The hammer-wielding Norse god Thor Odinson was introduced to Marvel readers by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Lieber in 1962 in the Marvel series Journey Into Mystery #83. In 1970, the series morphed into The Mighty Thor and continued to chronicle the tales of Thor and his quest to protect Midgard.
Thor, Odin, Loki and Asgard
Thor is the son of Odin, the omnipotent god and once-leader of the Norse haven of Asgard. Odin, Thor, and his adopted brother Loki are the main components of Asgard, and they refer to Earth as Midgard. Odin places his son on Midgard in the body of a medical student named Donald Blake as a test of Thor’s humility and honor as a god and also to serve a warrior and protector of Midgard.
Thor and Mjolnir
The source of Thor’s power is his hammer, called Mjolnir. With Mjolnir, Thor controls lightning, wind, clouds, and rain. Thor can also teleport to Asgard and fly with Mjolnir. Subsequently, Thor is nearly powerless without Mjolnir. Also, as an inscription on the magical hammer reads: “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of ... Thor.” Only a few other Marvel heroes have been able to lift Mjolnir, deeming themselves worthy of its power. The short list most notably includes the now-deceased Captain America (Steve Rogers) and Superman.
Thor and the Avengers
Thor’s 40+ year run included a stint on the first incarnation of the The Avengers, with fellow founding members Ironman and Hulk in 1970. Many of the original Avengers storylines focused on dealing with mischief raised by Thor's adopted brother Loki. For the next several decades Thor mainly focused on his own battles, until the 1990s when the Thor series fizzled out.
Ragnarok Shakes Up Asgard
After reintegrating into Marvel mainstream importance following the “Heroes Reborn” story arch the Thor series got a major new burst of readership and creative input. Thor was included in the Marvel alternate universe, known as the Ultimate Universe, as a founding member of the Ultimates. Ultimate Thor was at first thought to be schizophrenic by his fellow teammates due to his insistence that he was the Norse God of Thunder which many believed to be a delusion of grandeur (he was later vindicated in the series).
In the regular Marvel Universe, Thor Volume 2 was launched in 1998 and included a major shake up of Asgard by the Ragnarok cycle. Ragnarok, or “Twilight of the Gods” occurs as a consequence to Thor’s meddling in the affairs of Midgard. The timeline is reset to pre-Thor times and fast-forwarded as if Thor never intervened. However, as a consequence Loki, Asgard, and Mjolnir were evaporated.
Thor, Loki, Asgard Return
Thor eventually was re-manifested and re-united with Mjolnir to claim his role as ruler of Asgard. He recreated Asgard above a small town in Oklahoma just in time to help the anti-superhuman registration cause of Marvel’s Civil War story arch. Read about the Civil War shake up.
Thor Fun Facts
- Thor can lift over 100 tons. His strength is doubled when he wears the magical Belt of Strength.
- Thor’s adopted brother Loki is the god of Mischief and often pits himself against Thor and the Avengers
- A Thor major motion picture is in the works by Marvel studios, to be released in 2010.
