On October 3, 2014 we mourn a hero who has been with us. This hero was a friend, a beloved god, and last but not least an Avenger. R.I.P. Thor. Thor was re-launched in October 2014 by Marvel Comics. He cannot lift his hammer anymore and has become unworthy; in fact all in Asgard have become unworthy, including Odin the creator of the hammer. Without his hammer he is no longer able to wield his god-like abilities. The earth is attacked, one thing leads to another, and he is defeated and killed by Malekith. In the final pages of this heart-felt book we witness Thor’s hammer being picked up by a hand with a blue spark adding a “s” before “he” on the hammer and thus a new Thor is born, not of Y chromosome but of 2 X’s. You can preorder Female Thor (Thor) the graphic novel here.
The introduction of female Thor was absent from this issue. The reason was that in order to have the female version of Thor, male Thor has to die. If male Thor were still in the Marvel universe the two characters would collide. In that collision female Thor would become a sidekick and a lesser character to male Thor. That would be the exact opposite of what Marvel wants. The reasoning behind this is in the last few years companies like DC and Marvel have been losing market share to companies like Image who have a wide range of diversity rather then being a boy’s club of superheroes. So this issue and series deals with Thor not being a god anymore, losing his hammer and dying at the hands of a villain who controls frost giants. With Thor’s death, the first introduction of female Thor is implied. This is evident on the cover of the issue and at the end when she changes the inscription on the hammer from ”He” to “She”.
The lack of female Thor in this issue was not a bad thing but rather a good way of introducing her into the Marvel universe. Killing off Thor, as I mentioned above, makes the next character to pick up the hammer a key player in the Marvel universe. Female Thor, the next Thor, has picked up the hammer and is now a major hero as there is no other hero in her category that can compete. As I was alluding to above this is the scenario that Marvel desperately needs to recapture some of their market share they lost. Furthermore, women and girl readers have spiked as comic book consumers and a female hero will appeal to them and also appeals to fans that are tired of the same old heroes in the comic world.
Marvel has been around for 75 years and many characters have not changed and have developed a rich tradition. Tradition in comics is very important, but traditions change and sometimes those changes are progressive. In this circumstance the change from a male Thor to a women Thor is a progressive change. It allows for a female character to be an original Marvel character and as a result reflects current society, women’s equality and success. Breaking tradition is a reoccurring Marvel theme recently. Captain America is being transformed from a white Caucasian to an African American. Changing tradition could be the future for Marvel. The same old traditions were the reason why some fans left for other companies, and in breaking these traditions it will give fans what they want from Marvel.
