Thor will leave you thunderstruck
Thor: “I am Thor Odinson of the Vikings, Giant. I am not the god of reason and understanding. I am the god of THUNDER AND LIGHTNING!”
Hulk #26
An army of monsters is attacking New York. People hide, praying that a hero will save them. Their prayers are answered as a bolt of lightning strikes a monster. The people see a man with a hammer floating in the air above them. Thor flies at the monsters, screaming a warcry and calling down thunder.
Thor is one of the most powerful Avengers. Which makes sense because he’s, y’know, a god. But that raises the question, why is a Norse god a superhero? How did that happen? And what do you mean he’s a woman now?! Let’s find out.
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Prince of Asgard: Thor’s Backstory
Norman Osborn: “Who the hell is Doctor Donald Blake?!”
– Dark Reign
Thor debuted in Journey into Mystery #83 in 1962. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were inspired by the old legends to create a series about the deity.
Odin, King of Asgard and the ruler of the Norse pantheon, banished his son to Midgard (Earth) because he thought Thor was arrogant. To keep him there, Odin placed his powers in Mjolnir, the famous hammer Thor wields. A medical student named Donald Blake picked up the hammer and ended up possessed by Thor.
After he was released, Thor searched for a way home to Asgard. Along the way he fought numerous villains and became a hero.
Thor’s adventures drew the attention of his wicked brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). Loki hatched many schemes to defeat his brother, but always failed. One of his plots even backfired and brought Thor new allies, The Avengers.
Odin eventually decided his son had learned his lesson and summoned him to Asgard. Thor refused to return, having found friends, allies, and even a lover named Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Odin was furious, but offered Jane a place in Asgard if she could complete a physical challenge. Unfortunately, Jane failed and was sent back to Earth, separating the lovers.
Twilight of the Gods: Thor’s History
Thor: “Give your orders and ultimatums to those who choose to obey, or are too cowardly to fight, NOT to me. Or learn again the difference between a God of Thunder and a mortal man in a metal suit.”
Thor #3
When Odin died in battle with the demon Surtur, Thor became King of Asgard. He soon discovered that Ragnarok, the recurring Norse Apocalypse, was about to begin again. He managed to break the cycle of Ragnarok by destroying Asgard. He was trapped in another dimension during the Superhero Civil War. Iron Man used Thor’s DNA to create a robot clone called Ragnarok and claimed it was the real god. Ragnarok injured many heroes and even killed one called Goliath.
Donald Blake rescued Thor from the other dimension. He began rebuilding Asgard in the United States. Iron Man attempted to make him register with the U.S. government, but after some reasoned discourse decided to leave him alone. By which I mean he got pissed at Tony’s betrayal, beat the crap out of him, and kicked him out of Asgard.
During the event Original Sin, the thunder god learned that he had a long lost sister named Angela who fans of Image Comics might know from Spawn. She had been seemingly killed during a war between Asgard and a previously unknown realm called Heven. Real subtle, writers. He also learned a secret that readers don’t see, causing Mjolnir to instantly deem him unworthy of wielding it. Mjolnir was eventually wielded by a female version of Thor, who was revealed to be Jane Foster.
Power of the Storm: Thor’s Powers and Personality
Spider-Man: “Let me give you some advice. There is an astonishing amount of powerful people in this world, and a lot of them are flat-out crazy. So…trust me…you will always be in over your head. Always. (Thor flies past) Unless you’re Thor.”
– Spider-Man
Spider-Girl: “Sweet hammer.”
Thor is the son of Odin and Gaea, the personification of the planet Earth. He is the strongest Asgardian and one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. He’s super fast, virtually invulnerable, and once fought an army of Frost Giants for nine months without needing to rest. If he gets angry enough, he can enter a berserk fury called The Warrior’s Madness, which makes him ten times stronger. It also makes him attack anything he sees, but eh, what can you do?
Thor’s enchanted hammer is named Mjolnir and was forged from the remnants of a dying star. Unfortunately, the forging process accidentally killed the dinosaurs. But it’s a good hammer. He uses Mjolnir to help control his power over the weather. He can summon lightning, wind, rain, and even tornadoes and hurricanes. He just can’t summon dinosaurs because, well, now they’re all gone. Thor does have some power over Earth and earthquakes due to his connection with Gaea.
He was an arrogant god who learned humility during his banishment. He likes fighting, but usually fights only to protect others or punish the wicked. The thunder god is loyal to his friends, once even fighting the entirety of Tartarus to save Hercules’ soul.
The Actors who played Thor
Chris Wiggins – The Marvel Super Heroes.
Jack Angel – Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
Eric Kramer – The Incredible Hulk Returns
John-Reyes David – Fantastic Four
Dave Boat – The Super Hero Squad Show
Rick D. Wasserman – Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Travis Willingham – Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel Disk Wars, Tee Avengers
Patrick Seitz – Marvel Future Avengers
Chris Hemsworth – Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Avengers, more
Didya Get All That?
A Viking god who became one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
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