Marvel chose daytime talk show The View as the venue to reveal its latest female-led solo title; a new Thor ongoing series from current Thor writer Jason Aaron and current Cyclops artist Russell Dauterman. If you're wondering how Thor can be a female-led solo title, well, grab a seat chum. Thor is a lady now.

This is not the first time a son of Odin has become the old man's daughter, but when Loki spent time as a woman it was because he stole the body of the warrior Sif, and as a shape-shifting trickster he can probably do it whenever he wants. Not so Thor; Marvel says that this is "a brand new female hero" rather than the old Thor after a magical (or even non-magical) transformation.

One might speculate that the new Thor is in fact Angela, recently revealed as Thor's sister in the Original Sin crossover event, though there have been other female Thor-related characters in the past, including Thor Girl and Valkyrie, and Storm and Jane Foster have  briefly stepped into the role (in a What If, in Jane's case). In theory the power of Thor can pass to anyone who is "worthy," though as Marvel editor Wil Moss notes, the legend on the hammer uses a male pronoun -- "if he be worthy" -- so this may be the right time to get out the chisel and move the Norse gods into the 21st century.

If it isn't Angela, maybe we can hope to see the new Thor team up with her sisters, Angela and Loki, in the future. Whoever it is, the switch from Old Thor to New is likely to emerge out of the events of Original Sin.

 

Esad Ribic
Esad Ribic
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The decision to place a female character under Thor's helm is a bold one for Marvel, especially given the character's place as both a lead in the Marvel movie franchise and as one of the "big three" of the Avengers. The move is in keeping with the publisher's recent commitment to putting more female characters front and center in its books. We'd update our ongoing tally, but it'll probably change again next week with further announcements at San Diego Comic-Con.

We've talked before at Comics Alliance about how putting female heroes in previously male roles isn't always the best way to establish female leads with indelible identities. That's certainly a concern here, though Jason Aaron is at pains to point out that this isn't just a female version of Thor; “This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we've ever seen before.”

The change is certain to be controversial with fans who don't like girl cooties in their comics. We're more concerned about the loss of Dautermann from Cyclops, where he seemed an excellent fit for Corsair & Son's swashbuckling space adventures. We're also a little concerned about Thor's breastplate. It's probably a good thing Thor doesn't actually need armor, because that axe-friendly boob-shaped costume could give new meaning to the word "cleavage."

Moss says this new Thor "isn't a temporary female substitute", which sounds wholly implausible. Boy-Thor (as we're now going to call him) will surely be back in the role eventually, even if only to fulfil the role of King Thor in the far future -- a version of the character who has appeared throughout Aaron's current run. Then again, Marvel is doing some wacky things to its timeline, so maybe all bets are off? In the meantime it appears that Boy-Thor will not be killed off, but judged unworthy. (Art below from Esad Ribic also suggests that he'll also lose an arm, which is consistent with portrayals of King Thor.)

Of course, there is still the small matter of the movies to think of, where Thor will probably continue to be Chris Hemsworth for the foreseeable future, as he continues to be very worthy.

The new Thor series debuts in October.

 

Unworthy Thor, by Esad Ribic
Unworthy Thor, by Esad Ribic
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Russell Dauterman
Russell Dauterman
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