# How well-known is Thor, the Marvel comics character? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578 "2010-02-26T22:37:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/41 "2010-02-27T23:50:04Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I do have a totally inappropriate bug up my ass about comic book fans and have asked to have my account suspended for a while. I apologize for my threadshitting. How do you feel about former comic book fans? šŸ˜‰ I havenā€™t bought a comic book in close to 40 tears. But, since I was a kid during ā€œThe Marvel Ageā€ of comics, Iā€™ve made a point of seeing the recent crop of movies based on their characters. I loved the Spider-man, X-Men, & Iron Man movies & am pretty freaking curious at how they will pull off Thor, Captain America, & the Avengers. Oh, & Thor wasnā€™t a 2nd rate hero. At least not when Jack Kirby was drawing him. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/42 "2010-02-28T00:10:48Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I loved Marvelā€™s Thor, being a sucker for long blond hair and mythology. Very interesting and different. I remember his ā€˜girlfriendā€™ was transformed into a Norse goddess temporarily and she couldnā€™t handle it and made an embarrassment out of herself, lol. I donā€™t know if anyone today is familiar with Thor, other than him being a name out of mythology. If theyā€™re making a movie, it will resonate with baby boomers, maybe. Didnā€™t she transform into The Valkyrie, or was that someone else? Itā€™s been a while. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/43 "2010-02-28T00:24:24Z")
Probably Lady Sif. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/44 "2010-02-28T00:37:38Z")
No, [Jane Foster was briefly given immortality and Asgardian godhood](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Foster_(comics)#Fictional_character_history), but she didnā€™t become the Valkyrie. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/45 "2010-02-28T22:15:57Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > I donā€™t think that more than 2% of the US population could tell you that Thor is Dr. Donald Blake. I read Thor comics off and on (mostly on) for over 20 years, and none of that time coincided with his alter-ego being Don Blake. Most of the time he didnā€™t have an alter-ego, and for a while he was either Eric Masterson (later spun off as Thunderstrike) or Jake Olsen (no relation to DCā€™s Jimmy). He also had another identity (mainly before I started reading) that wasnā€™t him transformed into a mortal, but just him wearing normal clothing, Sigurd Jarlson. I still know **of** Don Blake from reading reprints of origin stories and other older issues, but heā€™s hardly as integral to the concept of Marvelā€™s Thor as Clark Kent is to Superman or Peter Parker is to Spidey. > [@wedgehed](#): > > If true, Iā€™m glad they didnā€™t take it any further. I would have hated to see a Thor family consisting of Thor Jr., Thelma Thor, etc. Shhhā€¦ Nobody tell wedgehed about [Thor Girl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Girl)ā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/46 "2010-02-28T22:28:18Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > .. and the scales fell from his eyes, and Dr Fidelius saw a character with greater clarity than ever beforeā€¦ > > Of Course heā€™s a Captain Marvel swipe! Weakling, powers of a god, magic walking stick instead of magic word. If you ever pick up the MARVEL VS DC crossover from the '90s, Thor squares off against Captain Marvel ā€“ who eventually calls down the enchanted thunderbolt and changes back into Billy. Thor quips that at least Capā€™s alter ego isnā€™t lame of leg; Billy says, remind me to introduce you to a guy named Freddy. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/47 "2010-02-28T22:36:25Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Funnily enough I heard of Thor (the comic book character) for the first time just yesterday on this Youtube [clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NtvOu0jpjI)of Conan. I didnā€™t know he was a comic character until another CS thread a couple of weeks ago. Iā€™ve seen Adventures in Babysitting and assumed that the kid was fixated on Thor from Norse mythology. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/48 "2010-02-28T22:46:06Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Shhhā€¦ Nobody tell wedgehed about [Thor Girl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Girl)ā€¦ I was unaware of that, but I canā€™t say Iā€™m surprised. My comic book purchases pretty much ended when they gave Spider-Man two extra pairs of arms & a Spider-mobile. The crapitude of Gil Kane & Ross Andru gave me no pause for regret. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/49 "2010-03-01T04:27:55Z")
I actually own every Marvel Thor comic ever published so Iā€™m not exactly unbiased. That said, in my experience heā€™s fairly well know outside of the comic book community. Not Superman or Hulk or Spiderman level but moreso than say the Silver Surfer or even the Fantastic Four (pre movies). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/50 "2010-03-01T10:51:28Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > I actually own every Marvel Thor comic ever published so Iā€™m not exactly unbiased. That said, in my experience heā€™s fairly well know outside of the comic book community. Not Superman or Hulk or Spiderman level but moreso than say the Silver Surfer or even the Fantastic Four (pre movies). The helmet & hammer help. Distinctive, in the superhero set. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/51 "2010-03-01T14:50:32Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > Dr. Donald Blake. > > Iā€™m guessing Marvelā€™s Thor is roughly as well-known as Iron Man was before his movie. Maybe slightly less since Thor didnā€™t have a 90ā€™s cartoon. This is about what I expected, shy guy. I have pretty much all the Thor comics published between 1971 and 2006, so I qualify as a big fan of the thunder god, but I suspected that his fame outside comics fandom was nowhere near as great as Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/52 "2010-03-01T16:49:40Z")
I subscribed for a few years, starting a couple years before Simonson took it over and the Beta-Ray Bill stuff started up. So, I am (or at least was) a fan. On a different note: [Thor, God of Thunder!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVnQxmwUvgI) ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/53 "2010-03-01T17:19:03Z")
I think the God of Thunder has a bit of help, recognition-wise, from the punchline to the old joke: God of Thunder: ā€œMadam, Iā€™m Thor.ā€ Woman: ā€œYOUā€™RE thor? Iā€™m tho thor I canā€™t even pith!!ā€ ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/54 "2010-03-01T17:37:58Z")
Iā€™m surprised nobody has really brought it up (unless I missed it), but they are making a [movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800369/) of it, which I assume makes the question (much to droppyā€™s chagrin) more than an academic one. Iā€™ve been reading Marvel for as long as I can remember, but I never ā€œgotā€ Thor. Never read his comics and he never really showed up in anything I followed, so while I knew of him (and Loki), I didnā€™t know how the whole Deity thing really operated in the ā€œreal worldā€. Was he an actual God, or just some superhuman dude like Green Lantern, but with a hammer? How did other heroes (the non god-like ones) relate to him? Not really urgent questions, but also not ones with intuitive answers, which is probably why heā€™s always been off the radar for me. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/55 "2010-03-01T19:03:00Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Iā€™ve been reading Marvel for as long as I can remember, but I never ā€œgotā€ Thor. Never read his comics and he never really showed up in anything I followed, so while I knew of him (and Loki), I didnā€™t know how the whole Deity thing really operated in the ā€œreal worldā€. Was he an actual God, or just some superhuman dude like Green Lantern, but with a hammer? How did other heroes (the non god-like ones) relate to him? Not really urgent questions, but also not ones with intuitive answers, which is probably why heā€™s always been off the radar for me. Itā€™s complicated. These are the exact issues the book has dealth with for the last ~8 years, and itā€™s been a pretty fun ride. Start reading Thor vol 2 around issue . . . (off the top of my head) . . . 35 if youā€™re interested. Come back when youā€™ve finished volume 2 and are up to date on volume 3. It gets REALLY good when J. Michael Straczynski (creator of Babylon 5) starts writing it. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/56 "2010-03-01T19:07:12Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Itā€™s complicated. These are the exact issues the book has dealth with for the last ~8 years, and itā€™s been a pretty fun ride. Start reading Thor vol 2 around issue . . . (off the top of my head) . . . 35 if youā€™re interested. Come back when youā€™ve finished volume 2 and are up to date on volume 3. It gets REALLY good when J. Michael Straczynski (creator of Babylon 5) starts writing it. Thanks. šŸ™‚ Definitely not going to happen (I donā€™t have the time/$$/inclination to read comics anymore), but I figured the perspective from someone who did have a passing familiarity with the comics world was worth sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/57 "2010-03-01T19:08:07Z")
Thereā€™s a hammer and helmet. Thereā€™s smashing (I presume) and maybe lightning? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/58 "2010-03-01T19:19:44Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Thanks. šŸ™‚ Definitely not going to happen (I donā€™t have the time/$$/inclination to read comics anymore), but I figured the perspective from someone who did have a passing familiarity with the comics world was worth sharing. Ah, ok. Well, your issues have been addressed at length in the comics now. If you ever get the time and inclination, your public library system probably has the trade paperbacks. Youā€™d probably want to start at _Gods On Earth_, but if you really want to know whatā€™s going on, go back a few more and start at _The Death of Odin_ . . . unless you **really** want to know whatā€™s going on, in which case start at _Thor: Resurrection_, unless you REALLY **REALLY** want to know whatā€™s going on . . . :p:D. Yeah, I like Thor. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/59 "2010-03-01T19:45:03Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Ah, ok. Well, your issues have been addressed at length in the comics now. Yeah, I figured he couldnā€™t have survived this long without some heavy backstory and mythology-building (so to speak) going on. > [@](#): > > If you ever get the time and inclination, your public library system probably has the trade paperbacks. Youā€™d probably want to start at _Gods On Earth_, but if you really want to know whatā€™s going on, go back a few more and start at _The Death of Odin_ . . . unless you **really** want to know whatā€™s going on, in which case start at _Thor: Resurrection_, unless you REALLY **REALLY** want to know whatā€™s going on . . . :p:D. I think Iā€™ll just wait for the movie. šŸ˜›šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578/60 "2010-03-01T20:30:52Z")
My pub trivia team was confronted with a picture of Marvelā€™s version of Loki, and I was a bit surprised that I was the first to identify him. Three others had looked at the picture before me. Though if it had been handed around the table the other way, the guy to my left would have definitely got it. So I take that to mean that most do not know Thor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-is-thor-the-marvel-comics-character/530578.md?page=2)