Thor's Identity Revealed (Spoilers)

Last issue was great with a lot of Thor vs Destroyer action (and the promise of a great continuation next issue).

But it started with several pages of a candidate to be Thor, and now, those pages only served as misdirection. They didn't service the story, they only served to mark time and misdirect until the reveal was made.

The other candidates they setup (Frigga) and took down in a few frames -- they didn't waste pages on, and even the frames that were there were part of Odinson's story, and were elements of that story, and important.

It also takes some of what went before and makes it a bit less interesting (Thor kissing Odinson), though it does explain it a bit.

So, next issue should hopefully explain why I paid for a few page of a comic that were just filler, instead of good story. I've been enjoying Thor, and I've long felt that when I knew the two "secrets" I'd be upset.

- Who Thor is.
- What did Fury whisper to Thor to make him unworthy, and Mjolnir reject him and Odin. (with a side helping of why is Mjolnir acting differently for the new Thor).

I'll be getting the issue as I've been enjoying the title, but the choice seems fairly un-original to me. That doesn't make it not a good story, or a good comic, just that I was hoping for a bit more. Still better than it being Gwen Stacy/Mary Jane/misc woman in the Marvel U. (Though if you were going to go random, It should have been Mockingbird. Marvel seems to have forgotten that she exists, which is odd since she's in Agents of SHIELD. But I don't notice Mockingbird in any of the "female avengers" promos, etc, and this would be a good explanation why. Thor is hacking out with the "Thors" in the Secret Wars stuff. And speaking of Mockingbird, way to forget she was dosed with a Nazi Infinity/Super-Soldier serum, I think we've seen like one page of her going all super-solider)

Ahh this is more confirmation of what i have kinda said. This is still a book about Thor (the guy) and how hes going to pick up the hammer again rather then her. I am going to guess by the end of the year...but donno. Certainly before the new movie.

Same way Captian America is still a bit more about Rodgers rather then Falcon. It feels like Marvels having there cake here rather actually exploring the ideas in them.

Though from what i understand Sales of the Book have picked up considerably-so maybe if they go back it drops. As i have pointed out, a suprisngy number of women buy comics, and if this goes away...yeah things could happen to sales.

Did kinda wonder if this all kinda setup to a forth Thor movie plotline(not the third though thats kinda been going to setup. Though the hints they have done for it make it sound kinda more of the same from the not very good Dark World). I could see this being kinda of a good idea actually to play with the formula. Hemmsworth is game for the material they give him and could have fun with kinda lost Odinson(i generally think he and a few other characters like Sif, and Loki are good parts of movies that don't really give them that much to do)

The problem with this revel is......Natlie Portman has made pretty clear that she doesn't want to go back to Thor after her Contract is up. There is a reason she doesn't do a cameo in Avengers. They had to pretty close to sue her to do two, and while she is contracted for three, Four.(shes not horrible in the movies, but after winning an academy award she seems pretty willing to play generic love intrest-though agian what they give her) But If she has cancer i supose that could be a way to recast the part

castor wrote: Ahh this is more confirmation of what i have kinda said. This is still a book about Thor (the guy) and how hes going to pick up the hammer again rather then her. I am going to guess by the end of the year...but donno. Certainly before the new movie.

Same way Captian America is still a bit more about Rodgers rather then Falcon. It feels like Marvels having there cake here rather actually exploring the ideas in them.

Though from what i understand Sales of the Book have picked up considerably-so maybe if they go back it drops. As i have pointed out, a suprisngy number of women buy comics, and if this goes away...yeah things could happen to sales.

I've always maintained that (not check to see what the tropes site calls it, so I use my own name), but "The Fall of the Hero". These are the some of the best (and worst stories). Thor is there to provide a backdrop to Odinson, so we can see his fall, and compare his journey with hers. It also gives another light on "What is Thor?" as Odinson really deals with the essential questions of who he is and what makes him a hero. And so far the tale of both of them have been pretty good. Odinson is not presented in his best light -- but that's where he is in the arc, he still shines through, just with a few more warts.

This is a story that (in the end) according to the writer (who has been on Thor for a long time), was always going to happen. Thor was always planed to loose his hammer, and spend issues figuring out who he was when he wasn't "Thor". If the stories are good, it'll be something that writers for the future reference, like Peter David's addition to the Hulk, or the Demon in the bottle storyline with Iron Man/Tony Stark (where he addresses his alcoholism).

So yeah, we all know Odinson is going to be Thor again.

What we don't know if if the current Thor (who as you mention is showing a pretty good uptick in sales) is going to cement her place, and therefore as Thor gets his hammer back, she gets one too. (Though she seems to be doing a pretty good job with Mjolnir, I don't know when Odinson ever gave his hammer a kiss for a job well done.)

I guess "Secret Wars" is a pretty good place for there to be a whole slew of Thors and one of them can give his hammer over so Earth 616 can have Thor Odison and the current Thor.

AuGoose wrote: So having followed this arc only from an extreme distance - that is to say to know it was happening from the articles of news titles rather than having read more than maybe 8 scattered individual frames, I guess this kinda comes as a "duh" moment to me. I didn't see all the misdirects... So if someone just asked, "Hey, who is the most central, most important female character in Marvel-Thor's mythos?" The ONLY answer would be Jane Foster. No other character comes even close for having the body of relevance to try and hang this mantle from. Doubly so with her more recent portrayal in the movies - the first Thor movie being arguably much more about her questing than his. "She searches for you, even now."

I was avoiding the spoilers ... but what you said makes perfect sense. Which is why i characterized it as "fairly unoriginal". If there is one obvious choice and you pick it, it's not very original. And then why build up a story of "who is it?" when the choice is "duh". Just tell the story!

Fortunately the comic itself really didn't spend too much time on this topic or (absent the last issue) spend many pages on it. It's OUTSIDE the comic that it generated discussion and topic and ads. Mostly there story just didn't (yet) tell us who she was, instead it showed Thor going about the tasks in front of her and exploring her powers (with some twists from what we expect from Thor and Mjolnir, who is increasingly seeming to be semi-sentient). Odinson and Odin were a bit obsessed with the question though. But this is natural for both of them.

And using a unoriginal choice is not bad -- it's how you tell the story that matters. And so far, the story has been fun and entertaining. The focus has been on that fun and entertaining, with a spice of "Who is she really?" The only thing that upset me is wasting pages on a SHIELD agent who doesn't matter to Thor's or Odinson's story arc, and (seemingly now) has little relevance to the story. If she just ferries Jane to the moon, well, do that in a panel or two.

Then get me back to the Thor vs the Destroyer grudge match.

Marvel reused the strategy that they used a few years ago for Red She-Hulk: despite all the misdirection, there was really no other person it would logically be but the long-time woman in the main character's life.