# Thor - The comic book movie no one asked for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457 "2010-12-17T01:56:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/22 "2010-12-17T15:21:09Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > They asked for Thor by going to see X-Men, Spiderman and Iron Man a few million times. That might be what Marvel _heard_, but that doesn’t mean it’s what people said. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/23 "2010-12-17T15:24:26Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > With Captain America spending time with him during WWII is essential, because he’s a patriotic American supersoldier in the time of Iraq and Afghanistan. A morally clear movie about stomping Nazis is both fun and thematically appropriate, and emphasises why Steve Rodgers is patriotic enough to want to wear the American flag without being a dick. > [@WotNot](#): > > Though at the moment, I think it’s still unclear whether Captain America’s WWII will have any Nazis in it at all. A Captain America movie in which no Nazis get punched is a waste of perfectly good digital-celluloid-equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/24 "2010-12-17T15:40:39Z")
Guano Lad: > [@](#): > > Unfortunately, you’re probably right, even though it should specifically be the superhero genre that wanes, so that other comic books get more opportunity. Like Jonah Hex? Please, no. ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/25 "2010-12-17T15:47:25Z")
I just want a Beta Ray Bill cameo. How cool would that be? ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/26 "2010-12-17T15:52:59Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Kenneth Brannagh has already ruined a perfectly good character with Frankenstein… > > Trailer isnt that bad, the lead playing Thor (dont know his name) isnt bad, they seem to continue on laying the foundations of a Marvel ComicBookMoviesVerse with the appearance of Shield agents . Only thing that I dont get, why the fuck is there a black guy (apparently a god, is it an Asgardian?) in Asgard ? Probably the same reason the Kingpin was black in _Daredevil_ - he was deemed to be the best actor for a role where race isn’t spelled out. They’re aliens, not Scandanavians. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/27 "2010-12-17T16:01:28Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Heck, Thor is _certainly_ a better seller than Man-Thing, which actually got a movie. And better than the Punisher, which got several movies. Punisher has carried 2 or 3 monthly titles at once for about the last twenty years, a feat Thor has yet to match (although Thor has a bunch of LS’s at the moment, in anticipation of the movie; word is, the Landridge/Samnee **Thor the Mighty Avenger** , which I love, is getting axed due to low sales). I don’t have any sales figures available, but I strongly suspect Punisher outsells Thor most months. As for **Man-Thing** , wasn’t that a Sci-Fi Channel thing? Did that ever play in an indoor theater? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/28 "2010-12-17T16:07:55Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Only thing that I dont get, why the fuck is there a black guy (apparently a god, is it an. Asgardian?) in Asgard ? Also a Japanese guy, playing Hogun the Grim. I imagine Odin might fight some other pantheon, and adopt a child of the defeated/deceased. That’s how he wound up with Loki as a son. Loki was born into a family of Frost Giants, at least in the Marvel version. In other versions, he’s Odin’s brother. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/29 "2010-12-17T16:26:21Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > As for **Man-Thing** , wasn’t that a Sci-Fi Channel thing? Did that ever play in an indoor theater? Is he thinking of Swamp Thing, whose movie did see theatrical release, but who is (1) a DC character and (2) the star of maybe the most highly respected run of any mainstream comic ever? ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/30 "2010-12-17T18:31:41Z")
Massive Thor fan here. By far the best comic character I’ve ever read. That said, he’s an acquired taste and I fear for the movie. They appear to have a good director and a decent cast but I can’t see it having much of a cross-over appeal. When done right, he’s a more interesting character (to me) then Superman/Batma/Spiderman and the Hulk combined. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/31 "2010-12-17T18:33:35Z")
> [@Double\_Foolscap](#): > > They’re aliens, not Scandanavians. Depends on your definition of what an alien is. In Marvel continuity they are not considered to be aliens but gods. Asgard is a big place in Marvel (outside of the golden city itself) so it’s very possible that there are dark-skinned inhabitants. I mean why not, there are already elves, trolls, giants (of many stripes), fire demons, genies etc. etc. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/32 "2010-12-17T22:44:32Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Is he thinking of Swamp Thing, whose movie did see theatrical release, but who is (1) a DC character and (2) the star of maybe the most highly respected run of any mainstream comic ever? No, he’s thinking of [Man-Thing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-Thing_(film)), which was greenlit for video but upgraded to theatrical (sort-of). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/33 "2010-12-17T22:45:26Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Like Jonah Hex? Please, no. The thing is, you can make a good Jonah Hex film, if you want to, and it wouldn’t feel like an oversaturation of a genre. Whereas even when a great superhero movie comes along, and there hasn’t been one for a couple of years now (this year’s crop have all been mediocre), it feels like there are just way way too many. Thousands of non-superhero comics could make great movies or TV, and not require familiarity with the source material to gain an initial audience. But second-tier superheroes that aren’t household names, like Green Lantern, Deadpool, and Thor, are starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Disclaimer: I didn’t grow up reading superhero comics, and have not become a fan in later life either. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/34 "2010-12-18T02:08:13Z")
I hope Thor ends up being good, but I am going to keep low expectations for now. What I want to know is, when is HBO going to hire someone to create a Transmetropolitan series? I’d buy expanded cable just for that! ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/35 "2010-12-18T02:33:09Z")
Transmet on TV? :twitch: > [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Only thing that I dont get, why the fuck is there a black guy (apparently a god, is it an Asgardian?) in Asgard ? In the other thread, someone suggested that it was to deter white supremacist Asatru from claiming the movie. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/36 "2010-12-18T03:58:07Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Kenneth Brannagh has already ruined a perfectly good character with Frankenstein… I disagree. Branagh’s **Frankenstein** is wonderfully dramatic and by far the most faithful adaptation of the book. But they’ve done movies about many obscure comic book characters. Even just sticking with Marvel/DC, there have been **Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta,** and **Howard the Duck** (and **Watchmen** is pretty obscure outside of comic book circles). There are also such things as **The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hellboy, From Hell, Tank Girl** , etc. Many were bad, but some were good, and the success of any comic-book-based movie depends on it getting an audience from outside the comic book readers. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/37 "2010-12-18T04:54:31Z")
I don’t think obscurity is the issue. I think boring cliche story is. Thor is not compelling in any way. Even less so since they seem to have dramatically changed his orign for this movie. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/38 "2010-12-18T06:09:16Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Thousands of non-superhero comics could make great movies or TV, and not require familiarity with the source material to gain an initial audience. But second-tier superheroes that aren’t household names, like Green Lantern, Deadpool, and Thor, are starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel. I would not put Deadpool in the “scraping the bottom of the barrel” category. He might be relatively unknown, but he’s popular among those who do know him, and provides something different to your average superhero. If they made a _Cable & Deadpool_ movie and did it right, it would be the most awesome thing ever. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/39 "2010-12-18T07:23:54Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > …but he’s popular among those who do know him… Which is, what, twelve people? This is the problem, if mainstream audiences haven’t heard of them, they’re wasting their efforts. Anything south of the Flash or the Hulk is going to get a tenth of Spider-Man’s audience, because nobody knows a damn thing about them. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/40 "2010-12-18T07:48:59Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Which is, what, twelve people? This is the problem, if mainstream audiences haven’t heard of them, they’re wasting their efforts. Anything south of the Flash or the Hulk is going to get a tenth of Spider-Man’s audience, because nobody knows a damn thing about them. Since when does a character need to be established beforehand to make a successful movie? How many people who went to see _Pirates of the Caribbean_ gave a damn about the ride? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457/41 "2010-12-18T08:00:59Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > How many people who went to see _Pirates of the Caribbean_ gave a damn about the ride? We weren’t inundated with 75 different piratical movies at the time. The problem right now is the continuing release of at least five superhero movies or TV shows per year. My point was about the over-saturation of increasingly lower tier superheroes in movies and the box-office underperformance thereof. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thor-the-comic-book-movie-no-one-asked-for/564457.md?page=3)