Thinking About Thor #3

On the pressure of expectation in Thor #3

by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, and Matt Wilson; Marvel Comics

At the end of Issue 2, Thor found herself separated from Mjlonir and facing down a pair of Frost Giants laying siege to Roxxon Island, wondering who she was without the hammer in her hand. The question of her former identity remains, but in the moment, her only concern is how to continue to be worthy of Mjlonir without actually being able to wield the hammer.

As always, *SPOILERS* are contained within. Read on at your own risk if you want to get the plot of the comic yourself before I talk all over it.  

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At the start of this issue, we see a flashback of Malekith and Skrymir discussing the invasion of Midgard. Skrymir is hesitant to go to war with Thor, but when Malekith informs him that Thor Odinson has lost his hammer, the plans for invasion begin.  

What is Thor without his hammer? “Nothing but a God,” if you ask the Frost Giant.

Coming face to face with Malekith back in the present on Roxxon Island, We see the emerging personality of Thor again. Faced with an enemy, she boasts and postures, taunting the elf as she thinks former-Thor would. But the question remains…can she face the giants without the hammer?

For now, Thor is drawing inspiration from her predecessor for behavior, behaving in a way she believes Thor would behave. She is trusting that Mjlonir knew what it was doing when it chose her, and that she can—and must—handle the situation at hand. If Mjlonir says she is worthy, she must be worthy—and she seems to gain some confidence from that.

We learn something else from this issue as well, while Thor is trying to get Mjlonir back in her hands: when Thor isn’t holding Mjlonir for an extended period of time, she feels her power slipping away and begins to revert back to her prior identity. Malekith notes at one point in the fight that she is masked, wondering aloud who she might be hiding her identity from. Malekith, of course, also takes the time to accuse her of stealing the hammer, doing what he can to sew seeds of doubt in her mind. It seems that her new identity is somewhat tenuous, that being Worthy alone might not be enough to remain Thor.  

 The mystery of who our Thor is under the mask is starting to interest more than just the reader—even the frost giants she’s fighting wonder who she is. 

For the first time I can remember, we have a Thor with a secret identity.

For all the uncertainty about our Thor, she seems certain of a few things—she was chosen to take this role, and so, she is going to do everything in her power to fulfill it. Thor is the protector of Midgard, and she is Thor. All it takes to convince her to step into the role is the validation that she is worthy of the job.

How much of Thor’s identity is banked on the concept of worthiness? Just as much as the previous Thor was destroyed by the idea he was no longer worthy, Thor is drawing strength from gaining the same designation. 

In reviewing Thor #2, I referenced Marcia’s theory of identity development, which centers around the idea that in order to develop our identity, we explore multiple roles and ultimately commit to a set of elements, resolving the necessary identity crisis of adolescence.

In Marcia’s identity theory, there are four identity statuses a person may experience.  Ideally, a person wants to have explored roles and made a commitment, resulting in identity achievement. In identity diffusion, an adolescent isn’t exploring because they don’t have a sense of having choices available. A person in moratorium is in crisis and exploring commitments, but hasn’t made commitments yet. I had thought in the previous issue that Thor was somewhere in this stage, exploring what roles she might commit to and defining her ethical and moral values, I’m starting to think she is also experiencing identity foreclosure.

In the identity foreclosure status, a person seems willing to commit to some roles, but hasn’t explored a range of options. It’s in this stage that a person is most likely to conform to the expectations of someone else. For adolescents, this often means conforming to the expectations of parents or other influential adults in areas like career or college exploration, or even religious affiliation.

We are absolutely seeing Thor take on characteristics she believes Thor *should* have.  At one point in the fight, she thinks to herself about what Thor would do. “The hammer chose me,” she thinks a moment later, “That means I’ll do nothing less.”

So the question becomes, are Thor’s actions motivated by her internal sense of self, or by the expectation that these are the actions she has to take now that she wields Mjlonir? How much is the assignation of worthiness a self-fulfilling prophecy?

While I expect, eventually, Thor will reach identity achievement, I’m curious if her achievement will be for one identity, or for two. I’m very interested to see how she either integrates these two identities or develops them along side each other.

And with the appearance of a familiar face on the final page, it seems like the questions of worthiness, identity, and what influences the two have on each other are soon to come to light.

Regardless, I’m with Malekith on one point:

Post by Jennifer DePrey

Previously:

Thinking about Thor #1: On worthiness

Thinking about Thor #2: On identity

Thinking About Thor #2

Or the exploration of identity in Thor #2

by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, and Matt Wilson; Marvel Comics

Whereas the first issue focused on how Thor Odinson’s loss of worthiness and Mjolnir’s choice of wielder affected the world around them, the second focuses on the internal monologue of our new Goddess of Thunder. We’re presented right away with a contrast—Thor’s outward speech is that of an Asgardian (even shown in the wonderful formal font we always see from our Asgardian characters in Marvel comics), but her internal monologue is decidedly more modern and casual.

Issue 1 faced down the question of worthiness; Issue 2 is the beginning of an exploration of identity.

*Spoilers* ahead, so turn back now if you want to read the issue before reading my take on it.

Since we still don't know the identity of the new Thor, obviously, the mystery of who our new Goddess of Thunder is will be forefront in this book for a while. A mystery that seems to exist on multiple levels in the comic: as the reader is figuring out who Thor might be, Thor is also trying to figure out her new identity. She recognizes, immediately, that something is different.

She’s speaking differently, trying to figure out how to fly, and discovering she has knowledge of events that it appears she previously did not. She herself has, or at least is, developing a new identity before the readers eyes.

 I am fascinated by the process of identity development; one of the biggest reasons I love working with adolescents is that this process is still a major focus of their daily life. The field of psychology has a wide range of theories outlining this process, with varying views about how and when (if ever), our identity reaches a state of being fully formed.

James Marcia’s theory of identity development, though typically applied to adolescents, is an interesting model to use when thinking about a super hero’s identity.  Marcia’s theory centers around the idea that identity is largely the result of choices and commitments made by an individual. Identity development involves exploring multiple roles and perspectives, then making a commitment to elements that best fit with their identity. Individuals still exploring multiple perspectives and ways to interact with the world are considered to be in crisis until they have explained a range of choices and made commitments.

Our hero, who likely had finished adolescence and was carrying around a fully formed adult identity, is now facing down a serious identity crisis—having to integrate her prior identity (still a mystery to the reader) with a new role—being the Goddess of Thunder.  Before she can consider too many aspects of this identity crisis, she’s off, somehow knowing that the earth is in Peril.

Here’s what I like about our new Thor already: she’s jumping in to conflict Mjolnir first, working to keep Earth safe.  While it’s clear she didn’t know that picking up Mjolnir would change her into some sort of hero, she’s also clearly happy to use these new powers to enter the fight. At one point, she reflects that she’s not even sure what powers she’s gotten, and why Mjolnir chose her as worthy, but she keeps fighting, focusing on confronting one small challenge at a time.

 So, Who is Thor? Or, I guess, more appropriately…who was Thor? And what from her prior identity is going to carry forward? We already see that she’s willing to wade into battle to protect Midgard—is this a trait she’s carrying forward, or something inherent to the identity of Thor? I’m fascinated by the idea of integrating these two identities, one of which is still a mystery to the reader.

Issue two continues the mystery of Thor’s identity without sacrificing the forward motion of the plot. This identity exploration feels natural as it slides in along side the fights with Frost Giants, Trolls, Dark Elves, and Oil company executives. Small hints about who Thor was before she picked up the hammer pop up throughout the story, but the focus remains on who she is now, and on what she has to do to continue to protect Midgard. While we don’t yet know what in her past made her worthy, we see what sort of worthy action she is taking now.

“With that hammer in my hand, I was the goddess of Thunder,” she thinks to herself in the final panels, facing down Frost Giants without Mjolnir’s support. “So I guess now the question is: who am I without it?”

I want to know too.

Post be Jenn DePrey

Previously:

Thinking about Thor #1: On worthiness

  

Thinking About Thor #1

Or the weight of being Worthy in Thor #1

by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, and Matt Wilson; Marvel Comics

I have, for quite some time now, had a thing for Thor.

It’s not as intense as my Carol Danvers Situation (Carol is, without a doubt, my all time favorite comic character, and my love for her knows no end), but there is most definitely a place in my heart for the big, blonde, Norse God of Thunder. I have found something very meaningful in the story of someone who takes on the duty of caring for people that those around him don’t see as worthy of his attention or effort. Thor is smarter than many fans give him credit for, and is frequently struggling to maintain his own humility. He works with and respects a diverse range of beings, in which he appreciates a range of strengths and weaknesses. He is, often, bolstered and strengthened by his ability to wield Mjolnir, proving his worthiness to not just those around him, but also to himself.

So the announcement this summer that a woman would take up the title, powers, and hammer of Thor absolutely floored me. With the aid of Comixology and my public library, I caught up on the entirety of Jason Aaron’s Thor: God of Thunder in the weeks surrounding San Diego Comic-Con this year, where I was also floored to have a Thor title discussed in the Women of Marvel panel. And now, here we are, arrived at issue number one of a new title, a book for which I was so excited I jumped on Comixology to read it today, even though I know it will be in my box when I visit my comic book store next week.

So how was it?

*SPOILERS* ahead, so turn back now if you’d like to read the issue yourself before reading my take on it.

The issue it self is actually really solid—the story moves at a great pace, giving us multiple actions and characters with which to focus, from Malekith and his suspicious and villainous behavior in the Ocean, to Freya and Odin’s extended argument about who is really in charge of Asgardia (which I quite enjoyed), and the struggle of Thor Odinson, who suddenly is dealing with the reality of being unworthy.

The mere idea that he can’t lift Mjolnir has broken part of him. We see him lying despondent on the ground near his immovable hammer. He’s devastated by the effects of whatever it was that Fury whispered to him—that something as small as another man’s whisper could strip him of his worthiness.

Throughout the issue—and I suspect this will be true throughout the title as well—there is quite the commentary about the meaning of worthiness—none of the Asgardians can lift the hammer, not even Odin, who first enchanted it.

At one point, Volstagg suggest that this may indicate there is something wrong with Mjolnir.

But it remains to be seen—according to Mjolnir, none of the Asgardians are worthy.

Thor Odinson moves off to fight Malekith in another way, riding a goat (ram?) into the sea and wielding an axe, much like we’ve seen in flashbacks to young Thor early in the God of Thunder run, Mjolnir remains on the moon where it was dropped, and Odin and the Asgardians return to Asgardia, with Odin telling Freyja the time of the All-Mother has come to the end with his return.

In the last two pages of the issue, we meet our new Goddess of Thunder.

Though I felt it was very heavily implied that Thor is Freyja (which I can totally get behind), with some googling and reading, it appears that Jason Aaron intends our new Goddess of Thunder’s identity to remain a mystery for a few issues.  So here’s what I have to say about her already: I think I may be in love.

Our mystery Thor picks up the hammer with full confidence that she will lift it. She knows she is worthy; she is not asking Mjolnir to judge her as such.

There is already a message worth holding onto here—we can define who we are. In the letters column at the end of this issue, Jason Aaron responds to two people. The first expresses distaste with the direction Thor is taking, insisting that while they are a “big Thor fan”, they may be leaving comics behind in response to this  “obvious gimmick.” It’s one way to respond to a new iteration of a hero, but as Aaron points out in his response, the mantle of Thor has already passed between multiple characters, who all had to figure out what it meant to be the God of Thunder.

“The Hammer of Thor has always come with a certain inscription,” Aaron responds, “one that makes a very specific promise. The promise of transformation.”

I believe the story being set up is one very much about transformation and how we define ourselves. Thor Odinson has to figure out who he is without his name, without his hammer, and without the idea that he is worthy to be the God of Thunder. Our new Thor will have to prove herself as well—Odinson leaves some large shoes to fill, and she will undoubtedly come up against those that doubt her ability to do so. Will she continue to believe herself worthy and capable through this? What about her story is going to be new and exciting in the evolving mythos of Thor? I’m eager to find out.

The second person Aaron responds to is excited about the idea of a new female Thor. She has thought of Thor as her hero, someone admirable and inspiring. Thor’s story has clearly been a source of comfort for her.

There is something so powerful about being able to see yourself in your hero. “For the first time I feel like everything will be okay,” she writes. “I feel like I can dust myself off, pick up my hammer, and face the world.” This is the power that representation can have—with a female Thor, suddenly it feels a little less crazy that we could all be Thor, and be inspired by the loyalty, wisdom, and strength that have become synonymous with the character. This story of transformation means something important to our characters, yes, but it can also have meaning for those reading this story.

Thor #1 is solid opening act, and I am so very excited to see where the story, and our hero, goes.

Post by Jennifer DePrey