The Mighty Thor

Thor, who represents Marvel's deliberate effort to transcend all other super heroes, is nothing less than a god. Writer Stan Lee worked with artist Jack Kirby to interpret an ancient legend through a new medium, but in the process they produced a concept that would gradually take on a meaning different from the original myth.

Thor's powers allow him to operate on a grandiose, cosmic scale, yet the old Norse tales that Marvel adapted Odin, the virtually omnipotent leader of the legendary gods, is Thor's father, and he rules with an iron hand. Many comic book heroes are orphans, inspired to fight crime because of the death of their parents, so Thor's somewhat awkward position as a dutiful son sets him apart. None of this seemed especially significant when the series began in 1962, but over the years the relationship between father and son has developed some interesting twists.

The first Thor stories followed a common pattern of wish fulfillment. Frail Dr. Don Blake discovered Thor's magic hammer hidden in a cave, and used it to transform himself into a being of incalculable might. Over the years, however, Blake failed to develop as a character, and Thor took center stage. Eventually it was revealed that Blake was a fraud with no real existence at all. Odin explained that years before he had punished his son Thor's arrogance by clouding his memory and placing his spirit in a mortal body. When "Blake" found the hammer and its power, he was only following his father's unspoken orders. Armed with this knowledge, Thor dropped the Blake persona, yet could not bring himself to abandon the human race that he had come to cherish. Marvel's reworking of Thor's story had taken on overtones of a more exalted ancient tale, one in which God sent his only son to earth to serve mankind.

Disclaimer: This page is not officially connected in any way to the Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All or any images used are scanned from Marvel Comics and are the property of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and are used without permission. All info from: Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics