# Why aren't there more pagans in the Marvel universe? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301 "2009-07-26T05:23:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301/21 "2009-08-07T19:49:48Z")
Lumpy touched on this, Lightray, but in Walt Simonson’s version of Thor, it was stated explicitly that Thor could respond to worshippers if he wanted to. ---
**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 7, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301/22 "2009-08-07T19:55:01Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Eh? Since when did Norse mythology get co-opted by paganism? Some time around the fourth century, I believe. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301/23 "2009-08-07T20:45:13Z")
I thought it was made pretty clear in the Marvel Universe Handbooks that the Marvel Universe public knows that the “gods” of Olympus and Asgard are merely an extremely powerful extra-dimensional race of beings who were mistakenly worshipped as dieties during encounters with humans in the ancient world, and consider it more proper to be worshipping the more modern, monotheistic deity who was actually responsible for creating the universe. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301/24 "2009-08-07T20:55:11Z")
That sounds more like the Eternals, **cmkeller**. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301/25 "2009-08-07T21:59:41Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > That sounds more like the Eternals, **cmkeller**. This may be obolete because of a retcon or two but at one point the “gods” were supposed to have been formed out of a sort of primordial god-force and shaped by the beliefs of human worshippers. In one story there was actually a battle between the Eternals- the superbeings that had inspired belief in the Greek pantheon- and the actual Greek pantheon that had formed as a result. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301/26 "2009-08-07T22:25:35Z")
Having been a huge fan of Spidey 2099 and Doom 2099, I’m upset this was already addressed. In the 2099 earth, Thorism is just another accepted religion. There are splinter groups. There are neighborhood churches. Spiderman is also worshipped as a god. He hates it and keeps trying to get people to stop. A small cult, Knights Of The Banner, worships the Hulk. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301/27 "2009-08-07T23:02:44Z")
Didn’t Storm have her own cult in Africa for a time? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301/28 "2009-08-07T23:06:31Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Didn’t Storm have her own cult in Africa for a time? Yep. IIRC Storm is born in Egypt. At a young age, she’s caught in a building collapse that kills both her parents and gives her claustrophobia. She lives for a while as a pickpocket. Then, somehow she makes her way to Africa where a local tribe of farmers worship her as a weather goddess. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301/29 "2009-08-07T23:10:06Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > This may be obolete because of a retcon or two but at one point the “gods” were supposed to have been formed out of a sort of primordial god-force and shaped by the beliefs of human worshippers. In one story there was actually a battle between the Eternals- the superbeings that had inspired belief in the Greek pantheon- and the actual Greek pantheon that had formed as a result. See, that’s more what I remember from my 80s-version Official Handbook. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-pagans-in-the-marvel-universe/504301.md?page=1)