Thor Odinson has been an essential facet of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the very beginning, appearing in seven films so far, with his eighth outing in the franchise, Thor: Love and Thunder, set to premiere next month, giving fans yet another glimpse in the mind of the god of thunder.
Fans have gotten to know Thor pretty well over the years, as the films have truly gotten to the bottom of the Avenger’s psyche in recent installments. This has led to a surplus of hilarious fan-made memes that perfectly describe Thor as a character.
He Will Do What He Must
Much of Thor’s story in recent years has revolved around his failure to stop the Mad Titan Thanos from destroying half of all life with the Infinity Gauntlet. After such an occasion, Thor would stop at nothing until he had severed the Titan’s head from his body as recompense for his crimes.
Though a warrior for good, Thor’s rage and bitterness at his own failure is one of his greatest defects, making him willing to kill an unarmed enemy in his own home if it meant getting revenge. This moment would also drive Thor down a whirlpool of self-loathing and depression that would result in his state after the five-year time jump in Avengers: Endgame.
Arsenal
Over the years, Thor has displayed his incredible power through his iconic weapons. Though most known for his iconic hammer Mjölnir, he has recently required the legendary battleax Stormbreaker. Even despite these powerful weapons, Thor can’t help but use his own brother Loki as a human projectile whenever the need arises.
Thor may be a warrior, but at his core, he is a fun-loving individual with a penchant for mischief, not unlike Loki himself. Though the god of thunder knows when to wisen up and take things seriously, he isn’t above defeating his enemies while simultaneously giving his brother a hard time.
Learning Our Culture
In the original Thor film, the son of Odin stood out like a sore thumb when residing on Earth with Jane Foster and her team of scientists. Thor constantly drew attention to himself with his Asgardian manners, and, though he tried to learn some of Earth’s culture along the way, the Avenger continues to stand out among humans.
One of the things that is so endearing about Thor is that, despite his godhood and sheer power, he never ceases to try to understand humanity, fostering a deep love and respect for their kind. As such, he is absolutely the kind of person that would misguidedly employ popular lingo in his vernacular.
We All Cope Differently
Sometimes, being a superhero means enduring hardship and loss. There are perhaps no two Avengers more acquainted with this concept than Thor and Wanda Maximoff. Both of these heroes lost just about everything they ever loved, yet dealt with their respective losses in monumentally different manners.
Thor has suffered multiple tragedies in his life, including the loss of both parents, his brother on multiple occasions, his home planet of Asgard, his best friend, several friends, and half of his kingdom. Nevertheless, the god of thunder never took his negative emotions out on anyone other than himself, making his coping methods far less destructive than those of other Avengers, like Wanda Maximoff.
An Exponential Progression
Love and Thunder was one of the most highly-anticipated films of the summer, but the Thor franchise hasn’t always been as beloved as it is now. Though far from bad films, the first two installments of the franchise lacked the colorful fun of Taika Waititi’s creative direction, which has redefined the franchise with its latest two movies.
As a result of the new direction in Thor films, the eponymous god of thunder has also undergone several character changes, which have made him a far more fun personality to follow on his adventures throughout the MCU. Thor, once a contemplative and somewhat boring god, is now a relatable and fun-loving Avenger that fans wouldn’t mind seeing return to the big screen again and again.
Not So Narcissistic
One Redditor felt the need to correct a misguided opinion expressed by Jennifer Walters in the latest She-Hulk trailer, wherein she claimed that all superheroes were narcissists that only care about themselves. This post points out that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Much like his fellow Avengers, Thor has proven himself willing to put his own needs behind those of others time and time again. As a result of his selfless altruism, the god of thunder has lost just about everything he ever cared about but still does not hesitate to continue doing heroic deeds for those in need.
Didn’t Think That Through
One meme has some fun with an important plot point from Love and Thunder, wherein Thor is surprised to find his hammer, Mjölnir, responding to Jane Foster’s call and not his own. This brings to mind Thor’s last time wielding the hammer, when he stole the weapon from a different timeline, presumably robbing another version of himself in the process.
While jesting in warmhearted fun, this meme does bring out a somewhat less admirable characteristic of Thor in that he doesn’t always think his actions through. Had he truly considered what ramifications his taking Mjölnir from 2013 would have had, he likely wouldn’t have done it. Nevertheless, his acquisition of Mjölnir for one last battle would lead to even greater things in his own future, with little thought directed to the timeline he left behind.
A Wholesome Deity
Thor and the other Asgardians are often thought of as gods, but the MCU went out of its way early on to establish the fact that, while called “gods,” they are not so by definition. Rather, these beings are merely longer-lasting and more powerful than humans, the best of whom do not claim to be any better than the people they swear to protect.
This post perfectly sums up Thor’s development from the character the audience met in the early days of the MCU. While he was once arrogant and selfish, Thor has developed into an outwardly-focused hero who makes no claims to superiority but rather wishes to serve others as best he possibly can. This new paradigm serves him well when he finally comes up against Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher in Love and Thunder.
Puny Humans
Many superheroes come to certain conclusions about mankind as a result of having saved the species on numerous occasions. While some become fierce protectors, others grow bitter and apathetic toward humans. Thor, however, has a very unique view of humans.
Though he loves mankind with all his heart and vows to protect them as best he possibly can, Thor occasionally judges them for their relative lack of strength and good sense. Nevertheless, the people of Earth need not fear that the son of Odin will still save them whenever he possibly can, because that is simply what heroes do.
The Favorite Son
A driving plot point in the first three Thor films was Odin’s favoritism when it came to his two sons. The Allfather clearly favored the eldest of his boys, offering Thor his throne and his kingdom, with little thought to Loki’s wellbeing. While he ultimately loved all of his children, Odin also drove a wedge between them that would take years of bonding to undo.
Much of who Thor is today is contingent upon how he was treated by his father. Odin always acted as if Thor was the heroic son he’d always wanted and, despite the occasional setback, the god of thunder always eventually proved his father right. In his later years, however, Thor would have to learn that all that was expected of him by Odin is not possible, leading the Avenger to accept himself for who he is, rather than who his father always wanted him to be.
Just Looking For Love
One of the most hilarious exchanges between Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy during Love and Thunder sees Thor attempt to break into Peter Quill’s line of vision as he is “looking into the eyes of the people he loves.” One Redditor had fun with this notion by comparing Thor’s desperate search for mutual love with their own school-age romantic endeavors.
Despite his strength and notoriety, at his core, all Thor has been searching for throughout his life has been love. The plot of Love and Thunder heavily revolves around this subject as the aging Norse god seeks someone to complete his life.
Complicated Sibling Relationships
Love and Thunder opens with a Thor that is contemplating retirement, giving himself a rest from all the violence his life has been subject to. One Reddit post applies a line from the film wherein Thor devotes his hands to peace and not war to their own complicated relationship with their younger sibling.
As humorous as it is, this meme is strikingly appropriate when considering the life of Thor Odinson, who himself as a complicated relationship with his sibling, Loki. Though the two have fought on many occasions, they eventually grew to a place wherein they were no longer fighting each other, united against a common enemy.
The Newer Model
One Redditor makes fun of Thor for one of his running jokes throughout Love and Thunder wherein the god of thunder struggles between his love for Mjolnir and for Stormbreaker. With the hammer’s return after its destruction, Thor begins to wish he could wield his iconic weapon once more.
This struggle becomes important to Thor’s character development, as his old signature weapon meets the new. Thor must choose between his present and his past during the events of Love and Thunder, and, in the end, he finds a way to unite the two.
A Good Leader?
While Marvel fans would like to believe that their favorite characters are all remarkably good at what they do, one hilarious Reddit meme argues that Asgard might not be benefitting from its relationship to Thor. They point out that the poor civilians have had to deal with numerous cataclysmic events in a short time frame, all of which were intimately tied to Thor himself.
It would seem that Thor is destined to bring pain upon those he loves most, with the Asgardians being just one example of those affected by his presence. Perhaps this explains Thor’s decision at the end of Love and Thunder to once again leave Asgard, choosing to scour the galaxy with his adopted daughter, Love, instead.
This Is Fine
Everyone has lofty dreams about their future, especially as a child. However, things rarely turn out precisely how they were imagined, with many feeling as though their life is burning down around them. One Reddit user illustrates this dichotomy brilliantly with several pictures of Thor through the years, as things begin to burn down around him.
Thor was certainly a big dreamer as a child, believing that he would one day be Asgard’s greatest ruler. Yet, as he grew up, many of his aspirations burned away as a result of tragedy and circumstance. When the events of Love and Thunder finally occur, Thor has given up on many of his one-time dreams, lost in a galaxy of endless possibilities.
