemnation of the gods shakes Thor's confidence, and he finds himself unable to lift Mjolnir.[66] The hammer is taken by Thor's allyJane Foster, who temporarily becomes the new Thor before inspiring his confidence and returning the role to him.[65] WhenMalekith the Accursed wagesthe War of the Realms, Thor sacrifices his eye in exchange for the wisdom to defeat him, and Thor then reunites with his past and future selves as well as Foster's Thor to win the battle.[67] When Galactus arrives to warn of the Black Winter, he imbues Thor with the Power Cosmic and enlists him as a herald, only for Thor to use the power to kill him.[68]
As with many Marvel superheroes, Thor was created as a flawed character.[69] He is conflicted between his sense of moral purity and his pride, and his father Odin seeks to teach him humility.[58] For his arrogance, he was forced by Odin to live as a mortal,[69][58] and Thor's experience with humanity provides his character growth.[70]
When Thor was first created, he was an exception to Marvel's real world approach to storytelling, emphasizing the fantastical over current events and modern social issues.[71] As he became more connected to the Marvel Universe, social commentary became more common.[9] Thor was also one of several Marvel characters who underwent physical transformation to explore different aspects of his character, transforming between the mortal Donald Blake and the immortal Thor.[72]
Thor finds himself split between Asgard and Earth, having an established life and loyalty to both.[3][73] Though he is an Asgardian, he was born to Gaea, the Earth goddess, and he is imbued with an intrinsic connection to Earth.[61][55] While he is bound to Dr. Blake, Thor holds significant responsibilities in both realms, and he is often forced to choose between his role as a prince and as a surgeon.[15] Writers have intentionally sought to balance Earth-centric and Asgard-centric stories to keep the character interesting.[15][74]
Thor has a distinct manner of speech, inspired by theKing James Version of the Bible and by the work ofWilliam Shakespeare.[15] The extent of this style and how it is implemented has changed between writers.[74] Thor's origin as a Norse god has allowed for religious themes to be invoked with the character.[75][76] He is also reminiscent of the Vikings and invokes positive aspects of their image, but he has rejected the brutality associated withViking raids.[9]
Cover ofThor vol. 6, #1 (January 2020), showing Thor's updated costume with visibleThurisaz rune. Art byOlivier Coipel.
Thor is one of the gods of Asgard, granting him exceptional strength, durability, and endurance. Though not fully immortal, Asgardians have immense lifespans and are immune to disease.[77] Until Thor ended the Ragnarok cycle, the Asgardians went through an endless series of deaths and reincarnations.[61] Among the Asgardians, Thor is one of the most powerful.[55] He possessessuperhuman strength, and centuries of combat have trained him as a proficient warrior.[55][78] Thor is also educated in human medicine from his experience as Blake, who was a surgeon.[55] Thor eventually becomes fully immortal.[79]
Thor wields an enchanted hammer called Mjolnir which is crafted from the fictional metal uru, making it nearly indestructible. Wielding it improves his natural control over wind, rain, thunder, and lightning and weather.[55] He can use the hammer to fly by throwing it into the air and grabbing the leather strap to pull himself off the ground. The hammer also allows Thor to travel between dimensions, moving him between Earth and Asgard.[78] Mjolnir is enchanted so that it may only be lifted by those who are worthy.[74] Another enchantment causes it to always return to its wielder when thrown. It previously gave Thor the ability to travel through time, but it has since lost this power.[55] When Thor transforms into a human, Mjolnir takes the guise of a walking stick that he can use to transform back into Thor.[9] During these times, being separated from the hammer for sixty seconds reverts him back to his human form.[55]
Besides his hammer, Thor possesses a magic belt that doubles his strength, but it drains him of energy and he uses it only sparingly. He also owns a set of uru armor and a pair of iron gauntlets. When traveling with passengers or cargo as a consideration, Thor uses a chariot pulled by his two magic goats,Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder.[55]
Thor's supporting cast includes the gods of Asgard: his father is the Asgardian king Odin,[80] he was friends withBalder the Brave since childhood,[54] and theWarriors Three sometimes accompany him.[81] Thor is romantically involved withSif, a fellow Asgardian. When Thor was banished to Earth as Dr. Blake, he met the nurse Jane Foster. Both Thor and his alter-ego Blake developed an attraction to Foster, creating alove triangle. When Thor returned to Asgard, he reunited with Sif.[9] Thor's relationship with Foster has been the subject of disagreement between Thor and his father.[73]Hercules of theGreek pantheon was initially introduced as a rival to Thor, but the two eventually became allies.[9] Beta Ray Bill became an ally of Thor after proving his worthiness and receiving a hammer of his own from Odin, Stormbreaker.[56] On Earth, Thor is allied with the Avengers, of which he is a founding member.[55]
According to Martin Arnold, Thor's existence as a comic book superhero has moved the ideas of Norse mythology fromhigh culture tolow culture, shifting it away from both its reputation as an academic topic and its association withNazi iconography.[9] Although the direct applicability of Marvel's Thor to the mythological Thor is limited,[9] Marvel's version of the character is a prominent representation of Norse mythology in popular culture, and represents an entry point for the understanding of Norse folklore in modern times.[88] In this way, the character created a 20th century American audience for Norse myth that expanded significantly when it was adapted to film.[89]
Thor has appeared among the top five in several ranked lists of greatest Avengers characters.[90][91][92][93] Kirby had intended to replace Thor and his cast of characters with a new pantheon of deities; this idea was nixed by Lee, but it eventually became theNew Gods andFourth World stories that Kirby created for DC Comics.[94] Thor influenced the comic bookBlack Hammer, which features various homages to the character.[95]
Thor was first adapted inThe Marvel Super Heroes, an animated television serial, in 1966.[96] Thor has since appeared in various animated television programs featuring Marvel characters, as a main character in ensemble casts and through guest appearances in other Marvel properties. The character also stars in the animated direct-to-video filmThor: Tales of Asgard.[97]
A live action adaptation of Thor appears inThe Incredible Hulk Returns (1988), portrayed byEric Allan Kramer. This version of Thor was considered for its own spin-off, but this was not seen through due to theongoing writers strike and concerns about the character's design.[98] A Thor movie was set for production withUniversal Pictures in 1981, but it was one of several planned Marvel projects that were not produced.[99] Lee also pitched a Thor film toFox Studios, but it was not accepted.[100]
Hill, James (2020). "The Asgardians: Death and Rebirth".Marvel Myths and Legends: The Epic Origins of Thor, the Eternals, Black Panther, and the Marvel Universe.DK Publishing.ISBN978-0-241-43780-3.
Mills, Anthony (2013).American Theology, Superhero Comics, and Cinema: The Marvel of Stan Lee and the Revolution of a Genre.Routledge.ISBN978-1-135-01437-7.
Mitchell, Stephen A. (2023).Old Norse Folklore. Cornell University Press.ISBN9781501773488.
.jpg)
.jpg)
