The announcement of a new Thor #1 starring a Goddess of Thunder caused a storm across the realms. A mystery woman will take the place of Thor Odinson. Like a lightning strike, the news inspired thunderous cries of support and criticism.
Whether you love or loathe the concept of this new Thor, what is the significance of a woman as the God of Thunder?
I turned to the man who literally wrote the books on female superheroes.
Mike Madrid traced the legacy and cultural impact of women in comics in The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism and the History of Comic Book Heroines then took us back to meet Divas, Dames and Daredevils: Lost Heroines of The Golden Age and Vixens, Vamps and Vipers: Lost Villainesses of The Golden Age arrives in October.
What does this comic book historian think of Marvel’s thunderous relaunch?
“First off I’ll say that I think this new female Thor is just Marvel’s way of creating a buzz around a new series. Just as we’re told that all of the deaths in the Marvel Universe are permanent, we’ve seen so many fallen heroes come back to life. And I’m sure that we’ll see the male Thor return in a year or so,” Madrid told us before putting the new Thor into context.
“Now, all cynicism aside, I think this female Thor is significant. Throughout seven decades of comics we have seen female versions of popular male heroes introduced — Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel, Superman and Supergirl, Wolverine and X-23. These female counterparts have always been a reflection of the more established male heroes. Comic books make it clear that these female “copies” are less powerful than the male “originals”. These women are the partners or “helpers”, the men are the boss. What’s interesting about this new female Thor is that she is not assisting the male Thor. She is replacing him. She is not She-Thor. She’s Thor. She’s not an addendum or afterthought. The mantle of a hero can be assumed by whoever is worthy, regardless of gender. Time will tell see whether the Uru hammer alone will provide the proper credentials for the female Thor to be accepted by her fellow heroes in the Avengers and the larger Marvel Universe.”
Writer Jason Aaron and artist Russell Dauterman will reveal the story of the new woman behind the mask. As Madrid points out, the new Thor’s costume could say a lot about how Marvel is approaching this new heroine.
“I assume the mystery of who this new female Thor is will be central to her story. Otherwise why would she be wearing the Thunderstrike-inspired masked helmet? Hopefully the mystery of who the new female Thor actually is won’t drag on for too long, since mysterious loner heroes are so 1990s.
It’s noteworthy that this new Thor’s costume has not been sexualized because she is a woman. In What If #10 we saw Thor’s human girlfriend Jane Foster transform into Thordis. Her costume was virtually identical to Thor’s except that she had bare legs. In 1999’s Earth X miniseries Thor was transformed into a woman, and changed into a costume with revealing cutouts. Because, naturally that’s what any man who was transformed into woman would do, right? The new female Thor wears a costume that appears to be less gender specific, aside from the silver armor being curved to accommodate her breasts. But no metal bra. No bare midriff. In a medium famous for salacious representations of women, that seems like a step forward.”
The new all-new Thor #1 and Madrid’s Vixens, Vamps & Vipers arrive in October.
By Editor