Marvel just gave Alex Yarde’s daughter a great birthday gift by announcing Thor is now female.
“This new Thor isn’t a temporary female substitute – she’s now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!”
-Marvel editor Wil Moss
“Sometimes the King is a woman.”
-James De La Vega
The first piece I wrote for The Good Men Project, the one that got me through the door with my Editor, was “Why Can’t A Girl Be The Red Ranger?“. I wrote that piece in response to my daughters’ love of a property (The Power Rangers Franchise) that, by exclusion of her gender in command roles, didn’t love her back. A little over a year and 100+ articles later Marvel is sucking up the oxygen at San Diego Comic Con a day before it starts with the announcement for the first time ever, Thor, God Of Thunder would be a woman. Thor Odindaughter. And this is a very good thing.
Making the debut on the curious but telling mainstream show The View, Marvel announced the Mighty Thor would now be female. While boys can see plenty of folks that look like them lead superhero teams, girls cannot. They get to lead girl only teams. Here’s a test: name four females who lead primarily male superhero teams, and don’t Google it. Let’s not even get into the abysmal lack of Transgender, Gay or Black representation. Women purchase more than half the merchandise and movie tickets, but remain woefully underrepresented in Comic Books & Comic Book Movies. Wasn’t the Revolutionary War fought over the lack of representation?
It’s encouraging to see Marvel and its parent company Disney take this gamble with one of their hottest properties. Thor is one of the Avengers, “Trinity”. Thor, Captain America & Iron Man’s importance to the Avengers mirror DC’s Batman, Superman & Wonder Woman in relation to the Justice League. So it’s a bold move. Already the reaction is predictable, ranging from the knives-are-out to feigned indifference by misogynist trolls to jubilation (where I choose to be). However positive a step forward this may be, my original arguments for taking a fresh look at the gender bias in Comics remain as valid as when I wrote my first article. The fact is the 75-year-old CIS white straight, male archetype for heroes like Thor is predominant. However, comic books are no longer only written and read by white males. They never were inclusive, but we all got on board anyway, because they fed our limitless imaginations as children, giving hope when you needed a hero. You could take on what traits you loved about your favorite comic book heroes. Imagine yourself as brave or as clever or as strong as them. Greater still when they spoke your language or could relate to your culture, or looked like you do. This announcement is a positive step toward addressing this. As Marvel says, this is their eighth title to feature a lead female character, as stated, “aims to speak directly to an audience that long was not the target for superhero comic books in America – women and girls”.
Now I get it. It’s hard to imagine a more masculine character than Thor, Norse god of thunder. Thor debuted in the Journey Into Mystery title in 1962. Originally punished by his Dad Odin Allfather, King of Asgard for his lack of humility, Thor Odinson was stripped of his godhood and memory and was banished to earth as Dr. Donald Blake until he could prove himself worthy. Blake was disabled until he transformed into The Mighty Thor by striking the ground with an ancient walking stick he found hiding from alien invaders. The stick transformed into the hammer Mjölnir, restoring his power. Thor has also been the star of two Marvel big-screen films and both Avengers films. Marvel says that a new series written by Jason Aaron with art by Russell Dauterman will re-cast Thor as a female character. The comic, launching in October, is billed by Marvel as “one of the most shocking and exciting changes ever to shake one of the ‘big three’ of Captain America, Iron Man and Thor”. As explained in Marvels official press release, “There’s no sex change nor is it a “Thor-ette” situation (nor does it have anything to do with Chris Helmsworth’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, yet). In a press release sent after the announcement, Marvel said, “A brand new female hero will emerge who will be worth of the name Thor. Series writer Jason Aaron also emphasized that point: “This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve ever seen before.”
These things don’t happen by accident. People are making choices at the editorial and executive levels. We all should encourage producers of comics that make affirmative choices regarding ability, gender, race & sexual orientation represented at all levels of the creative process by seeing female-lead superhero movies and supporting indie comics that are at the forefront of women-positive and diverse heroes right now. Marvel editor Wil Moss said, “The inscription on Thor’s hammer reads, ‘Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.’ Well, it’s time to update that inscription. The new Thor continues Marvel’s proud tradition of strong female characters like Captain Marvel, Storm, Black Widow and more. And this new Thor isn’t a temporary female substitute – she’s now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!”
Reportedly Joss Whedon, the director of The Avengers and The Avengers: Age of Ultron, made online statements in support of Marvel comics new Thor. Whedon, who writes strong, female lead characters in series like Buffy, Firefly & Agents Of SHEILD, indulged in a little bit of fancasting. Whedon christened Katee Sackhoff! Starbuck our new God of Thunder? Still, a few things need to be answered about the new Thor, like who is she? What is her connection to Asgard? What is her relation to Odin? Is she the product of a late night in the king’s tent on one of Odin’s Campaigns policing the nine realms? That I’m anxious to learn these things means Marvel’s gamble might pay off big-time, which is great for everyone. More diversity and gender equality in future IP will hopefully spring forth because of it. Now, if your hackles are up over this move, before you lash out in Berserker Rage on the inter webs, ask yourself this question…
Why does this change make me feel so uncomfortable? (Loss of Chris Helmsworth Beefcake aside)
These are fictional characters. Even Loki was female for a time. It’s a minor thing. Happens in Comic Books all the time. 99.9% of the superheroes & teams are still solidly male. No one is doing better on that front than the CIS Males that will inevitably attempt to usurp the narrative and make it about them. Again. Attacking such changes as some kind of male discrimination instead of a positive way to address gender inequality and for the producers of Comics and Comic Book Movies to increase market share. In a time in our society when it seems that being a woman or a girl means having to defend your every personal decision as well as your physical person, giving a nod to the ladies by making one of their most powerful (and profitable) heroes a woman isn’t a bad move by Marvel. But for me most of all, this could be a major thing for our daughters. The day I became a feminist was the day my daughter came into this world. The anniversary of this day is fast approaching. It’s a wonderful birthday gift, imagining you could be as powerful as the God Of Thunder. What could you not accomplish? Who could stand in your way? Her party theme is Frozen. I think I’ll get her Mjölnir, you never know when a frost giant could strike.
All Art~Marvel Comics
tl;dr I think this is an awesome idea if it’s written “correctly” as opposed to gimmicky.
My first thought when seeing this: Does anyone else remember the movie “Adventures in Babysitting” with the young girl always sporting her Thor helmet? 🙂
My 2nd thought is what being worthy means. I’ve long thought that it was being judged from a viking culture standpoint (sort of a “noble warrior”) which several other characters have equaled (Beta Ray Bill, Captain America). Hee hee, can I put in my vote from Agent Melinda May from Agents of Shield?
It is good to have female superheroes, though switching genders on an established mythological character is jarring.
I do object when all, or nearly all, the victims of the superhero, the canon fodder, are male. It has become common in fantasy now to have women handle swords, arrows, and super weapons, but almost always the nameless soldiers and thugs slaughtered by the hundreds are male.
If it is right for women to be the righteous killers in our fantasies, it is also right for the characterless, evil hoards to be half women.
“If it is right for women to be the righteous killers in our fantasies, it is also right for the characterless, evil hoards to be half women.”
I see you are thirsty for some women slaughtering. But women still aren’t half of the superheroes, not even close.
Thor was Thor not Don Blake with powers. He was Odinson. I could get the “change” as far as physical characteristics, but why wouldn’t they make him trans?
Eh my inner purist has already had its moment to rear its head over this.
I still need to look up how the transition is going to happen. Will there be a whole new backstory written for Thor or will we just see the hammer pass to the next person and keep running.
Correct English says that when a female is a god she is a goddess. A woman who is like a king is a queen. What is this with all the genderbending in this article and on this blog?
It’s just a pity there’s no more Thor, he was one of my favourite characters. I suspect the reason they changed Thor, specifically, was because he was one of the most masculine characters and represented a lot of traditional masculine traits and well, those are frowned on now (unless a woman holds them, in which case, yay girl power or whatever). It’s seen as a good way to nuke another male role model.
There is a Thor. Whomever had the hammer is Thor.s