Thor (Marvel Comics)
| Thor | |
|---|---|
| File:THOR082.jpg Cover of Thor #82. Art by Steve Epting. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Journey into Mystery #83 (Aug. 1962) |
| Created by | Adapted from the mythological Thor by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Larry Lieber |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Thor Odinson |
| Team affiliations | Avengers, Asgard, Thor Corps |
| Notable aliases | Dr. Donald Blake, Jake Olson, Sigurd Jarlson |
| Abilities | Vast Superhuman Strength, Speed and Stamina, Near-Invulnerability , Extraordinarily long life span, flight (via Mjolnir), atmokinesis, Force Blasts |
Thor (often called The Mighty Thor) is a Marvel Comics superhero, based on the thunder god of Norse mythology. The character was created by editor Stan Lee and penciller Jack Kirby, who co-plotted, and scripter Larry Lieber, and first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 (Aug. 1962).
On a mission from his father, the omnipotent Lord of Asgard, Odin, Thor acted as a superhero while maintaining the secret identity of Dr. Donald Blake, an American physician with a partially disabled leg. Blake would transform by tapping his walking stick on the ground; the cane became the magical hammer Mjolnir and Blake transformed into Thor.
Thor often battled his evil adoptive brother Loki, a Marvel character adapted from the Norse god of mischief, and was a member of the superhero group the Avengers.
Publication history
Following Thor's debut in issue #83 of the extant science fiction/fantasy anthological title Journey into Mystery, the 13-page feature "The Mighty Thor" continued under scripter Larry Lieber and consecutive pencilers Jack Kirby and Don Heck, primarily. "I wrote a full script and sent it off to Jack," Lieber said of Thor's first appearance. "Thor was just another story. I didn't think about it at all. Stan [Lee] said, 'I'm trying to make up a character', and he gave me the plot, and he said, 'Why don't you write the story?'"[1].[2] One element Lieber created in Marvel's Thor mythos was the description of Thor's weapon as the "Uru Hammer"; while the hammer itself was later named Mjolnir, as in Norse mythology, Lieber's made-up "uru" was eventually revealed as the metal from which it was forged.
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The five-page featurette "Tales of Asgard" was added in issue #97 (Oct. 1963). The Mighty Thor became the dominant cover logo with #104 (May 1964), and the feature itself expanded to 18 pages the following issue, squeezing out the remaining anthological story that had been appearing each issue. The main feature quickly scaled back to 16 pages, starting with #110 (Nov. 1964), but regardless, the series had become Thor's solo title in all but name. That was rectified with #126 (March 1966), when the book was renamed The Mighty Thor, its common title and logo treatment, though it was formally simply Thor in postal indicia.
Marvel by this time had published the Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965), which introduced the company's version of Hercules. The first Thor annual appeared the following year.
"Tales of Asgard" was replaced by the five-page featurette "The Inhumans", by Lee and Kirby, from issue #146-152 (Nov. 1967 - May 1968), after which featurettes were dropped and the Thor stories went to Marvel's then-standard 20-page length.
Lee had plotted the book, generally with penciler Kirby as uncredited co-plotter, since its inception. Following scripters Lieber and Robert Bernstein (writing under the pseudonym "R. Berns"), Lee took over the scripting with Journey into Mystery #97. As with Marvel's flagship series, Fantastic Four, the Lee-Kirby dynamic soon produced an array of what historians consider some of comics' richest and most epic works. Abetted by the arid inking of Vince Colletta — who brought a flattened look that, rather than being a liability, instead brought a majestic, medieval-tapestry feel that emphasized the pageantry and grandeur of Kirby and Lee's increasingly mythic tableau — Thor introduced to Marvel such enduring characters and concepts as Ego the Living Planet and the Doctor Moreau-like cosmic geneticist the High Evolutionary.
As a consequence of the "Heroes Reborn" crossover event of the 1990s, Thor dropped out of his own series, and with issue #503 (Nov. 1996) the book returned to its original title. Once again Journey into Mystery, the series continued with the feature "The Lost Gods" through #513 (Oct. 1997), after which it became a showcase featuring two to three issues each of Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu, the Black Widow and Hannibal King, ending with #521 (June 1998).
When Thor and the other heroes returned in the next crossover event "Heroes Return", Thor starred in a new solo title, Thor Vol. 2, which ran 85 issues (July 1998 - Dec. 2004), that received dual number partway through so that the final issue was also numbered #587, continuing the original series' numbering. From the 1990s onwards, Thor also appeared in various miniseries. (See below in this article.)
Character biography
Origin
The character Thor in the Marvel universe follows the traditional Norse myth to a point. (See "Deviations from Norse mythology", below). The Marvel version has been seen in flashbacks as a child and teen godling who, in his early adulthood, became arrogant and self-righteous. Odin, determining his son needed to be taught humility, placed Thor, without memories of godhood, into the body and memories of an existing, partially disabled human medical student, Donald Blake. Getting his M.D. and thoroughly believing himself to be the young surgeon Blake, he later discovered Thor's disguised hammer and learned to change back and forth into the Thunder God, in the manner of a superhero's secret identity. The real Blake's persona remained elsewhere until many years later, after Odin had become satisfied of Thor's humility and lifted the spell, obviating the need for a mortal alter ego.
The latent Thor persona, inhabiting the body and memories of Dr. Blake, first "became" Thor while on a European vacation. (Many years after Thor's first appearance in Journey into Mystery #83, it was retconned that Odin planted a subconscious desire prompting the partially lame Blake to explore a specific wilderness.) Once there, extraterrestrial aliens attacked and trapped "Blake" in a sealed cave with little hope of escape. Desperately, "Blake" tried to use a newly discovered walking stick as a lever to remove the blocking rubble. Unable to, he struck the rocks in frustration — triggering the spell of the stick and transforming (still not knowing the truth) into Thor. The stick itself became the uru war hammer Mjolnir. With his Asgardian abilities, he escaped the cave, defeated the aliens and dedicated himself to protecting humanity.
It was revealed years later, that the real Blake had been in suspended animation and accidentally killed by Sigyn, who then created a Blake duplicate who believed itself to be the real Donald Blake.
Personality
In battle, Thor is a legendary braggart, which has long been accepted as a natural part of the character's charm. He will often use this as both a means of sustaining morale and to convince a lesser foe to yield, usually by adding commentary to a display of power. Outside of battle, he is an honorable, loyal, and courteous individual, in Asgard considered second only to Odin in terms of nobility. He is, however, rather short-tempered.
Protector of Midgard
Thor battles enemies such as his adoptive brother Loki, who has sworn to kill him. To that end, Loki created powerful minions like the Absorbing Man and the Wrecker and manipulated other enemies like Ulik of the Trolls to challenge the thunder god; one of these manipulations resulted in the formation of the superhero team called The Avengers, a team in which for years Thor has served as one of the core members. At the same time, Thor had a romance with his (Donald Blake's) nurse, Jane Foster, which Odin disapproved of; that attitude proved a source of constant frustation for Thor, who at one point even unsuccessfully appealed to Odin to allow him to bring Foster to Asgard. Template:Cleanup-remainder
Beta Ray Bill
This status quo in the comics was shaken up in the 1980s under the authorship of Walt Simonson, beginning with Thor's encounter with the monstrous yet noble alien called Beta Ray Bill. Thor was sent to encounter Bill at the request of S.H.I.E.L.D., who had observed Bill's ship destroy a star to refuel; S.H.I.E.L.D. feared that the ship might do the same to the Sun. During the subsequent fight, Thor lost contact with his hammer for too long, causing him to revert to Blake. Ignorant of the hammer's power, Bill picked up the cane and struck it in frustration against a wall, enacting its mystical enchantment. Being judged worthy to hoist Mjolnir in the process, Bill was transformed, gaining Thor's power (and a variant of Thor's costume) for his own, before being summoned to Asgard by Odin, who confused Bill with his son. Upon realizing his mistake, Odin retrieved Thor as well.
Bill claimed Mjolnir as a prize of fair combat, which Thor — being disadvantaged by his reversion to Blake — naturally disputed. Odin had the matter settled by combat in the volcanic World of Skartheim, "where even gods may perish." Bill won an evenly matched fight due to his distinct biological make up that caused the heat from the volcanic world to revive him. Though Bill's ability to defend his people would have been greatly aided by Mjolnir's power, he did not feel it was right to claim a hammer forged for Thor. On hearing this, Odin worked out a compromise for the equally worthy warriors, with Bill receiving a close copy of Mjolnir called Stormbreaker and transferred the transformation spell to it so that Bill — whose altered form he despised and made him, essentially, a pariah to the people he had taken it to defend — could enjoy his original form when he wanted it, while Thor finally abandoned the Don Blake identity. Sif, who had become depressed and estranged from Thor, left with Bill.
The Surtur War
Soon afterward, the fire-demon Surtur would forge his sword, Twilight, and march on Asgard to light it with the Eternal Flame, with the intention of bringing an End to Everything. Odin summoned all of Asgard's warriors to the battle, including Bill and Sif. Loki was the only one not to respond. The armies of Asgard then left for Earth, to prevent Surtur and his armies from crossing Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge. Having set light to New York, Surtur then tricked Thor into drenching the city in a rainstorm to extinguish the flame, creating a rainbow for a brief moment as he cleared it, allowing Surtur passage to Asgard, who then shattered Bifrost behind him. Thor teleported himself to Asgard, leaving Bill in charge of Asgard's armies in the fight that still raged on Earth, but Sif was stopped by Bill from following. Enraged, she lept further into the battle, vanishing as she fought a rearguard action. The rest of the army, aided by the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and the Norn Queen's army, destroyed the portal Surtur's army came through, returning them to Muspelheim.
Meanwhile, Thor engaged Surtur at Asgard's gates, and was overwhelmed by the fire-demon. Upon his defeat, only Odin seemingly stood between Surtur and Armageddon. Soon, even Odin fell, and Surtur lowered his sword into the flame...
...to find nothing happened. He turned to find Loki taunting him over falling for such an illusion. Loki bought enough time for Odin and Thor to recover, then the three attacked Surtur in concert. Thor, realizing just how much of Surtur's strength came from Twilight, managed to knock it from his hand, and Odin knocked the demon into Muspelheim, pledging to prevent Surtur's return as he fell with him.
In the aftermath on Earth, Sif was found badly injured, but recovered quickly with the help of the Asgardians' healing techniques and teleported to Asgard to find Odin gone and Thor as emotionally shattered as the remains of the Rainbow Bridge. He bade her to return to Earth and co-lead Asgard's warriors with Bill, until a way could be found to return them to Asgard. (Due to Bifrost's shattering, only Thor, Sif, Bill and the Enchantress were able to move directly from Earth to Asgard), while Thor left for the mountains to grieve. After his rescue from a Hela-engineered avalanche by Tiwaz (unbeknowst to Thor, his great-grandfather Buri), he remained with Tiwaz at his insistence until he was recovered.
After, by the combined powers of Thor and Bill's hammers, the Asgardians were returned to Asgard to find Odin gone, Thor declined to take the throne that was his birthright, instead passing the regency to Balder the Brave.
Eventually, Odin was found, imprisoned by Seth, the Egyptian god of death and, with a few hiccups, remained the Lord of Asgard until his recent, true death.
Eric Masterson
- Main article: Thunderstrike
Later, Thor would be merged with an Earth architect called Eric Masterson, who - after Thor seemingly killed Loki - would be given the form and power of Thor in the original's stead while Thor was sealed in a corner of the merged body's mind.
Eventually, Loki would be revealed to have possessed Odin to manipulate matters, and both he and Thor were restored to their own bodies, while Masterson would be given the mace and heroic identity of Thunderstrike.
Lord of Asgard/Earth
Upon Odin's death, the other Asgardians naturally expected Thor to claim the throne of Asgard and rule, but Thor resisted at first. Eventually Thor visited Orikal and learned that Odin was indeed dead and that Jake Olson--Thor's human side whom Odin had recently separated from Thor--was soon to follow if Thor didn't help him. While Thor went to Earth to rescue Jake, it was revealed in a conversation between Orikal and Geirrodur that the Odinforce was slowly passing into Thor and that his reign would bring about a hellish future. After rescuing Jake Thor returned to Asgard and claimed the throne to much applause from his fellow gods. Thor delegated the responsibilities of protecting Earth to Tarene the Designate, who had granted herself similar powers to Thor.
Eventually, a conflict with Desak and the Grey Gargoyle prompted Thor to return to Earth. Desak looked like he would overwhelm Thor even with the Odinforce, but Thialfi used his super-speed to deliver the Bloodaxe to Thor and Thor apparently killed Desak, but when Thor thereafter turned his attention to the humans in the area, he found them looting from corpses and buildings that had been damaged in the battle. Disgusted by what he saw, Thor decided that the people of Earth needed divine guidance once again and, breaking the centuries-long pact of noninterference Odin had established, Thor teleported the entire city of Asgard to hover over Manhattan island.
Thor immediately began interfering with the affairs of Earth. Thor's actions were received on Earth with mixed reactions--some condemned Thor outright, some (like Spider-Man) appreciated Thor's intentions but insisted that Thor was hurting humanity more than helping by giving them handouts, and some appreciated Thor's help so much that they began worshipping him as the benevolent deity he purported to be. Surprisingly, even Thor's old enemy the Absorbing Man joined the Church of Thor.
Several missteps hindered Thor's public image, however. A young religious fanatic and mutant with the power to decay things began a very public campaign against Thor by sabotaging several of Thor's new power plants. When Thor confronted him, the mutant martyred himself. The oppressed masses of Slokovia prayed to Thor for salvation and Thor answered, ordering the fascistic government to leave the country or face his power. Thor's Avengers co-founder Iron Man intervened and tried to explain to Thor that he was going about things the wrong way. The primary resistance to Thor's ascendency came from his old enemy Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man. After his plot with Perrikus failed, Thor imprisoned Zarrko in an Asgardian dungeon. The priest offered Thor one last chance to leave Earth but Thor refused, so the priest triggered a nuclear bomb buried under the island. Thor attempted to halt Asgard's fall and fix the damage, but he was interrupted by the Smiths' ground troops. Jake Olson then took Mjolnir and attacked Thor, which Thor responded to by killing Olson outright. When Thor tried to retrieve Mjolnir afterwards, however, he found himself unable to lift it.
The next time we see Thor, it is the year 2020 and he has converted Earth into New Asgard under his own rule. A resistance has sprung up against Thor's regime, comprised of many of Thor's former compatriots, such as Captain America, Wolverine, Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, the Vision, the Thing, the Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Jane Foster. Eventually, with help from Balder, who believes Thor has gone mad with power, they finally make their move against Thor. While Amora guards the infant Magni, Thor and Loki kill all of their opponents, though Thor loses an eye and an arm in the process.
One hundred fifty years later, Thor's dominion over Earth continues. After a brief clash with Asgardian soldiers to save a young woman named Jordahl, Loki teleports Thialfi and Jordahl to Asgard. Thor welcomes Thialfi and introduces him to his son Magni, now fully grown and bearing an uncanny resemblance to Thor in his prime. Thor leaves with Thialfi and Jordahl meets Magni. Thialfi, who was once a human being himself, is amazed by and proud of Thor's vision for Midgard made reality.
Kya appeals to Thialfi's past as a human to show him the error of Thor's ways, but Thialfi refuses to believe her until she shows him Mjolnir, abandoned where it fell beside Jake Olson's corpse. Thialfi and Magni talk and, although Magni denies it, Thialfi sees that Magni is starting to believe Thor's rule is wrong. Loki defeats the humans and Amora manages to free Fenris, who devours Thialfi.
Thor's own son now has doubts, however. Desak tears through Asgard's defenses easily and would have killed both Magni and Thor if Loki hadn't released the Destroyer to combat it. Realizing that Loki may have doomed Asgard, Thor allows Desak to kill his foster brother and proves his worth by picking Mjolnir up again. Utilizing the Odinforce in conjunction with Mjolnir, Thor destroys Desak.
Thor freezes time with the Odinforce, says goodbye to Magni, Amora, and Sif, and then he and Tarene's spirit use Zarrko's time travel device to go back to before Asgard's fall. The younger Thor, whole once again, quickly realizes his error and returns Asgard to its proper dimension.
Ragnarok
The Odinforce became sentient, however, and left Thor. In addition, Loki recovered the Mould of Mjolnir and raised Surtur, who in return agreed to forge new hammers. Loki and his followers devastated Asgard, shattering Mjolnir and heralding Ragnarok, the end of the gods. Leaving Beta Ray Bill in charge of Asgard, Thor underwent an even more brutal version of the trials of Odin, and in so doing learned the Ragnarok cycle was the result of self-styled "gods to the gods" known as Those Who Sit Above in Shadow. Thor destroyed Valhalla, beheading Loki there, and deceived Surtur into reforging Mjolnir in exchange for a supposed clear path to Asgard. This allowed Thor to reach and destroy the "temporal loom" of the Norns (i.e., the Fates), which contains all events in linear form. Though the Asgardians perished and Fenris, as prophesied, consumed their remains, the shattering of the loom ostensibly broke the Ragnarok cycle. Sending Beta Ray Bill to Earth to serve as witness, Thor then entered the vaguely defined "sleep of the gods." It is unclear if Thor's fate is common knowledge among his fellow Avengers or other superheroes.
Civil War
In early 2006, beginning with Fantastic Four #536, Thor's hammer Mjolnir returns to Earth from Hell, crashing into Oklahoma and put under U.S. Army protection. Six months later (in Marvel Universe time), Doctor Doom, who had escaped from Hell during Mjolnir's return, tries to claim the hammer for himself. However, he is unable to lift it. After this, a man wearing a backpack with the initials "D.B." (an allusion to Thor's former alias, "Donald Blake") is seen boarding a bus for Oklahoma. Soon afterwards, D.B. makes his way to the hammer where he finally lays his hands on it only for both of them to vanish in a flash of white light.
Template:Spoiler Thor appears on the last page of Civil War #3, apparently on the side of the Superhuman Registration Act. Refered to by S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander Hill as Codename: Lightning, he is heralded by a bolt of lightning which strikes down fellow god Hercules, a member of Captain America's resistance fighters.
Deviations from Norse mythology
Marvel's writers have varied in the degree of actual Norse mythology they implemented into the character's series. During a storyline that culminated in The Mighty Thor Vol. 1, #300, Roy Thomas tried to explain the differences between the myths and the Marvel version by claiming (through Odin's expelled eye, which had become a sentient being) that the original pantheon of Norse gods had died in a previous Ragnarok and that the current Thor and his people are all their reincarnations. While the Eye is possibly capable of lying, nothing in subsequent stories has indicated that this explanation is not canonical.
- Marvel Comics' Thor is blond and usually clean-shaven. The classical Norse version has red hair and a red beard (though Thor's appearance has resembled the classical Norse version at times).
- Marvel's Mjolnir looks like a mallet. In the Norse stories, it is a war hammer, in which the metal top is curved.
- In the Norse myths, only Thor and his son Magni can lift Mjolnir. In Marvel, only those "worthy" can lift the hammer.
- In Marvel Comics, Thor is a childless bachelor, except in an alternate history where he and Amora the Enchantress have a child, Magni. In the Norse myths, Thor and his wife Sif have two children, Thrud and Modi, and a stepson, Ullr. With Jarnsaxa, Thor sired Magni. In the Marvel version, Sif is Thor's lover.
- In the Norse myths, Thor will kill and be killed by Jormungand at Ragnarok. In Marvel, Thor kills Jormungand and survives, as he was then cursed by Hela to be denied the gift of death.
- In Norse mythology, Loki was not a god but a giant with god-like powers who had earned the right to walk with gods from an Oath of Brotherhood with Odin. This alliance ended when the mythological Loki killed the god of the sun (Balder), and was subsequently chained to a rock for eternity, tended to only by his faithful wife, Sigyn. In Marvel Comics, Loki is dark haired, is the son of the deceased frost giant Laufey instead of being a god of fire, and is the adopted brother of Thor rather than a blood brother of Odin.
- In Marvel Comics, Thor speaks in faux-Shakespearian prose. In the Norse myths, his speech is in the grammar and tone of the average Norseman.
- In the Norse myths, only a few gods survive Ragnarok, but Thor is not one of them. In Marvel Comics, it appears Ragnarok has claimed all but Thor.
Costumes
Over the years, Thor has worn many different costumes, although usually returning to his original outfit soon after. In issue #502 of Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man meets Leo Zelinsky, a tailor for both superheroes and supervillains, including Thor. Leo even reveals that Thor reads gardening magazines and Modern Bride while waiting for the repairs on his suit. This brings up a whole lot of questions about Thor's personality.
Powers and abilities
Thor is the Norse god of Thunder, Lightning and Agriculture. As such, he controls storms, particularly rain and accompanying wind and thunder, as well as base elements. Thor also possesses enormous stamina, durability, speed, and is immune to all terrestrial diseases due to his god-like physical constitution. In addition, he is a superb hand-to-hand combatant, as well as one of the strongest beings in the Marvel Universe. This has been shown on various occasions, when fighting some of the most physically powerful characters (E.g. Hercules, Thanos, Gladiator, and the Incredible Hulk). Thor is also very cunning and intuitive in battle.
Thor's uru hammer, Mjolnir, amplifies Thor's innate control over the elements and can be used as a missile weapon by throwing it. Through mystical means, the hammer returns to Thor in moments, un-impeded by physical objects or barriers. Thor can also generate mystical blasts from Mjolnir, as well as magnetic and gravitional fields; he additionally once summoned green flame. Through concentration, Mjolnir can be utilized as a siphon to drain nearby sources of energy and magic, allowing Thor to rechannel these energies, including his own "godly essence".
Mjolnir also allows flight by Thor's throwing of the hammer and grasping the handle to be pulled along. To stay airborne via hovering, Thor can whirl his hammer above his head like a rotor. Mjolnir additionally allows or simply aids (the canon is vague on which) Thor to travel between dimensions and points in space by creating teleportational gateways for himself, objects, and companions. Thor can also fly and navigate at multiples of light speed with the hammer. The hammer is mystically enchanted so that only those of undefined "worthy character" can wield it; one late-1960s Lee-Kirby issue showed Loki picking it up when a New York City police officer could not.
In the 2000s, Thor inherited the "Odinforce", increasing the Thunder God's power to an undefined extent. During this time, Thor was able to teleport Asgard to the skies above New York City. His power was further augmented when he gained the knowledge of the runes.
Miniseries
- Thor Corps #1-4 (Sept. 1993 - Jan. 1994): Beta Ray Bill, Thunderstrike, Dargo Ktor, and Thor banded together to fight a common threat.
- Thor: Godstorm #1-3 (Nov. 2001 - Jan. 2002)
- Thor: Vikings #1-5 (Sept. 2003 - Jan. 2004): A "Lost Dutchmen" ship of Vikings arrives in the present-day bearing super-strong barbarians.
- Thor: Son of Asgard #1-12 (May 2004 [two issues] - March 2005): The adventures of a young Thor, Balder and Sif, ending with Thor claiming Mjolnir.
- Thor: Blood Oath #1-6 (Nov. 2005 - Feb. 2006 [two issues in Dec. 2005 & Feb. 2006]): Thor and the Warriors Three are sent on a quest as penance for accidentally killing an enemy giant during a time of peace.
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of Apocalypse, Donald Blake never discovered that he was the reincarnation of Thor, instead he was an agent of the Human High Council and a doctor, travelling with Gwen Stacy to provide aid in human refugee camps such as those of Wakanda. Back in Europe, he was captured by Mikhail Rasputin, one of the Four Horsemen. He managed to free himself alongside the rest of Rasputin's prisoners and sacrificed his life in order to kill Rasputin as the two fell from the top of the Big Ben.
Marvel 2099
The comics set in the future of Marvel 2099 featured Thor worshippers known as "Thorites". In the first Marvel 2099 crossover, "Fall of the Hammer", the Norse gods seemingly returned, but this proved to be a deception created by the Megacorps. The returned Thor was actually Reverend Cecil McAdam, a Thorite priest. Ceclil had been brainwashed into thinking he was the orginal Thor, now returned. He possesed artifically boosted strength and a techonolgical hammer that resembled Mjolnir and duplicated most of its abilities. He was last seen retrieving his non-functioning hammer from the minor villain Bloodhammer.
While it was never revealed what had happened to Thor by 2099, Mjolnir was discovered by Alchemax, and briefly borne by a resurrected Captain America. It later found Miguel O'Hara worthy, but did not transform him, apparently because his destiny did not require super-powers.
Ultimate Marvel
- Main article: Ultimate Thor
Thor, a member of the superhero team the Ultimates in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, is a mysteriously presented character who believes himself to be the Norse Thunder God, but whom many other characters believe is delusional. The Ulimate character Loki is confirmably a true Asgardian, and a son of Odin.[citation needed]
Other media
Thor's first appearance in filmed media was in the segment "The Mighty Thor" of the syndicated, anthological animated television series Marvel Super Heroes, originally syndicated in 1966 Chris Wiggins voiced Thor and Dr. Blake, Bernard Cowan voice Odin and the narratorm, and Peg Dixon voice Jane Foster.
Thor appeared in live action in the TV-movie The Incredible Hulk Returns. The two characters initially clash, but later work together to save the kidnapped girlfriend, Maggie, of the Hulk's alter ego, David Banner. Thor was played iby Erik Kramer, and Donald Blake by Steve Levitt. Rather than transforming into Thor, Blake merely had the ability to summon him. The TV movie served to serve as a pilot for a Thor television series{[fact}}.
Other appearances include:
- Thor also appeared on a Saturday Night Live skit of Superman's funeral.
- He is also referenced heavily in the 1987 comedy Adventures in Babysitting, where a lookalike is played by Vincent D'Onofrio.
- He has a cameo in one part of the X-Men Animated Series, and guest starring roles in two episodes of the Fantastic Four animated series and one in the Incredible Hulk animated series, voiced in all three by John Rhys-Davies.
- Thor, along with several other Avengers, appeared in a "Got Milk?" advertisement in which the Avengers mistake a milk man for a superhero requesting admission to the team's roster.
- Thor was one of superheroes depicted in a Visa check card television advertisement in which a woman yelling "help!" summons a slew of superheroes.
- Thor appeared in the direct-to-video animated feature Ultimate Avengers. Although was based on comics books' Ultimate Marvel Thor, he was cleanshaven like the classic Marvel Thor.
- Activision announced that Thor is to be one of the playable characters in their Marvel: Ultimate Alliance videogame.
- Thor appeared in Marvel 1602 as an elderly Christian priest named Donal, who could transform into Thor by tapping an enchanted walking stick against the ground. Donal bitterly regretted and agonized over making this transformation, as the existence of Thor disproves the Christian assertion that God is the lone supreme being and that other pantheons of gods do not exist--making Donal a blasphemer, even though he is still a devoted Christian.
Bibliography
Comics
- Journey into Mystery #83-125 (Aug. 1962 - Feb. 1966)
- Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1966)
- Thor (a.k.a. The Mighty Thor) Vol. 1, #126-502 (March 1966 - Sept. 1996)
- Thor (a.k.a. The Mighty Thor) Annual #2-19 (1966 - 1994)
- Thor Corps #1-4 (Sept.-Dec. 1993)
- Thor (a.k.a. The Mighty Thor; #1-85 (July 1998 - Oct. 2004)
- Cover-titled The Mighty Thor: Lord of Asgard, most issues #45-67; and The Mighty Thor: Lord of Earth, most issues #68-#79
- Thor Annual '98; '99; 2000; and 2001 (1998-2001)
- Thor: Rough Cut #1 (Sept. 1998; pencil-only reprint of Thor Vol. 2, #1)
- Thor: Godstorm #1-3 (Nov. 2001 - Jan. 2002)
- 1602 (2003 - 2005)
- Thor: Son of Asgard #1-12 (May 2004 - Jan. 2005)
- Thor: Blood Oath #1-6 (Nov. 2005- Feb. 2006)
- What If? Featuring Thor (2006) (a.k.a. What If Thor Was the Herald of Galactus?; What If (comics) Title)
- Avengers #1-16 9/63
- Strange Tales #123 8/64
- Amazing Spider-Man
Annual #1 1964
- X-Men #30 3/67
- Daredevil #30 7/67
- Avengers #51 4/68
- Fantastic Four #73 4/68
- Silver Surfer #4 1/69
- Amazing Adventures #8 9/71
- Marvel Team Up #7 3/73
- Sub-Mariner #59 3/73
- Iron Man #65 12/73
- Iron Man #66 1/74
- Marvel Team-Up #26 10/74
- Marvel Two In One #9 5/75
- Marvel Two In One #22 12/76
- Nova #4 12/76
- Marvel Preview (B&W) 1977
Books
- Marvel Masterworks #18 (1991): The Mighty Thor from Journey into Mystery Nos. 83-100
- Marvel Masterworks #26 (1993): The Mighty Thor from Journey into Mystery Nos. 101-110
- Essential Thor #1 (February 2001, ISBN 0785107614)
- Marvel Masterworks The Avengers Vol. 1
- Marvel Masterworks The Avengers Vol. II
Footnotes
- ^ Lieber interview, Alter Ego Vol. 2, #3 (Fall 1999): Online excerpt
- ^ In his autobiography Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee (Fireside, 2002; ISBN 0684873052), by Lee and George Mair, Lee gave his perspective of Thor's genesis:
I wanted to come up with something totally different. I thought it would fun to invent someone as powerful as, or perhaps even more powerful than, the Incredible Hulk. But how do you make swomeone stronger than the strongest human? 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. I liked imagery.
One of our established titles, Journey into Mystery, needed a shot in the arm, shot 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. ...[A]nd it was only natural for me to assign the penciling to Jack Kirby, who drew it as though he had spent his whole life in Asgard, the home of the gods.Ronin Ro, in Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution (Bloomsbury USA, 2005 reissue ISBN 158234566X) concurs: "Stan told his younger brother, Larry, a story about alien Stone Men chasing a disabled doctor into a cave, where he finds a hammer [sic], bangs it on the ground, and becomes the God of Thunder."
References
- MDP: Thor - Marvel Database Project
- Marvel Directory entry for Thor
- The Immortal Thor of Asgard
- Larry Lieber interview, Alter Ego Vol. 3, #2 (Fall 1999)
- The Grand Comics Database