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Thor
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Written by
David Roach
Comic-book illustrator and writer; Associate Editor of Comic Book Artist. Coeditor of The Warren Companion: The Definitive Compendium to the Great Comics of Warren Publishing and Slings.
David Roach ,
Peter Sanderson
Comics critic and historian. Author of Marvel Universe and X-Men: The Ultimate Guide. Versions of his contributions to The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book.
Peter Sanderson See All
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Table of Contents
Top Questions
When was the comic strip superhero Thor introduced?
The comic strip superhero Thor first appeared in Journey into Mystery no. 83, released for August 1962. He was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.
What is Thor’s secret identity?
Thor was introduced to readers as Dr. Donald Blake. While vacationing in Norway, Blake stumbles across an invasion force of the Stone Men of Saturn. When the startled doctor takes refuge in a cave, he finds a cane, which he strikes against the wall. That action transforms him into the thunder god Thor.
What does the inscription on Thor’s hammer Mjolnir say?
The inscription on Thor’s hammer Mjolnir declares, “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.”
When was the first Thor movie made?
American comic strip superhero Thor transitioned to the big screen with the premiere of the film Thor in 2011, directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Who played Thor in the first movie centered on this character?
Australian actor Chris Hemsworth played the role of Thor in the movie Thor, which premiered in 2011. Later, he returned as Thor in other Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, including The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Thor, American comic strip superhero created for Marvel Comics by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. The character, derived from the Germanic god of the same name, first appeared in Journey into Mystery no. 83 (August 1962).
Origin and Silver Age stories
Thor’s first adventure introduced readers to the doctor Donald Blake. While vacationing in Norway, Blake stumbles across an invasion force of the Stone Men of Saturn (an alien race later known as Kronans). When the startled doctor takes refuge in a nearby cave, he finds a cane, which he strikes against the wall, only to find himself dramatically changed. Blake becomes the thunder god Thor, and the cane transforms into the enchanted hammer Mjolnir. The inscription on the hammer declares, “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” As Thor, Blake could fly and control the elements, and he possessed extraordinary strength. Mjolnir magically returned after being thrown, but if it was out of Thor’s grasp for more than one minute, Thor reverted to his civilian identity as Blake.
Neither Lee nor Kirby was consistently able to fit the Thor comic strip into their schedules for its first few years, so Lee’s brother, Larry Lieber, scripted much of the early material. After several issues, Kirby moved on to the new X-Men and Avengers titles but not before contributing to Thor’s supporting cast. Having returned to New York, Blake set up a practice with a young nurse named Jane Foster, with whom he promptly fell in love. She long remained unaware of Blake’s alter ego, however, as revealing that knowledge was strictly forbidden by Thor’s father, Odin, the ruler of the Norse gods in the distant realm of Asgard. Thor’s villainous half-brother Loki, the god of mischief, served as the strip’s most prominent recurring villain.
Thor soon accumulated a stable of more mundane foes, such as the Grey Gargoyle, Radioactive Man, the Cobra, and Mister Hyde. Thor became a founding member of the Avengers in 1963, but his solo series in Journey into Mystery began to evolve as Lee and Kirby returned in late 1963 to change the strip’s focus from Earth-bound crime-fighting to the more expansive, imaginative realm of Asgard. The creative team introduced a new series, “Tales of Asgard,” which adapted Norse legends and integrated them with the lead strip’s growing band of Asgardians. Among the most important new characters were Thor’s companions Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun—a band collectively known as the Warriors Three—and his half-brother Balder. Other supporting characters included Heimdall, guardian of the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard, and Sif, a shield maiden who was one of Asgard’s most skilled fighters. Among the Asgardian antagonists introduced during this period were the sorceress Karnilla, Amora the Enchantress, and the axe-wielding Skurge the Executioner.
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Norse legends had fascinated Kirby since childhood, and, coupled with his almost boundless imagination, they inspired some of his greatest art: astonishing battle scenes, vast cosmic vistas, and extraordinary creatures. After issue no. 125 (February 1966), Journey into Mystery was retitled Thor, and a stream of new heroes and villains appeared. A lengthy narrative introduced the Greek god Hercules, his father Zeus, and the ruler of the Netherworld, Pluto. Later stories featured the grotesque rock troll Ulik; Hela, the goddess of death; and the fire demon Surtur, all of whom conspired against Asgard. Amid all the rest, of course, there were regular plots and schemes by Loki.
The character’s origin was eventually revised to clarify the link between Blake and Thor. Wishing to instill within him a sense of humility, Odin had punished Thor by transforming him into the mortal Blake. Hence, when Blake found the cane, he transformed back into his true self, the mighty Thor. The creators used the Blake identity less and less and, by 1970, it had largely been abandoned. That was a watershed year for the feature, as it witnessed Kirby’s departure for DC Comics, where he would create the New Gods, a pantheon that drew from the same creative well as his work on Thor.
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The Simonson era
Within a year, Lee too had gone, but his replacements, Gerry Conway and Len Wein with artist John Buscema, carried on in much the same tradition as Kirby and Lee. Throughout the 1970s Thor rarely strayed far from the blueprint that had been established in the Silver Age. Buscema remained the principal artist during much of this time, combining peerless draftsmanship with a strong sense of action.
Fan favourite Walt Simonson took over as writer and penciller of Thor in 1983 with issue no. 337. In his first issue, Simonson upended the established order by having Thor suffer defeat at the hands of a bizarre-looking alien called Beta Ray Bill. In a stunning twist, Bill is deemed worthy by Mjolnir and inherits the power of Thor. Bill soon returned Mjolnir to Thor, and Odin enlisted the dwarves of Nidavellir to craft the enchanted hammer Stormbringer for Bill. Simonson carried Thor from outer space to a pond in Central Park where, having been turned into a frog by the machinations of Loki, Thor leads an army of amphibians in a war against encroaching rats.
Narratives of personal redemption are a central feature of Simonson’s run, and the stakes often involve the fate of the universe itself. Most notable among these is the tale of Skurge, Thor’s longtime foe, who “stood alone at Gjallerbru” in Thor no. 362, bravely sacrificing himself to turn back the hordes of Hel. Complementing Simonson’s epic adventures was lettering by John Workman. Workman’s text was a striking visual element in itself, and his sound effects (“BADABOOM!”) became an oft-imitated hallmark of Simonson’s run. Simonson eventually turned over pencilling duties to Sal Buscema, John Buscema’s younger brother, and his run as writer concluded with Thor no. 382 (August 1987). Former Amazing Spider-Man creative team of Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz took Simonson’s place.
Thor crushes rivals as Fast & Furious 5 races on
To say that Marvel’s film division had a lot riding on the success of its Thor movie would be an understatement. The company and distribution partner Paramount had a hit franchise in Iron Man, but would audiences show up for a Kenneth Branagh action sci-fi about a hammer-wielding alien god starring Jim Kirk’s dad from the Star Trek reboot (Chris Hemsworth)? And if they didn’t, where would that leave the forthcoming Captain America picture, next year’s Avengers team-up, and more besides?
In the UK and elsewhere, Marvel and Paramount have plenty to be happy about. Thor debuted with £5.45m, including £2.34m from three days of previews. Add in bank holiday Monday, and that tally rises to £6.44m. That’s in a similar ballpark to Iron Man three years ago, which opened on the same May bank holiday weekend with £5.47m including previews of £667,000, and just over £7m including the Monday. Iron Man 2, which as a sequel benefited from a built-in audience, began its run exactly a year ago with £7.66m, including £877,000 in previews, and £9.54m including the May Day Monday holiday. Thor isn’t matching those giddy heights, especially when you consider the boost from its aggressive preview strategy and the price premium on 3D tickets, but given the relative obscurity of the character, the numbers are good enough.
The runner-up
Fast & Furious movies typically live up to their moniker, screaming out of the starting grid before quickly hitting the speed bumps. Two years ago, for example, the fourth film opened with £4.93m and then fell 61% on the second weekend. This time, the instalment is braking less rapidly. Fast & Furious 5 fell a relatively modest 36%, delivering an 11-day total of £11.16m, and £11.94m including the Monday holiday. £12m in 12 days is pretty good going for a film that isn’t based on a famous comic book or literary-blockbuster character. When Neal Moritz produced the first film in the series eight years ago, based on a 1998 Vibe magazine article by Ken Li, «Racer X», he presumably had no inkling how much future value he was creating for himself and backers Universal.
The total dominance of Thor and Fast & Furious 5 at UK cinemas currently can be gauged by looking at the top 100 engagements chart. Starting with Thor at the Vue Westfield, and ending with F&F5 at Cineworld West India Quay, the two films occupy an astonishing 98 positions of that chart, and the whole of the top 90. Only Insidious (Cineworld Sheffield, 91st place) and Rio (Vue Dublin, 96th), prevent a Thor/F&F5 top 100 clean sweep.
The chasing pack
Following its premiere at the Toronto film festival last September, the release of horror flick Insidious has been considered and patient. Opting to wait out the whole of the winter/spring awards season and the busy Christmas period, and then sensibly giving Scream 4 a two-week berth, UK distributor Momentum chose late April as a propitious date, counter-programming against Thor. Selling points included the writer (Leigh Wannell) and director (James Wan) of Saw, with Paranormal Activity’s Oren Peli among the producer credits.
Given Insidious’s status as a fresh property, the opening numbers are solid. The film took £1.44m over the three-day weekend, and £1.84m including holiday Monday. That’s nowhere close to Paranormal Activity, which debuted with £3.59m on the back of massive hype in November 2009, but puts it in the same category as recent mid-range hits such as Source Code (£1.31m), The Adjustment Bureau (£1.40m) and Unknown (£1.36m). Since it’s horror, Insidious is likely to suffer quicker burnout.
Landing outside the top 10, indie comedy Cedar Rapids is a disappointment for 20th Century Fox. The company failed to position the film as a worthy successor to much-loved Fox Searchlight comedy hits such as Juno, Sideways and Little Miss Sunshine, resulting in a weak debut of £146,000 from an optimistic 180 screens, and £189,000 including Monday.
Also disappointing is The Veteran, starring Toby Kebbell and Brian Cox. Not really convincing as an arthouse title, The Veteran suggested itself as a small-scale genre picture, which is always a tricky sell. An opening of £11,000 from 45 screens resulted – or £13,000 including Monday. Much healthier was French flick Farewell, with a decent £40,000 from 30 sites, rising to £52,000 including Monday.
The 3D docs
Distributor CinemaNX can justifiably claim that its motorbike racing documentary TT3D: Closer to the Edge is winning the battle for audience word of mouth. Over the four-day weekend, the film took more box-office than the equivalent period the previous week (£156,000 vs £149,000). Thanks to an aggressive preview strategy, the film has now grossed £600,000 after two weekends of play. TT3D looks well placed to match non-fiction hits such as Man on Wire (£879,000), An Inconvenient Truth (£936,000) and Buena Vista Social Club (£955,000), as long as it can hold its screens. Meanwhile, fellow 3D doc Pina also held up well, reaching £275,000 after two weekends on release. Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams has now reached £525,000.
The future
Overall the market is a healthy 21% up on the previous weekend and a slim 6% down on the equivalent 2010 frame, when Iron Man 2 kicked plenty of new life into the box-office. After a frankly dismal March and April, UK cinemas are recovering, and looking forward to Pirates of the Caribbean on 18 May. There are still a couple of weekends to get through, but Water for Elephants, starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon, opens today, well-placed to pick up audiences not effectively served by Thor and Fast & Furious 5. It’s joined on Friday by Hanna, starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett; Something Borrowed, with Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin; and Priest, with Paul Bettany. Everywhere & Nowhere, from Kidulthood director Menhaj Huda, will be hoping to match the successes of recent British urban hits. Cast includes the talismanic Adam Deacon, from Kidulthood, Adulthood and Anuvahood.
Top 10 films
1. Thor, £5,449,300 from 500 sites (New)
2. Fast & Furious 5: £2,609,244 from 452 sites. Total: £11,163,953
3. Insidious, £1,441,292 from 325 sites (New)
4. Rio, £801,102 from 501 sites. Total: £9,779,770
5. Arthur, £682,187 from 434 sites. Total: £2,477,285
6. Scream 4, £396,190 from 377 sites. Total: £5,096,897
7. Hop, £314,829 from 461 sites. Total: £6,727,678
8. Beastly, £210,974 from 249 sites. Total: £1,071,105
9. Source Code, £196,978 from 212 sites. Total: £5,707,782
10. Red Riding Hood, £169,325 from 317 sites. Total: £2,469,669
Other openers
Cedar Rapids, £146,062 from 180 screens
Farewell, £40,272 from 30 screens
Chalo Dilli, £25,260 from 17 screens
The Veteran, £10,694 from 45 screens
Upside Down, £4,182 from 6 screens
Battleship Potemkin, £4,078 from 4 screens
Tracker, £1,961 from 7 screens
Vaanam, £896 from 8 screens
I Saw The Devil, £876 from 1 screen + £510 previews
Shadow, 2 screens, £714
Topics
- Film
- Box office analysis: UK
- Science fiction and fantasy films
- Action and adventure films
- Kenneth Branagh
- blogposts
Thor vs Superman — Anfield Index
When trying to come up with a hero or villain strong enough to take on Superman it’s actually pretty difficult. You have Black Bolt, Silver Surfer, Hulk, Hyperion, Sentry, Dr. Strange (possibly) and if you want to throw a curveball, Phoenix. Superman is pretty much unbeatable unless you’re using kryptonite. I’m not going to allow that though, no cheating just straight up power for power battle.
I looked through many characters and the one I came to conclusion that would give Superman the greatest battle is Thor!! In theory anyone could win one battle but how bout a series of battles, a best of ten type. Who would have the strength, courage, wits, grit to beat Superman over and over. That man is Thor, let me explain how..
To start with these guys are at the same level of strength, so no advantage either way in that department. Most people think Superman is stronger than Thor but Thor has done things in the comic books that even Superman hasn’t. For Example Thor used a mystical fishing pole to break the Midgard Serpent’s grip on Earth and lift its full weight off the planet and into space. The serpent itself has the exact same weight as the planet Earth which measures in at 6.6 sextillion tons!! So not only did he lift the Earth but the serpent as well, double the weight! No Hulk or Superman can boast that incredible feat. Even if you still don’t believe they’re equal in strength, remember Thor can trigger his Warrior’s Madness at times in battle that increases his strength by tenfold!
However, Superman does have the advantage in that he’s faster than Thor. Not that Thor is any slow moving slug, it’s just there’s only one person faster than Supes and that man is the Flash (clearly proved in comic book lore when they race). Thor is able to to travel at super speeds, throw Mjolnir faster than the speed of light and can swing it at twice the speed of light. Impressive!! He can see fast moving objects better than anyone other than the Flash, so the notion Superman could just fly or run at light speed or faster to hurt Thor doesn’t work for me.
Stamina in the fight would be advantage to Thor as well. The God of Thunder has no weaknesses, while Superman always has kryptonite as a weakness. While we can’t use that as a weapon as stated in the above article there is another weakness of Superman…. magic!! Many example of this but a great one is in Superman/Shazam: The return of Black Adam, we find that Supes is very vulnerable to magic. Thor has Mjolnir, ultimate weapon to use against Superman, which has strong ties to Dr. Stephen Strange. It’s magical power would crush Superman!!
Who wins in a battle you say?? Well Superman as powerful as he is doesn’t have any powers that Thor wouldn’t also. They really have a lot of powers alike. Thor isn’t susceptible to heat or cold so Superman’s heat vision or hurricane breath would have no effect on him. Thor can control the weather something that must not be underestimated. While this battle in theory could go either way I’m saying Thor wins! He doesn’t have any great weaknesses and he’s a GOD!!
The ultimate trump card in my opinion is Mjolnir. Made of the Asgardian metal Uru by Dwarven blacksmiths (Eitri to be specific) under commision of Loki, the inscription on the side translates to “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall posses the power of Thor”. Thor didn’t have this power given to him, it was earned. Mjolnir can manipulate time, control the weather, almost unlimited power given to it’s holder, absorb energy, track a person down. Not Vibranium (Captain America shield/Black Panther’s country Wakanda) nor Adamantium (Wolverine) can hurt Mjolnir. A near indestructible weapon wins this battle for Thor!
