MERGE: Thor's Depowering: Not a Powerhouse Anymore

[blakkrussian]

Now contrast Thor and Spideys classic team up fromthe 70's and see how Thor came off:







Contrast this to Thor running scared of Electro ( ha ha ) like a biatch.

[blakkrussian]

Thor comes across as Someone who is willing to listen and find out what is going on BEFORE charging in like a bull in a china shop and telling Spidey " Just take a seat sonny while i will kick yon giants ass" like he basically did in ASM.

[plushbug]

Thor comes across as Someone who is willing to listen and find out what is going on BEFORE charging in like a bull in a china shop and telling Spidey " Just take a seat sonny while i will kick yon giants ass" like he basically did in ASM.

Exactly...and for me, this was always a big part of his charm. Not that the writers didn't tend to overdo his internal dialogue a bit back in this era (always seemed to me that it was something of a workaround for his not having a sidekick to talk to--he effectively broke the 4th wall a lot with it) and it could get really corny at times, but damn, it was evidence for this big, powerful guy also having a brain and using it. He rolled with the powers of a god and every certainty that that's what he was, but he was also constantly looking at situations, looking to figure things out, and visibly a respectably rational character. Not to mention perfectly willing to stand down, turn things around and end up helping whoever was originally getting in his face, if he figured out that the situation called for it. Even when stood down and just being social with people, he was still a good-natured, articulate presence. By comparison, our current lad comes off a one-dimensional lump (when, outside his own titles, he's used as more than set dressing because it's the Avengers or whoever, and he's "expected" to be there).

[HaveAtThee]

Exactly...and for me, this was always a big part of his charm. Not that the writers didn't tend to overdo his internal dialogue a bit back in this era (always seemed to me that it was something of a workaround for his not having a sidekick to talk to--he effectively broke the 4th wall a lot with it) and it could get really corny at times, but damn, it was evidence for this big, powerful guy also having a brain and using it. He rolled with the powers of a god and every certainty that that's what he was, but he was also constantly looking at situations, looking to figure things out, and visibly a respectably rational character. Not to mention perfectly willing to stand down, turn things around and end up helping whoever was originally getting in his face, if he figured out that the situation called for it. Even when stood down and just being social with people, he was still a good-natured, articulate presence. By comparison, our current lad comes off a one-dimensional lump (when, outside his own titles, he's used as more than set dressing because it's the Avengers or whoever, and he's "expected" to be there).

Ain't that the truth. While Hickman's characterization isn't the worst I've seen, it's not much better. He's still somewhat of a dorky jock who offers little insight and only brutish behavior. Rather unbecoming of a god I think.

[plushbug]

Ain't that the truth. While Hickman's characterization isn't the worst I've seen, it's not much better. He's still somewhat of a dorky jock who offers little insight and only brutish behavior. Rather unbecoming of a god I think.

Mm. I haven't seen Hickman's latest, either (not a big 'team' book reader, here) but that doesn't surprise me big time.

I keep feeling like in the 616-verse, we've had too much focus on taking the character back to his roots with the Vikings, in ways that basically ignore his 1000-1500 years' worth of experience since, and all the ways in which, by the time we met him in the comics in the 60s, he'd grown beyond "just" being any of that, into a full-strength Asgardian prince who was pretty well attuned to the world he was living in, and nowhere near stupid.

[jphamlore]

Ain't that the truth. While Hickman's characterization isn't the worst I've seen, it's not much better. He's still somewhat of a dorky jock who offers little insight and only brutish behavior. Rather unbecoming of a god I think.

And in-story reason is there are consequences for removing the Donald Blake persona.

[avenging son]

And in-story reason is there are consequences for removing the Donald Blake persona.

I keep hoping that will happen, but I guess as long as sales for conan god of thunder are doing well this is what we have.

and yeah, Thor hitting that starbrand kid, so far out of character,

[BraveSirRobin]

And in-story reason is there are consequences for removing the Donald Blake persona.

Not really. Donald Blake was Thor in a human form. If current Thor got turned back into Blake, we'd have a doctor who tried to cure cancer by whacking the tumour with his cane or something.

[plushbug]

Not really. Donald Blake was Thor in a human form. If current Thor got turned back into Blake, we'd have a doctor who tried to cure cancer by whacking the tumour with his cane or something.

Or, if he could have his memories back, of his experience and education as Blake, less of this nothing-but-a-Viking-lump nonsense...which doesn't even make sense. I mean, I'd be charmed if we could get back to the god of thunder who was able to get sidetracked delivering babies and occasionally floored ER staff by handing them in casualties with specific instructions as to what they needed to do for them first-up, but honestly, even the guy JMS started him out as, when he was effectively running separate from Blake, he wasn't anything like as dumbed down as now. Some of that vibe, perhaps--it seemed to be the separated Blake who was doing most of any 'figuring out' that was going on--and a lot quieter than earlier on, but he was still a regal, thoughtful, considerate and not inarticulate character. Even touches of a dry sense of humour, that damn, I miss.

[HaveAtThee]

I don't really think Don Blake is needed for Thor. It wouldn't be out of the question to add some personality and knowledge to Thor's character, given his experience throughout the centuries. What's the point of writing him as aloof/naive/brutish/etc.? Aaron has injected some well-needed personality into Thor, and with the three separate Thors we get to visually see his maturation process and how he views specific events thousands of years apart. The beauty of Aaron's portrayal is that even cocky younger Thor exuded an aura of mystique, magnanimity and pathos. Thor himself isn't "dumb" it's just that he's written that way for some reason by most writers.

[Gamma Burst]

I don't really think Don Blake is needed for Thor. It wouldn't be out of the question to add some personality and knowledge to Thor's character, given his experience throughout the centuries. What's the point of writing him as aloof/naive/brutish/etc.? Aaron has injected some well-needed personality into Thor, and with the three separate Thors we get to visually see his maturation process and how he views specific events thousands of years apart. The beauty of Aaron's portrayal is that even cocky younger Thor exuded an aura of mystique, magnanimity and pathos. Thor himself isn't "dumb" it's just that he's written that way for some reason by most writers.

Well said.

[2cats]

For a writer to understand another author's character is such an unlikely event that follow any Marvel character is an act of masochism and self inflected torture in Thor's case. So whenever this lazy/sloppy/unconsidered writing happens I use this logic:

- Thor is not a super alien (superman, goku like), he is a god and he knows better. If there is a street level midgardian who can stand up for his/her planet, Thor won't get on his/her way. He wants us to fight for ourselves.
- Thor looses big on propose sometimes, to keep the faith and avoid the blind relying just as he was thought by Odin in Tales of Asgard (Journey in to Mistery 110)
- Nothing Thor says or does could be trusted. He is uncountable older and unmeasurable powerful to most species that is very likely that he could be just playing therefore he might save/leave/destroy by pure boredom. He is insane too. Remember the Valkyrie's origin.
- He has a good nature and is apparently naive but he consciously puts himself in trouble, just to probe he can handle whatever is trow at him. He is arrogant in that sense and a death seeker too.

Finally if no reasoning/excuse could save the plot, stop buying it. Marvel takes decisions by it's profit numbers, they do notice and care if something isn't well received.

[Mikey Brown]

Thor is not depowered. Who cares how many times he "loses" or what character "beats" him? This is comics, not handbooks. If you don't like the way he's being written in one book, try another. He's in a lot of books at the moment. His solo by Jason Aaron is amazing, one of the best comics on the stands. There's just so much more to comics than keeping track of a character's individual win/loss record.

[Superman Priime]