Comic-Con, one the world’s largest comic book conventions, was recently held in Johns Hopkins’ backyard. Located at the Baltimore Convention Center, Comic-Con attracted thousands of comic fans from around the globe to celebrate the stories and characters that they love. The attraction brought in native Baltimoreans and Hopkins students alike to discuss and bond over their interest in all things comics.
At the convention, fans may have been surprised to learn about a new comic series that is sure to shake things up. Marvel Comics has a new hero in town, or rather, a reboot of a classic protagonist. Marvel has re-envisioned and made over one of their classic heros, and while this character may share the same name as its predecessor, it doesn’t share a Y chromosome.
Meet Thor, like you’ve never seen her before.
Marvel Comics is releasing a new series, written by Jason Aaron, titles THOR, featuring the new (and I would argue, improved) superhero, Thor. Aaron claims on Marvel’s official site that “she 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.”
While Marvel has had other female leads before, including Black Widow, Captain Marvel and Storm, Thor is one of the most mainstream and popularized modern heroes that Marvel has produced. Marvel claims that the new female Thor is not part of an arch series, rather she is to permanently replace male Thor, deemed unworthy to hold his hammer after a grave mistake. Time will only tell if the female Thor actually sticks, or if die-hard fans will protest to get the traditional male version back between the pages of their favorite series.
This is not a sister of Thor or a girlfriend—the new Thor has all the same powers as the original character, she just swings her Mjölnir, or hammer, with a little more edge. It is stressed by Marvel that the new Thor is just as worthy of her hammer as her male version, and that she is just as capable to defend Asgard, the fictional planet in the Thor Universe.
In the few preview images available online, it seems that Russell Dauterman, the official artist for the new THOR series, has crafted a feminine and strong, but not overly sexualized, image of the character. The character appears to have defined muscles all over her body, particularly in her arms and back, and realistically so, as she heaves her heavy hammer around. However, it is made clear that despite the muscular physique, this new Thor is all woman. She has full breasts and a tapered waist, but these proportions are not nearly as extreme or idealized as earlier female comic characters. These aspects define her as woman, but not as simply a seductress or sexy sidekick. Traditionally, female characters in comics have boobs larger then their heads or a waist that appears as if it would snap in half, appeasing male readers. While studies are inconclusive regarding the male to female ratio of the comic book audience, the general stigma points to males being more interested in reading comics as compared to women, possibly due to social factors that encourage this stigma. Thus being so, female comic book charachters are often animated to satisfy the male gaze.
Additionally, Thor’s outfit is practical and seems to take inspiration from the male Thor’s armor. Unlike other female comic characters, who are wrapped in skintight leather or are otherwise exposed, Thor is decked out in protective armor (including headgear) that will protect her during combat and surely keep her goodies in place in comparison to the typical female comic character.
Most female characters in comics before this time, with the exception of a few, featured in less popular series, are overly sexualized and are a seductive villain or a potential love interest for the male lead. Thor, taking on all powers of the traditional Thor as well as being dressed for the occasion, is certainly a positive transition away from a sexist ideal.
The new Marvel character may have been created to attract a larger female audience. She could be a product of the recent wave of outspoken feminism, as she is the female equal to the traditional male embodiment. Or maybe Marvel just wanted a change and saw a reboot of Thor to be the most interesting way to do it. Either way, this new Thor has garnered the attention of comic books fans and non-readers alike.
Though the comics have officially changed, the popular movie franchise, which features a male Thor (swoon over Chris Hemsworth for a moment), will most likely not, as the franchise has already produced movies with the male lead. Action films generally target a male audience, and it is unclear if a female lead in a superhero action movie would garner more female attention or if it the film would subsequently lose profit. If a female Thor movie were to be produced, I would be first in line to watch this girl kick some butt.
Thor may act as a hero for young girls to look up to, or even for boys to look up to, because at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter if you’re XX or XY—what matters is that you defend this universe to the death.
Check out the new THOR comics as early as October 1st.
Images courtesy of Marvel.com. Artwork by Russell Dauterman. (http://marvel.com/news/comics/22875/marvel_proudly_presents_thor)