All of the heroes in the MCU have evolved over time but Thor is probably the one who has changed the most since his debut. His evolution continues in his latest adventure, Thor: Love and Thunder. As perhaps the most “out there” hero in the franchise, it was a challenge to make Thor work on the big screen but they pulled it off. Eventually, they saw the character needed a fresh take and that new approach has made him one of the most popular MCU heroes.
Chris Hemsworth gave a star-making turn as the God of Thunder in the first film and has continued to make the hero more interesting as time goes on. Though the character has had his ups and downs, he has ended up as a fascinating and entertaining hero.
How He Talks
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome with a live-action Thor was making his unique way of talking not sound ridiculous. Throughout the comics, Thor has always talked in a Shakespearean type of way. Wisely, the MCU chose Kenneth Branagh, a filmmaker knows for his Shakespeare films, to direct Thor’s debut.
The speech pattern worked well and they allow themselves to joke about it in all the films. However, in Thor: Ragnarok, Thor talks pretty much just like Chris Hemsworth, abandoning the elevated speech from before and no one seemed to miss it too much.
Jane Foster
One of the main aspects of Thor’s first two solo films was his star-crossed romance with Jane Foster. Thor meets Jane when he is sent to Earth and the two fall in love quite quickly despite not having much in common.
That romance is a big part of Thor: The Dark World as well. However, considering how unpopular the romance was, it started to get sidetracked in Phase 2, and in Thor: Ragnarok, a throwaway line explains that they broke up. The romance changes even further in Thor: Love and Thunder becoming something much deeper, complex, and impactful.
Mjolnir
From the beginning, Mjolnir has been Thor’s most powerful weapon and an extremely significant part of his character. The mythical hammer could only be wielded by someone who was worthy and Thor used it to devastating effect on his enemies.
In deconstructing a lot of what was established in Thor’s universe, Thor: Ragnarok took an interesting approach to Mjolnir. Hela destroys the hammer early in the film and Thor seems lost without it only to discover it was not the source of his powers after all. He later takes on Stormbreaker as his weapon leading to a little awkwardness when he is reunited with Mjolnir in Thor: Love and Thunder.
His Parents
It’s safe to say Thor and Odin had a bit of a prickly relationship as father and son. Thor’s arrogance leads Odin to banish him in the first Thor movie, but in The Dark World, it is Odin who is at fault, and Thor is forced to disobey his king. After his death in Ragnarok, Odin’s spirit leads Thor, showing him as a true father for the first time.
Interestingly, it is his mother Frigga who proves to be that most important parent. Though she doesn’t get a lot of screentime before her death, Thor sees her again when he goes into his past and it is she who guides him out of his darkness.
Funny
A lot of Thor’s humor in the MCU came from the fact that he is a fish out of water. He comes to Earth and sticks out like a sore thumb, which makes for some very funny scenes. But the character himself only had fleeting comedic moments.
All that changed when Taika Waititi got ahold of the franchise. He made Thor: Ragnarok a straight-up comedy and Thor was the funniest character in the film. The MCU continued this take on the character in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which gave the character a new spark.
His Loss
Interestingly enough, as soon as Thor was made funny, he also became one of the more tragic heroes. In the span of two movies, Thor lost his father, his hammer, his brother, most of his friends, his home, and failed to kill Thanos, resulting in half of the universe being wiped out.
It made for an interesting new take on a superhero as Thor is suffering from serious PTSD in Avengers: Endgame. While he seems to have come to terms with his failures, that loss will likely remain with him throughout the rest of his journey.
Power
Thor has always been an incredibly powerful hero. In fact, he often refers to himself as the “strongest Avenger” and it’s hard to argue with him. He has faced off with some formidable villains but continues to show his immense power.
As it turns out, that wasn’t even Thor at his best. After losing Mjolnir, a vision of Odin reminds Thor that he is the God of Thunder and he locks into another level of his strength that makes him even more impressive than he was before.
Thor And Loki
Thor’s most important relationship in the MCU has been with his brother Loki. Just like Thor, Loki has gone through a lot of changes throughout his time in the MCU. This has changed their relationship a lot as well.
Thor and Loki share a sibling rivalry and initially appear as brothers who fight alongside each other until the latter betrays the former. The brothers go from being enemies when Loki invades Earth to reluctant allies in Thor: The Dark World. By the end of Ragnarok, they have returned to a loving relationship just in time for Loki to be murdered by Thanos.
Bro Thor
There are a lot of jokes made about Thor’s impressive physique, which makes his transformation in Endgame all the more shocking. After suffering so much, Thor slips into a depression and lets himself go, eating and drinking away his sorrows.
It is yet another new take on the character that adds so much to his journey. It continues to allow Hemsworth to be hilarious while addressing Thor’s fragile mental state in a compelling way. However, he does get back into God shape in Thor: Love and Thunder.
King Of Asgard
Thor is introduced in his first film eagerly awaiting being named as the next King of Asgard. He quickly proves he has a lot to learn before taking the job. He is taught humility and works to become a better person.
He continues to struggle with the idea of being king, refusing the title at one point until it is thrust upon him when Asgard falls. By the end of Endgame, Thor has decided he is not the king Asgard needs and gives the position to Valkyrie.
Searching For Meaning
One of the most interesting aspects of Avengers: Endgame was Thor’s journey which found him battling with self-doubt as a hero. While he regained some of that heroism by the end of the movie, Thor: Love and Thunder found him still on a path of discovery.
The first Thor movie began with him as a confident and self-assured god. It is a lot of fun to see him wandering through the universe many years later trying to find his purpose. It helps make the God of Thunder a surprisingly grounded hero.
Struggle With Love
The romance between Thor and Jane Foster that was introduced in Phase 1 was almost immediate. They knew each other for only a few days and seemed to form this very strong connection seemingly out of nowhere.
Given how quickly they fell in love, it was a little surprising to hear they broke up, but Thor: Love and Thunder revealed that it was not as easy of a romance as fans were led to believe. In fact, despite the love they had for each other, their romance seemed to fall apart for very relatable reasons that showed even Thor’s love life is difficult.
Compassion
During his early days in the MCU, there are times when Thor acts like a villain. He invades the Frost Giants’ home world and is ready to destroy them all simply because his ego is hurt. He often used his strength to solve any problem he had.
However, Thor: Love and Thunder proves that he has grown more compassionate over time. When Gorr the God Butcher is about to fulfill his plan of destroying all the gods, instead of trying to battle him, Thor uses the memory of Gorr’s daughter to cut through his hatred.
Losing Jane
It is safe to say that Thor and Jane’s relationship was not one of the best MCU romances when it first started. Though it might have been a big part of his early solo movies, it never seemed to define Thor’s character. When Thor sacrificed seeing Jane again in order to destroy the rainbow bridge it failed to feel like much of an impact.
However, not only did Thor: Love and Thunder help to make the relationship more interesting, but it also made it devastating when Thor lost her again. The death of Jane carries an emotional weight that shows the deep love Thor had for her.
Becoming A Father
Phase 1 of the MCU focuses a lot on Thor’s family relationships, dealing with being a son to Odin and being a brother to Loki. These allowed for some very interesting moments that helped to develop him as a character.
However, few fans would have predicted that Thor would become a father in the MCU. Following Gorr’s death, Thor vows to protect his young daughter and he helps teach her to be a hero.
