Favorite Characters: Thor (The Avengers)

 

I love that the Avengers is such a diverse team.  You have heroes with varying abilities/skillsets, people from different times, technological geniuses, chemically-altered superhumans, and, in Thor, a member of an alien species.  It makes for a much more interesting ensemble and leaves room for tons of variety in the solo adventures.  Thor is one of the more atypical leads in a superhero film franchise, and I’m a definite fan of the big guy.

 

The oldest son of Odin and heir to the throne of Asgard, Thor doesn’t have the usual comic book origin story.  There’s no inciting incident that gives him powers, no struggle to maintain a secret identity, and no transformation from underdog to top dog.  He’s the frickin’ god of thunder, raised in a realm of magic and wonder, and he’s the golden boy who strides confidently into battle.  So, nothing to achieve, right?  He’s basically a super-powered That Guy from high school, the sort who’s had everything handed to him from day one.  What’s more, Loki, his main villain, has lived in the shadow of his older, stronger, better-looking, more charismatic brother.  Loki seems like a classic underdog, he’s got a tragic backstory, and he gets by on his wits.  In other words, prime nerd-bait.  Where’s the fun in rooting for Thor?

 

It’s fun because Thor’s character trajectory is entirely different.  It’s a moral education, the story of a god thrown out of heaven for his arrogance and recklessness.  When his showboating lust for battle endangers Asgard, Odin banishes Thor to a dinky little planet and strips him of his loftier abilities.  His story in Thor is about learning to fight for others instead of fighting for his own glory, and he’s deeply humbled by his experiences on Earth.  (That, and the fish-out-of-water-ness of his early interactions with humans is delightful, just sayin’.)  Add in some heavy family drama and deeply conflicted feelings about going up against Loki, and you have quite the arc.

 

One need look no further than The Avengers to see how Thor has changed in the franchise thus far.  The Thor of the first film wouldn’t have done well as an equal member of a team; even though his Asgardian friends accompany him into battle, he’s all about running the show, and he literally has to be dragged away when it’s time to fall back.  His fighting style is audacious and flashy, showing off what he and his hammer Mjolnir can do.  When he faces off against someone, you’d think they were the only two on the battlefield. 

 

By contrast, in The Avengers, he takes orders from humans and fights alongside them.  He truly respects and values what they can do – their strength, their knowledge, and their strategizing.  His fight scenes here (and in Thor:  The Dark World) aren’t as eye-catching, but they’re more in service of the greater good.  For me, nothing is as cool as his fight with the Hulk on the Helicarrier, coming to Black Widow’s aid.  As the lone non-mortal on the team, he’s the only one that can truly engage the Hulk, and he keeps the green rage-monster busy while simultaneously shielding his new friend. 

 

He’s still self-assured, can still be cocky, but it’s been tempered by greater maturity and thoughtfulness.  Also, still bad-ass – during the fight I mentioned with the Hulk, I love the shot of him calmly holding out his hand, waiting for his hammer to come to him, while the Hulk is bearing down.  Dude turns his back on the Hulk because he knows Mjolnir will be there when he needs it; doesn’t get much cooler than that.