Tag: Love and Thunder

Thor becoming the first Avenger to get a 4th film in their own series is actually a good thing given that there are still a few adventures for Odinson to go on, and make no mistake: this one leaves him in a very different place than any of the other three before it. The events of Thor left him on Asgard away from Jane and mourning the death of Loki. Thor: The Dark World had him leaving Asgard to be with Jane while again mourning the death of his mother and Loki…a second time. Then along came Ragnarok where he lost his father and sister and home but managed to escape Surtur. I think it is safe to say that no hero in the MCU has lost as much as Thor, and this fourth entry adds even more loss after adventures with the Avengers that saw him lose Coulson and Heimdall and Loki (again!) right in front of him. It should come as no surprise then that Thor’s latest movie ends with someone dying right in front of him then. Tragedy, it would seem, is what propels the God of Thunder forward into different adventures. It’s not just putting the Asgardian at the center of tragedy, though, that usually leads into the next big Avenger’s threat.

It was Thor’s brother who arrived on Earth necessitating the Avengers to assemble initially, and it was the mind stone located inside Loki’s scepter that led to the creation of Ultron AND VIsion and the Scarlet Witch, which led to the Avengers reuniting. It was Thor sending Loki to light the eternal flame and unleash Surtur that also led to Loki stealing the Tesseract from Odin’s throne room, which drew Thanos to the refugee ship that the Asgardians were on. If you look back at the Infinity Saga, you can rightfully argue that Thor brought the Avengers face to face with their greatest villains (Loki, Ultron, and Thanos). The mid-credit scene of Thor: Love & Thunder hints at that continuing to be the case.

Zeus, with a lightning-sized hole in his sternum, sends his son, Hercules, on a mission to knock the Odinson out of the sky, reclaiming glory meant for the gods instead of heroes. However, what if there’s more to this scene than meets the eye? What if what we are seeing play out isn’t really telling us everything? What if, to understand what’s really happening, we have to accept that someone else has paved the way?

In the comics, one of Kang The Conqueror’s variants, Immortus, utilizes what are known as Space Phantoms to go after the Avengers by masquerading as famous heroes from different eras. This included heroes like Merlin, Goliath, and, yes, Hercules. This caused a team of villains led by Baron Zemo, who had enlisted Immortus’s help in defeating the Avengers, to go back in time to the moment where they accepted his help and, this time, refuse it. By introducing Hercules here, as an antagonist for Thor who arrives on Earth seeking the God Of Thunder out, it will undoubtedly bring the Olympian face to face with whoever the new group of Avengers is. What if the Hercules that arrives on Earth looking for Thor isn’t Zeus’s son, but a space phantom controlled by Immortus? Or, what if the Thor that Hercules finds isn’t the God of Thunder himself, but a space phantom?

We are entering the world of secret invasions and variants. With Thor’s consistent connection to all of the Avengers-level villains, it stands to reason that we didn’t just see who Thor’s next antagonist would be, but that we just saw another piece of the puzzle being laid down by one of Kang’s variants. Hercules may be a son of Zeus, but he may also be a Space Phantom of Immortus.

Anyone who’s seen a Thor movie knows Chris Hemsworth is a daddy, but only those who’ve seen Thor: Love and Thunder know his character is now too. The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended with the God of Thunder taking on a little more responsibility than he’s used to, adopting the daughter of his deceased foe Gorr the God Butcher and stepping into the role of father. While this might have been a shocking turn of events for global audiences, it’s actually not the first time Thor has been depicted raising a child. In fact, it’s happened a few times in the comics, and the concept has even made it to animation in the past. Follow along as we at Murphy’s Multiverse take you on a trip down memory lane, discussing every time the Odinson has ever been a Thorfather.

Torunn Thorsdóttir (Earth-555326)

When Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow went directly to home video in 2008, a lot of fans missed out on a pretty charming-and creative-animated adventure. Set in a future where Ultron has slaughtered Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and taken over the planet, Next Avengers follows the teenage children of the original team as they emerge from hiding and go on a journey to save the world. Among them is Torunn, voiced by Brenna O’Brien, the daughter of Thor and his wife, Lady Sif.

In this timeline, Thor is actually one of the very few Avengers to have survived Ultron’s vicious attack. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stick around to keep helping Earth, as the sudden death of Odin forces him back to Asgard to replace his father as King. With duty calling, he chose to leave Torunn behind, hoping a childhood among mortals would teach her the same lessons of humility he had once learned in his own banishment. His plan works, and dodgy parenting tactics aside, Torunn grows to become a humble warrior who protects Midgard in the way her father did before her.

Created by Christopher Yost, Greg Johnson, and Craig Kyle, this version of the Thorsdóttir possesses all the same abilities as her pops, but wields a giant enchanted longsword into battle as opposed to a hammer. She is also every bit as fierce and brash as Thor once was, always acting quickly to defend those she loves. A few alternate Torunns have popped up in the comics as well, but typically only as background characters on different Earths related to Next Avengers.

Thena Thorsdóttir (Earth-982)

Before Marvel came up with the Ultimate line of comics, there was another attempt made to reboot the mainstream continuity in an accessible way for new readers. Far less successful and not as well-remembered, stories told in the “MC2” timeline are set in a present where the first Marvel heroes have mostly aged out of costumed activity. In their stead are a new generation of Avengers and superpowered do-gooders, and while it took her a while to show up, another version of Thor’s daughter did eventually make her way to the universe.

Created by Tom DeFalco, the same guy who launched the “MC2” brand with 1998’s Spider-Girl, and Ron Lim, Thena Thorsdóttir made her comic book debut in 2006’s Avengers Next #1. There, it’s revealed that Asgard has been destroyed by a very hungry Galactus, and that Thor and Loki’s children, Thena and Sylene, are among those who escaped the disaster. Unfortunately, Sylene disappeared in the chaos, and somebody has to go find her.

In her brief arc, Thena is sent to Earth by her father and uncle with two goals in mind – find her lost cousin, and restore Thunderstrike’s powers so he can continue to guard Earth in the Asgardians’ absence. Initially believed to be an enemy, Thena fights the new Avengers and loses her magic hammer in the process. Of course, she later makes amends with the team and joins them to battle Ultron, and later Sylene, when she turns out to be the real threat (it is Loki’s kid, after all). If you’re worried about the lost hammer, don’t fret. Thena gets a fancy new titanium weapon designed by Jarvis for all her troubles.

Brigid Thorsdóttir (Earth-20368)

The most recent addition on this list, Brigid Thorsdóttir has only been around since Captain Marvel (Vol. 10) #23 released in 2020. Hailing from an alternate future where a lethal cataclysm scorched Earth and left it bathing in leftover radiation, Brigid stays in New York City working as a blacksmith to aid other survivors. She is initially unworthy of lifting her father’s hammer Mjolnir, which has been dormant since Thor lost his life in the world-ending blast, and is unable to use it until a time-traveling Carol Danvers arrives in 2052 A.D.. Pulled into conflict alongside Captain Marvel, Brigid finds herself able to summon Mjolnir just before she’s killed by the forces of the Enchantress. It’s implied that, even after Carol leaves her timeline, the Thorsdóttir will use the hammer to continue protecting what’s left of humanity.

Brigid was created by Kelly Thompson and Lee Garbett, and unlike the previous Thorsdóttirs, whose time in the spotlight has pretty much ended, we may see more of her in the future. Fun fact: Brigid’s name comes from the Irish Goddess of Smithing, in reference to her unique skillset, and is not Norse at all. Nothing is known officially about her parentage, but it’s entirely possible Thor fell for a red-headed lass in this universe before things went south.

Magni & Modi Thorson (Earth-616)

The only known time Thor has had children in the main Earth-616 continuity. In accordance with Norse mythology, it’s revealed way back in 1980’s Thor #293 that the God of Thunder had two sons before the previous end of the Ragnarök cycle wiped them from existence. A story from Roy Thomas and Keith Pollard explains that Magni and Modi Thorson, based on the actual Norse deities, sacrificed themselves to bring back Odin so he could rebuild Asgard, father Thor once more, and start the Ragnarök cycle anew. Not much else is known about the brothers aside from this, but it can be assumed most of their whole deal would be the same as it was in actual mythology. If that’s the case, then their mother would be a giantess named Jarnsaxa.

Woden Thorson (Earth-691)

The Guardians of the Galaxy may be household names today, but in 1993, they were still just little-known characters living in an alternate 31st Century timeline. In that universe, Thor and Sif had a son named Woden, who was created by Michael Gallagher and Dale Eaglesham for an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy #42. Described as a brooding bully, Woden grew up mostly without a father figure, as Thor found himself unable to give up a life of adventure for the role of dad. As a result, Woden had a troubled upbringing, with only his mother Sif around to help where she could. Eventually, Thor would be made to stay in Asgard by Odin, but his resentment of the situation would lead to his becoming an alcoholic and Woden leaving home as a bitter soul.

Years later, Woden would return to action in order to stop his uncle Loki and an army of Inhumans from tearing Asgard to the ground. With a bloated Thor now unworthy to wield Mjolnir, a disgruntled but worthy Woden would pick up the hammer and team with the Guardians and his grandfather Odin to end Loki’s latest assault on the Gods. Following the battle, Woden takes up his father’s once-righteous quest to protect Asgard as it’s golden son, even teaming with Heimdall later on to fend off a dangerous creature on the Bifrost Bridge.

Magni Thorson (Earth-3515)

Originating in a short arc titled Thor: The Reigning (which plays out in Thor (Vol. 2) #67-69), this reality continues the trend of Thor being a shockingly bad dad. In a story created by Dan Jurgens and Scot Eaton, the Odinson makes the decision to merge Asgard with New York City, creating a version of New Asgard that an organization called the Consortium of Nations deemed too dangerous to stick around. Their dramatic assault on New Asgard results in Thor slaughtering what’s left of his humanity and using his God power to forcibly take control of Earth, establishing his reign as “Lord Thor” and eventually crafting a variable paradise on Midgard. Two decades later, he would have a son with Amora, the Enchantress, and name him Magni.

Magni is raised as the beloved and loyaly crown prince of New Asgard, adventuring throughout the Eight Realms and conquering enemies in the same way his father had done in his youth. However, once he reached adulthood, the Son of Thor would come to resent the brutal way in which the Asgardians treated humanity. A relationship with a mortal woman named Jordahl pushes him over the edge, and Magni ends up leading the charge against his father to restore decency to Asgard’s legacy. This act enables the Thorson to wield Mjolnir, an ability his pops lost after murdering innocents. After a bunch of violent shenanigans, Thor realizes the error of his ways and relents, fixing his own timeline and collaterally erasing Magni from ever being born.

Modi Thorson (Earth-1610)

Thor may not have done too much papa-ing in the mainstream Marvel universe, but he did have a rather unfortunate brush with fatherhood in the Ultimate timeline. Jeph Loeb and Frank Cho‘s Ultimate New Ultimates #5 introduces readers to Modi Thorson, the God of Thunder’s child born out of, well, nothing comfortable. In this reality, Thor makes his way to Valhalla to retrieve the lost soul of his lover Valkyrie, only to come face-to-face with the Goddess of Death, Hela. The villain cuts a deal with the Odinson – he can have Valkyrie back, but first he must bare Hela a child. Yeah, as previously stated, nothing comfortable.

That child would quickly be discovered by his uncle (and sort of grandfather, but maybe don’t think about that too much) Loki, who brings Modi back to Asgard and reunites him with his father. Unfortunately, an unexpected assault on the realm causes Thor to lock Modi in “The Room Without Doors”, where he ages years in a matter of days, develops a hatred for his old man, and begins to resemble his uncle (grandfather). Upon escaping the room, Modi heads to Midgard and attempts to usher in a second American Civil War, partnering with Hydra to enact his complicated plan. Chronically terrible father Thor consequentially teams with Steve Rogers, who is President of the United States in this universe, to smite his own child and put an end to the chaos. The Ultimate timeline was messy, to say the least.

Balder Blake (Earth-9811)

What If…? #114, by Jay Faerber and Gregg Schigiel, explored a world where the heroes of Battleworld were never allowed to leave. There, they were forced to settle down and continue living their lives with whoever else had been unwillingly transported to the alternate dimension on which they defeated Doom and the Beyonder. Thor ended up pairing with the Enchantress, and together the two had a son named after Thor’s brother Balder. Each year on his birthday, Balder would attempt to life his father’s hammer Mjolnir, but consistently found himself to be unworthy.

Though he would never be shown to pick up the weapon, an encounter with the villain Malefactor (son of Victor von Doom) revealed his friend Sarah Rogers could, and together they would stop the threat and return peace to their universe. After a time, the heroes of Earth-9811 found an opening to make their return to their original homeworld, but instead are stranded in a new timeline ruled by an army of Sentinels. True to his parentage, Balder commits to making the world his next home, and helps form a new team of Avengers alongside Sarah and the other superheroic teens from Battleworld.

Woden Thorson/The Goddesses of Thunder (Earth-14412)

This child of Thor is at the bottom of the list because, frankly, we know almost nothing about him. Conceived by the maestro Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic for their run on Thor: God of Thunder, a second variant of Woden Thorson has been mentioned more than once but never shown. In this universe, Thor would eventually become King of Asgard and the All-Father, living a complex life that would see him spend time as both a Living Planet and an enforcer for Omnipotence City’s Ministry of Inter-Deity Justice. Along the way, the God of Thunder fathers a child with a Frost Giant general called She-Blizzard (which is awesome). Their half-Asgardian, half-Frost Giant son would apparently grow up to have three children of his own – daughters Frigg, Atli, and Ellisiv.

While Woden never actually shows his face in the comics, his daughters do. The grandchildren of Thor aid him and his past selves in the fight against Gorr the God Butcher. Each of the trio are taken as slaves by Gorr and forced to help him build his Godbomb contraption, until they are rescued by their grandfather’s younger self and freed to do some damage of their own. Following the Gorr conflict, all three Wodendóttirs return to Asgard and help Thor fend off Galactus and a variety of other threats to their kingdom. The Goddesses of Thunder would ultimately become players in 2015’s Secret Wars, before they form a new team of Avengers on their version of Midgard.

There’s a lot of riding on Thor: Love and Thunder as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first fourth outing of a solo franchise. As successful as the MCU is, the Thor films have always struggled to reach the same acclaim as their counterparts. While Captain America saw a complete reinvention by the second film, it took Thor a third film for the character to get a proper second wind. And in a metaseries that’s keener on introducing new franchises and ending legacy ones, it’s a blessing to get a fourth chance at continued redemption. Sadly, even this late into the series, Love and Thunder fumbles more than it scores thanks to director Taika Waititi’s impulsive comedic habits and narrative ideas that furiously clash with one another. The result is a film with an unbalanced dose of good, bad, and ugly.

THE GOOD

For all of his blindspots crafting this film, Waititi once more illustrates his impressive grasp on characters. Love and Thunder has its fair share of endearing goofballs, hopeless romantics, and tragic sinners. Even as the story fails to sustain Waititi’s wacky instincts, his characters cut through the noise. Christian Bale’s Gorr, the latest addition to the Thor mythos, is a zealot devoted to ending the reign of the gods. Bale carries the entirety of Gorr’s arc on his shoulders even as his scattershot presence in the film disservices the character’s arc. A performance epitomized in the character’s redemptive moments in the film’s climax. Gorr doesn’t quite reach the tension and dread wrought by his counterpart on the pages of Jason Aaron’s comic but it’s a role that salvages a fledgling film.

Like Ragnarok before it, Love and Thunder also has the privilege of being a film populated by bizarre visuals. From the opening planet with the Guardians and the muppet-looking Mad Max bandits to the monochromatic battle with Gorr, there’s a lot of eye candy in the film. Not the least of which are the array of costumes the film showcases. Thor alone has multiple wardrobe changes spanning eras of comic book runs. That Taika Waititi has him wear the maximalist gold helmet from the 90s and the Thunderstrike outfit in a single movie shows a commitment to making Thor the most stylish Avenger yet.

Powers in the MCU are often ill-defined and the full range of Thor’s abilities are no exception. So in a surprising turn during the film’s third act, Thor bestows a portion of his presumed Odinforce powers to a battalion of children. The result is a roaring, somewhat cheesy yet fist-pumping set piece that sees Gorr’s shadow monsters decimated by children. In a film that desperately needed a pick-me-up from the film’s trudging plot, a sequence like this is a win for the film.

THE BAD

Love and Thunder‘s fall from grace stems from a haphazard narrative where character development is abridged, pieces of the story are omitted, and the overall plot is contrived. For example, a B-plot about kidnapped Asgardian children takes place in order for the film to have a ticking clock with some semblance of stakes. It may pay off nicely in the end but the story that gets to it is messy.

Waititi eschews much of Aaron’s iron-clad blueprint for Gorr, a killer hellbent on personally slaying gods across eons, to service a father simply seeking Eternity to wish them away in a bloodless solution. A huge swing by any Marvel metric but one that spirals outward to an array of contrivances which includes a wasted set in Omnipotence City, home to all the gods. This bloodless endgame for a villain is a unique one but for a character whose moniker is the God Butcher, it’s a regretful choice considering how there’s minimal god butchering in the film. Furthermore, an argument can be made that the Eternity subplot and the Omnipotence City set piece overlap have overlapped. Imagine a sequence where Gorr destroys Omnipotence City and its gods in an attempt to find Eternity’s door.

There’s also an issue with its runtime. A handful of minutes are devoted to inane comedic sequences that overstay their welcome. A dull rehash of Thor: Ragnarok’s theater gag goes on for nearly 3 minutes. Russell Crowe’s scenes as Zeus is a distended mess of a comedy routine. It certainly doesn’t help that most of the jokes don’t land. An egregious example is a dying Sif being the butt of a joke about Valhalla. Meanwhile, Jane Foster’s battle with cancer is barely explored and her crucial transformation into Thor is kept off-screen. The same can be said for Gorr’s actions as the God Butcher; the movie keeps insisting that he slays gods but never shows it. Runtime should never preemptively define a film’s quality but a post-mortem of Love and Thunder shows how much extra screen time it could have used. 

THE UGLY 

Jane Foster can’t seem to catch a break even as she achieves godhood. Love and Thunder may be a well-meaning attempt to rectify the first two Thor films’ crime of demoting Oscar-winner Natalie Portman into a soulless love interest but it goes through the same pitfalls as its predecessors. Whereas Aaron’s comic proved Foster worthy of Mjolnir’s might by virtue of her own will and bravery in fighting cancer, in Love and Thunder, Jane is deemed worthy thanks to… Thor’s love for her. Even as she becomes the epicenter of the film’s best action sequences, the script doesn’t give the character the space to reckon with her newfound purpose. The worst comes when she succumbs to her cancer in order for Thor to have his climactic epiphany on life. Foster’s arc is indebted to Thor and her conclusion is to service Thor. 

Gorr is similar to Thanos in a lot of ways. Both are victims of circumstances beyond their control. Both have villainous duties they deem as righteous. Both have a sliver of humanity beneath all their menace. Yet what separates Thanos from Gorr is that Thanos’ essence is aptly examined in Infinity War while Love and Thunder does the minimum effort in reckoning with Gorr’s agenda. For all the gods and divine characters that appear, Waititi never examines the themes most relevant and obvious to his story: godhood, prayer, faith, devotion, and worthiness. The apathy to such touchstones is what ultimately robs the film from having a lasting weight that the MCU has had in strides. Most of the gods in the film are presented as one-dimensional jackasses, signifying Waititi’s indifference in engaging with their POV and mostly proving Gorr’s point. And because the film doesn’t do anything to thematically challenge Gorr until the very end, the core of the film feels weightless.