# Thor is stupid; let's throw rocks at him (spoilers about the movie) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294 "2012-08-03T14:14:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/41 "2012-08-04T02:27:22Z")
Thor can certainly whip up a good storm, but can he calm one, too? And he didn’t really have to become a better leader for _The Avengers_, just good enough to realize that Cap was a better leader than he and to follow his direction. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/42 "2012-08-04T02:39:36Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I got bored near the start, so I started paying attention to things like the sets. That tiny little desert town looks very much like a backlot construction and very little like a real town at all, especially during the establishing scenes. Seeing a billboard with something apparently censored via black paint (a phone number, perhaps) sure didn’t help my suspension of disbelief. > > **Anaamika** , speaking of the “so very pretty” theme, use Google Image Search and type in “Thoreal”. 😃 (On a phone, hard to link GIS results at the moment.) HA! Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/43 "2012-08-04T03:20:11Z")
I liked it. The villain was interesting, the weird sci-fi meets Norse mythology was pretty unique, and the comic relief seemed less forced then other recent superhero movies. I thought it was a lot better then The Avengers actually. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/44 "2012-08-04T03:22:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Thor can certainly whip up a good storm, but can he calm one, too? > > And he didn’t really have to become a better leader for _The Avengers_, just good enough to realize that Cap was a better leader than he and to follow his direction. He did so in an issue of The Avengers for Jarvis. Jarvis was shoveling snow. Thor arrived and cleared the path for Jarvis, but it started snowing again. Jarvis implored Thor for help, and Thor made an exception to his policy of not overly mucking with weather patterns to get rid of the blizzard. I should be embarrassed with myself for remembering a throw-away 1/2 page from a decades old Avengers issue. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/45 "2012-08-04T03:45:37Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > I have a sociopath for a brother (sadly, I’m not kidding) and Loki seemed right on to me - that’s what they do. They manipulate and lie and scheme very well, and when they finally get caught (IF they get caught) they manipulate and lie and scheme some more so you doubt the evidence from before, and IF they get caught again, they throw the most god-awful temper tantrum you’ve ever seen. Yeah, this. Even in the myths and comic book stories that present him as sympathetic, Loki is a liar (albeit, in a less ill-intentioned way, just messing with his buddies, or fucking with the ‘bad guys’ for their benefit). No doubt Loki _thinks_ he’d be a good king, but he’s a petty, selfish, lying brat, who - as Thor points out in Avengers - has no real idea of what it means to be king - he wants it to aggrandize himself, not to, you know, lead. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/46 "2012-08-04T05:09:03Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I got bored near the start, so I started paying attention to things like the sets. That tiny little desert town looks very much like a backlot construction and very little like a real town at all, especially during the establishing scenes. Seeing a billboard with something apparently censored via black paint (a phone number, perhaps) sure didn’t help my suspension of disbelief. [It’s a real town.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galisteo,_New_Mexico#Filming_location) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/47 "2012-08-04T05:23:12Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I’m also grateful that when push came to shove, Thor’s one female friend wasn’t just a weakling; she actually fought. Thor: My friends, have you forgotten all that we have done together? Fandral, Hogun, who led you into the glorious of battles? Hogun: You did. Thor: And, Volstagg, who introduced you to delicacies so succulent you thought you’d died and gone to Valhalla? Volstagg: You did. Thor: And who proved wrong all who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this realm has ever known? Sif: I did! Thor: …True, but I supported you, Sif. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/48 "2012-08-04T05:26:40Z")
Personally, I liked _Thor_ - it worked for me. I also liked both _Iron Man_ movies. It was _Captain America_ I couldn’t buy into. (I haven’t seen _The Incredible Hulk_ or _The Avengers_ yet.) ---
**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:** [August 4, 2012, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/49 "2012-08-04T12:50:38Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > What I mean is, what is the point of any of the other Avengers when you have a God? Granted, you might need someone else to think through any plan more complicated than a gnat’s, and not just get by on a pretty smile and big muscles. It’s not much of a spoiler to point out that Thor ain’t the one who sneaks around playing stealthy investigator in the AVENGERS movie. (And when pure speed is called for, I don’t think he’s shown flying quite as fast as Iron Man.) ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/50 "2012-08-04T13:50:03Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > It’s not much of a spoiler to point out that Thor ain’t the one who sneaks around playing stealthy investigator in the AVENGERS movie. But that would be hilarious if he was: Thor (breaking through a wall): “You there! Tell me what I wish to know!” BONK (hits flunky on the head with his hammer) Turns to second flunky. “While your companion sleeps, tell me what I wish to know!” ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/51 "2012-08-04T14:11:54Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [It’s a real town.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galisteo,_New_Mexico#Filming_location) They did an awesome job of shooting it to look like a set. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/52 "2012-08-04T18:18:16Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I think it was Secret Wars where they pointed out that Storm manipulates weather patterns, while Thor creates them. There was also a scene where everyone assembled was a little awed by Storm’s display of power…except Thor, who was rather blasé about it. That makes sense. Off-topic, but aas Storm ever been stated to be an Omega mutant? I feel like if people like Cyclops and Iceman are, she should be as well. > [@Quimby](#): > > But that would be hilarious if he was: > > Thor (breaking through a wall): “You there! Tell me what I wish to know!” > > BONK (hits flunky on the head with his hammer) > > Turns to second flunky. “While your companion sleeps, tell me what I wish to know!” I would watch the crap out of that. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/53 "2012-08-04T22:36:29Z")
> [@Ephemera](#): > > That makes sense. Off-topic, but aas Storm ever been stated to be an Omega mutant? I feel like if people like Cyclops and Iceman are, she should be as well. Continuing hijack: Cyclops - Alpha Iceman - Omega :dubious: Storm - Possible Omega I know little of the X-Men after the early 80s. Marvel’s mutant universe was growing too fast, was too interconnected, and required reading of substandard books to make sense of the whole thing. So I dropped them completely around the time Colossus decided he was into guys and dumped Kitty. I enjoyed Thor, and wasn’t put out by the flying hammer. And Sif may be just behind Baldur in terms of Asgardian warriors. She’s definitely top 10, maybe top 5, possibly top 3. It’s good the movie kept this. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/54 "2012-08-04T23:19:07Z")
Classic Thor will murder all three of those mutants before they could think. Sorry, slipped into geek mode. I digress. I Iiked the movie. Could have been an awful lot worse. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/55 "2012-08-04T23:34:58Z")
Poor Loki. He’s the science nerd in the football family. Excellent at what he does (and a good fighter, apparently) but not appreciated. Vicious circle. And Thor counterbalances the other Avengers: smarter than Hulk, tougher than Cap, more fighting experience than Iron Man, and zappy stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/56 "2012-08-04T23:45:14Z")
Thor was tough to write for the Avengers because really, he’s more powerful than all of them combined. Good writers like Stern and Simonson know how to write him. Some others just don’t get him at all. He’s a fantastic character but just takes a little more effort than most. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/57 "2012-08-04T23:54:53Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Continuing hijack: > > Cyclops - Alpha > Iceman - Omega :dubious: > Storm - Possible Omega > > I know little of the X-Men after the early 80s. Marvel’s mutant universe was growing too fast, was too interconnected, and required reading of substandard books to make sense of the whole thing. So I dropped them completely around the time Colossus decided he was into guys and dumped Kitty. Okay, I don’t know what an Alpha Mutant or an Omega Mutant is. Little help here? Does it have something to due with that time when most of the mutants lost their powers? Is that still in effect or was it reversed? And I thought it was Ultimate Colossus who was gay. Was mainstream Colossus gay also? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/58 "2012-08-05T00:03:29Z")
It seems to me that most characters have their superpowers dialed back down in power when they move from comic books to a movie or TV series. A speculation but I think it’s a sign that characters start out with relatively weak powers and their powers ratchet up as time passes. Superman, for example, was originally only stronger than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings. Come back a few decades later and he’s tossing planets around and traveling through time. So comic book characters who go to a new medium are essentially getting rebooted as new characters and only have new character level powers (although, in this case, Superman might be the exception rather than the rule). Another factor is that superheroes in the comic books inhabit a world of other super-powered characters that they interact with on a regular basis. So their superpowers don’t seem as extreme because they’re being used at that higher level. Whereas in movies and TV, superheroes are usually portrayed as unusual individuals in a world where only one of two other characters might have equivalent powers. So dialing back their powers puts them on a more equal footing. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/59 "2012-08-05T00:21:04Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Superman’s too busy standing for Truth, Justice and the American way to cripple rapists and murderers, so someone else has to step in. > > Seriously - if I had someone who meant me harm after me, I’d be MUCH happier if Batman showed up. Supe will just haul him off to the police station, where he’ll spend a few days in jail and get out thanks to his slick lawyer. Batman will beat him so badly and terrify him so thoroughly he’ll never come within a mile of me again. Yeah, but knowing Batman while doing this he’ll probably find a way to snap the guy’s mind and physical form turning him into a villain that’s going to hold the entire city hostage like clockwork. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294/60 "2012-08-05T00:39:17Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Okay, I don’t know what an Alpha Mutant or an Omega Mutant is. Little help here? Does it have something to due with that time when most of the mutants lost their powers? No, the rankings rather predate Decimation. Probably from the early 90s? ISTR it coming up then. Anyway: Alpha Level mutants have controlled (combat) useful powers and no noticeable cosmetic mutations (although their powers can have cosmetic effects - Colossus, for instance). Beta have generally human appearance and useful powers, but either have less obvious but clearly non-human traits (Wolverine’s claws) or less controlled powers (ie: Cyclops, who is Beta, not Alpha), thus can pass as normal if nobody’s paying close enough attention, but have a fairly easy tell for those that are. Gamma level have significant cosmetic mutations, along with useful powers - Nightcrawler, for instance. Deltas have less combat-useful powers, but can generally pass as baseline humans - Forge, as an example. Epsilons have less combat useful powers, and significant cosmetic mutations - they really got the short end in the mutant-hating Marvel U - they stand out so they can’t claim not to be mutants, and their powers don’t even help them defend themselves. Most of the Morlocks are Epsilons, though some are Gamma. Omega is the only level that’s based entirely on power level - these are the mutants that really scare the shit out of people. The Magnetos, the Apocalypses…the Icemen? Yeah, I’m not sure how the fuck Bobby gets classed as Omega. But, yeah, basically anybody who can trash an army singlehandedly is an Omega. Storm should be classed as Omega, though I’m not sure if people consistently do. > [@](#): > > Is that still in effect or was it reversed? Been a while since I’ve read an X-Men comics, but I believe it hasn’t really been reversed, per se, but a few formerly depowered mutants have regained their powers, and new ones are again appearing, but those are both kind of trickles. > [@](#): > > And I thought it was Ultimate Colossus who was gay. Was mainstream Colossus gay also? Nope, mainstream Piotr is straight, and Ultimate never dated Kitty. (She had a crush on him, IIRC, but nothing came of it, for obvious reasons.) Petey broke up with Kitty most recently when he became the new Juggernaut, apparently. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-is-stupid-lets-throw-rocks-at-him-spoilers-about-the-movie/630294.md?page=4)