If I had a Hammer
Born 1500 years ago to Odin and Frigga, the king and queen of fabled Asgard, Thor grew into a mighty warrior and protector of his home and people. Thought to be rash and even reckless by his father, Thor nevertheless looked forward to the day of his ascension to the throne. But, his adoptive brother Loki schemed in private to ensure that day never arrived. He manipulated Thor into attacking the Frost Giants, legendary adversaries of the Asgardians and Loki’s people, and Odin—hoping to teach his son humility—divested Thor of his magic hammer Mjolnir and banished him to Midgard, the realm also known as Earth.
Born 1500 years ago to Odin and Frigga, the king and queen of fabled Asgard, Thor grew into a mighty warrior and protector of his home and people. Thought to be rash and even reckless by his father, Thor nevertheless looked forward to the day of his ascension to the throne. But, his adoptive brother Loki schemed in private to ensure that day never arrived. He manipulated Thor into attacking the Frost Giants, legendary adversaries of the Asgardians and Loki’s people, and Odin—hoping to teach his son humility—divested Thor of his magic hammer Mjolnir and banished him to Midgard, the realm also known as Earth.
Alone and unable to return to Asgard, Thor met scientists Jane Foster and Erik Selvig in the midst of their investigation into strange activity near a small New Mexico town. While his brother struggled with the limitations of mortals on Earth, Loki worked to ensure his own seizure of the Asgardian throne and planned to allow the Frost Giant king—his real father—into Asgard to slay Odin in his sleep. Back on Earth, Thor sacrificed himself to save the town from destruction and in doing so, impressed Odin enough to restore him to full Asgardian power.
With Mjolnir once again in his grasp and the admiration and possible love of Jane Foster, Thor returned to his home, routed the Frost Giants, and defeated Loki in battle. Chagrined at his loss and stinging from Odin’s condemnation, Loki chose to fall away from Asgard into a strange warp in space while Thor and their father looked on. Though happy to be back in Asgard, Thor’s thoughts were filled with adventure on Midgard with Jane Foster.
The Trappings of a God
Like all Asgardians, Thor possesses great strength, endurance, stamina, and long life, but it is his command over the stormy forces of nature that separate him from his brethren as a true son of Odin the Allfather. Thor can call down lightning and thunder at will and utilize them like a blacksmith uses his tools to work iron and steel—bending and shaping them into weapons. Once he believed it was his hammer Mjolnir that granted him these powers, but in truth the ability has rested within him the whole time.
For nearly a thousand years Thor holds Mjolnir’s grip in battle, a true companion if ever there was one. The incredible hammer was forged by Odin from the heart of a dying star and gifted to his son for his exclusive use. Odin even places an enchantment on it when he banishes Thor to Midgard, one that would only allow a “worthy” person to lift it and possess the power of the god of thunder. While Thor is with the Avengers on Earth, his comrades all try to handle the hammer, but only Captain America could move it slightly, a feat that its owner takes notice of.
After Mjolnir’s destruction by Hela, Thor forges a new weapon when the threat of Thanos arises. With the help of Eitri, a Dwarven smithy of Nidavellir, and an adolescent Groot, Thor crafts Stormbreaker, an immense axe with some of the same properties as his hammer, along with the ability to open the Bifrost.
The Dark Half
Thor develops a number of adversaries in his quest to protect Asgard, and also Midgard, from harm.
The relationship between Thor and Loki may rightfully be categorized as “complicated.” Raised as brothers, the two men know each other better than anyone, yet have been continually at odds, sometimes to notably extreme degrees. Loki’s scheming nature and unbridled egoism comes between him and Thor many times over, causing trouble that has literally impacted entire worlds. Still Thor, overcoming multiple betrayals, believes the man he calls brother can change and embrace the light. And it seems Thor’s belief in his is redeemed when Loki gives his life to protect Thor from Thanos—leaving Thor to deeply mourn his brother’s loss.
Among Thor’s more clear-cut enemies stand Frost Giant King Laufey, Surtur the Fire Giant, the dark elf Malekith, and Thor’s own half-sister Hela, the so-called goddess of death, all of whom have ill intent towards Asgard. Thor also finds himself imprisoned for a time on Sakaar by the Grandmaster.
Thanos earns Thor’s immense hatred after the tyrant’s crusade wipes out many Asgardians and kills loved ones of the god of thunder, making things very personal for him.
Warriors All
Thor grows up surrounded by warriors and fighters, and it is among that august group that he can count the majority of his close companions.
Heimdall, all-seeing keeper of the Bifrost Bridge, offers Thor advice and counsel whenever he requests it, and many times when he does not. Thor treasures his friendship with Heimdall, and they often fight back to back against those who threaten their home. Likewise, both Sif and the Warriors Three (Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun) are valued comrades of Thor, battling at his side over the years. They take pride in the fact that they always had each other’s backs in a fight, until the Warriors Three perish during Hela’s siege on Asgard.
On Earth, Jane Foster is a warrior in her own right, a woman who stands up for what she believes in and never backs down no matter how big a challenge she faces. These traits impress Thor from the moment he meets the young scientist, and their admiration for each other quickly grows into love. Whenever Thor is away from Earth, he counts the minutes until he returns to Jane Foster’s side. Unfortunately, the two part ways eventually. The Asgardian also feels a bond with Dr. Erik Selvig, Foster’s partner, and he looks to the scientist many times for insight not only into deep matters, but also for his knowledge of the world.
Of all of Thor’s Avengers teammates, Steve Rogers, Captain America, is perhaps the one that he trusts most with his life, though he will always remain a faithful companion to the others, including Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. The latter, in fact, more recently becomes a closer friend to Thor, as Banner’s alter ego the Hulk battles Thor in the gladiatorial arena on Sakaar and fights beside him in Asgard.
Thor also makes the acquaintance of one of the fabled Valkyrie on Sakaar, a warrior woman self-exiled from Asgard and her duties as one of its protectors. Though she at first opposes everything Thor stands for, she comes around to his desire to return to Asgard and vanquish its conqueror, Hela. In doing so, she becomes yet another staunch ally of the thunder god’s, as does the Kronan named Korg, who also fights with Thor on both Sakaar and Asgard.
While Thor encounters all of the Guardians of the Galaxy, he forges a special bond with Rocket, who accompanies him on his journey to create Stormbreaker in order to battle Thanos. Groot, who also joined that mission, becomes an ally as well.