Why Thor is unique among all superheroes of the Marvel universe

Thor , among all Marvel superheroes, is a unique creation. To begin with he is a God unlike all other popular Avengers, and born out of creator Jack Kirby’s obsession with mythology — particularly Nordic mythology. Almost all other top-rung Marvel superheroes find their origin in Kirby and Stan Lee’s fascination with science and technology. Over the years Marvel have introduced other Gods as superheroes, too. None of them, however, has sustained popularity in fan psyche as Thor has, or has had a super-lucrative Hollywood film franchise to their name.

As Chris Hemsworth returns in Thor: Love And Thunder this week, Thor becomes the only character within Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to get a fourth solo film. It is interesting to note in this context how being a celestial character who has emerged a mainstream phenomenon is not the only thing that makes Thor unique among Marvel’s superstars. There is also the fact that, as a God, Thor cuts a very unusual picture in the pages of comic books as well as on screen in terms of behaviour, disposition and the life he lives. He is the Norse God of thunder but he is flawed. Yet he never gives a damn about not leading a lifestyle befitting a God or about showing the willingness to rectify his ways. There is also the fact that despite being a God he is actually a failure as celestial royalty. Unlike, say, the late Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa / Black Panther , Thor, despite his superhuman powers was never very much in control of his monarchy. Through the ages, Thor’s home turf Asgard was never a picture of peace under his reign as Wakanda was under T’Challa. Over three solo films so far as well as the other Avengers adventures he has appeared in, these traits have given Thor a peculiar charisma. They render an intriguingly human edge despite his godliness.

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Which brings us to how his origin story as a superhero fighting villains on our planet and beyond makes him different, too. Recall his backstory and you realise unlike other Marvel superheroes, Thor was never really on Earth to fight evil or to save the planet. He was sent to Earth so that he could learn what it takes to rid oneself of one’s ego. The element of hubris, and how Thor gradually understands the need to tame it, has been a defining force in the way the character has evolved, particularly in his solo releases so far — Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017).

In Love And Thunder, fourth film of the franchise, Thor tries to rid himself of hubris completely — a fact implicit in an interesting twist drawn from the pages of Marvel comics, which takes the story forward as the Norse God superhero leads a war against the evil Gorr the God Butcher, played by Christian Bale. The twist pertains to the phase when Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman) had become the mighty Thor after Hemsworth’s Thor Odinson gave it all up in order to retreat in the lap of serene nature in search of inner peace. In other words, battle-scarred Thor, after his nightmarish Endgame experience with Thanos, finally decides to control his arrogance and ego. When he goes away, Jane will be seen wielding the Mjolnir, or the Thunder God’s magical hammer. It is the devastating weapon that accounts for a large part of Thor’s superpowers.

Twists involving transfer of superpower are not unusual in the Marvel universe, except that in the case of the God of Thunder it would seem unique. Primarily, because he is deemed one of the strongest among Marvel’s superhero legion. Along with Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, Iron Man and Captain America, he ranks among the most powerful heroes of the MCU. Jane, on the other hand, is primarily mortal and was introduced into Thor’s world as his love interest.

Being a God, Thor also draws a large part of his individuality from the world he belongs to. Asgard, as imagined in mythology, is a world unto itself, a domain where celestial kings and queens are warriors before anything. It is a trait that sets them apart as a lot because Gods of any realm are normally imagined as superior beings who lead a perfectly tranquil lifestyle, far from engaging in endless violence in a quest for reason to exist. The Gods of Asgard are either good or evil, and they represent virtue or vice. The good Gods protect life across the universe from the evil ones. Tracing Thor’s genesis makes it evident he was born into royalty to fight for Asgard’s good, and the idea resonates in Love And Thuder, too. In the film, Thor has to come back to his warring ways because he is the only one who can thwart the powerful evil God — Gorr the God Butcher — from eliminating all other Gods.

It is a reason why the world of Thor draws substantial curiosity factor from its villains, too. Just as Thor’s superheroism is otherworldly, his villains also bask in celestial stature, rendering a unique edge to his world. From the Asgardian mischief God Loki to cosmic entities as Galactus and Black Winter, Thor has tackled them all. Marvel heroes always thrive on the popularity of their villains. In the case of Thor, the adage gets a twist that is larger than life in godly proportions.

Vinayak Chakravorty is a critic, columnist and film journalist based in Delhi-NCR.

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