Welcome to I Am Your Target Demographic.
Today we’re looking at the Marvel Comics character known as Thor.
We’ll touch on some major events, how he’s appeared in various media, and what the character
is up to these days.
This is a superficial look, not a deep dive, so keep that in mind going in.
Long before the comic book character known as Thor, we have an actual Norse god by the
name of Thor, which served as the character’s inspiration.
Thor was worshipped mostly throughout Scandinavian countries, most popular in the age of Vikings.
When the Roman calendar was adopted in these countries, the days were named after Roman
gods, but the people replaced them with gods of their own, hence the origin of Thor’s Day,
which we now call Thursday.
Thor was the god of thunder and lightning, but also the god of strength and fertility.
He is commonly seen wielding a hammer, called Mjolnir, which is said to be one of the most
powerful weapons in existence, at least at the time.
In 1962, the comic book version of Thor first appeared and Marvel Comics took almost the
entirety of Norse religion and included into their continuity.
Thor, for many different reasons, comes to Earth to fight evil.
In one version of his origin, Thor is sent to Earth without memories, so that he can
learn humility and he lives as a medical doctor, until he discovers the hammer Mjolnir and
transforms into Thor again.
Throughout his fictional stories, Thor constantly struggles with his life on Earth versus his
life in Asgard, the plane of existence where he’s from.
He usually prioritizes Earth, even falling in love with a human woman named Jane Foster.
In these early days, he joins the Avengers to stop massive threats against the Earth.
Eventually, more of Thor’s Asgardian adventures come to light, where he faces off against
threats from other planes that threaten Asgard or the entirety of existence.
From the fiery realm of Muspelheim, Thor often faces off against Surtur, an immortal god-like
demon whose destiny is to cause Ragnarok, a version of apocalypse that would mean the end of Asgard.
In the icy realm of Niffleheim lives Ymir, the colossal ice giant, who created entire
species of giants that populate the nine realms.
One of Thor’s reoccurring villains is Loki, his adopted brother that turns out to actually
be a frost giant, though was born the runt of the litter.
In the actual Norse mythology, Loki is a mischief maker and shapeshifter, eventually captured
and held for eternity in torture.
In the comics, he shares a lot of these traits, able to shapeshift and is even one of Marvel’s
rare genderfluid characters, existing in whatever form he pleases.
Because he was adopted, Loki often seeks to usurp the throne from the king of Asgard Odin,
and to defeat his adopted brother Thor.
He can’t beat Thor in combat but instead uses sorcery and illusion to fight him.
I think it’s time to further discuss Mjolnir, Thor’s weapon.
The weapon itself can only be lifted by those it deems worthy, because of an enchantment
placed there by Thor’s father Odin.
The list of "worthy" is relatively short, though it includes some interesting
choices like the mutant Storm and the frog cleverly named Throg.
Those deemed unworthy cannot even lift the hammer, nonetheless use its ancient powers.
One of the most recent wielders of Mjolnir is actually his ex-lover Jane Foster, who
uses the title of Thor as well, while he merely goes by his last name, Odinson.
In terms of media appearances, Thor has appeared in all sorts of television appearances, even
dating back to the television show for the Incredible Hulk.
There was a surge in popularity for Thor when he was featured in the film Adventures in
Babysitting in 1987, actually played by Vincent D’onofrio,
who recently played Wilson Fisk in the Netflix Daredevil series.
Most casual fans know Thor because of his more recent movies in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth.
So far, he's had a trilogy of films, plus several Avengers teamup films.
So while Thor’s origins may lie in Norse mythology, he lives on today through comic
books, movies, and television.
And his ancient mythological adventures continue to inspire new storylines for his comic book counterpart,
even to this day.
Thanks for watching our video about Thor. If you haven't heard already, we're giving away THREE
Thor: Ragnarok FunkoPOPs. Make sure you check out this video to learn how,
and if you're interested in other comic book characters and teams and whatnot, check out this playlist for other videos just like this.
Thanks for watching!