Thor is supposed to be one of the best action/adventure movies that has come our way in a long while. It opened last weekend to $66 million and the reviews and word of mouth promise that it will stay steadily growing in popularity and sales.
Although I couldn’t be happier that Thor has become a household name, a lot of people don’t know that he hails from comic-bookland. More exactly, Thor is from Norse mythology but the movie is based on the Marvel Comics rendition of the character. It’s like if you made a comic book out of Zeus and a movie came from that story. You with me so far?
Well, Thor is an awesome character that has been around almost as long as comic books have and his origin story sets him apart from his peers. Whereas Captain America or Batman turned themselves into superheroes and Spiderman or Flash who were accidentally turned into one, Thor was born in the realm of Asgard–a world of Norse gods. The closest comparison Thor has to other heroes is Superman because they both have god-like powers and were born with them. What I like about Thor that is different than Superman is the fact that Thor chose to stay on Earth and protect humans whereas Superman happened upon Earth and can’t go back. To me, that “choice” to protect elevates his heroism.
If you’re intrigued, check out more from my podcast, “Chill Out: It’s Just A Podcast” a comic-book podcast hosted by two comedians. In the latest installment, Alex and I chat up the history of Thor and also some of the controversies surrounding the movie.
