Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s (WCL) Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character.
This post is about the god (and mortal) who hold the hammer Mjolnir and are worthy of the power of Thor!

(via GIPHY)

Who is The Mighty Thor?

After being humbled by his father, Thor the Norse God of Thunder returns to Earth as a superhero. Using an enchanted hammer that only he is worthy to wield, he protects Midgard and fights alongside the Avengers as the Mighty Thor!

Later, when Thor becomes unworthy of using his hammer, Doctor Jane Foster takes it up in his place as her own version of Thor.


Classic Thor

Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Volume 1 (only on Libby)

Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Volume 2 (only on Libby)

Marvel-verse: Thor (a collection of stories from across Thor’s publishing history)

Thor : the mighty avenger / Langridge, Roger

Secret invasion : Thor / Fraction, Matt

Thor : wolves of the north

Thor : the deviants saga / Rodi, Robert

Thor of the realms (a collection of stories set across each of the Nine Realms)


Straczynski/Fraction run (2007-2012)

The defining aspect of this run is bringing Thor and Asgard back down to Earth – literally, as the home of the Norse gods appears hovering over the ordinary town of Broxton, Oklahoma. This era ends with Norman Osborn’s invasion of this floating city in Brian Michael Bendis and Oliver Coipel’s Siege.

Thor. [Vol. 3] / Straczynski, J. Michael

Astonishing Thor / Rodi, Robert

Thor : the World Eaters / Fraction, Matt

The mighty Thor [1] / Fraction, Matt

The mighty Thor [2] / Fraction, Matt

The mighty Thor [3] / Fraction, Matt

The mighty Thor : journey into mystery : everything burns / Fraction, Matt

Siege / Bendis, Brian Michael

Avengers : prime / Bendis, Brian Michael


Marvel NOW! – Thor, God of Thunder meets the God Butcher

Beginning in 2012 with the Marvel NOW! relaunch, Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron and artist Esad Ribic introduces Gorr the God Butcher, a vengeful alien who wants to destroy every god across time and space. To stop him, Thor teams up with his younger self from his Viking days and an older, surlier All-Father Thor from the future.

Thor, God of Thunder [1] : the God Butcher / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

Thor, God of Thunder [2] : Godbomb / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

Thor, God of Thunder [1] and [2] are also collected together as Thor : the saga of Gorr the God Butcher

Thor, God of Thunder [3] : the accursed / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

Thor, God of Thunder [4] : the last days of Midgard / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)


Jane Foster becomes Thor

During the Original Sin storyline, Thor learns a devastating truth that causes him to become unworthy of wielding Mjolnir. The hammer goes to Doctor Jane Foster, Thor’s ex-girlfriend, and she headlines a new series as The Mighty Thor. Meanwhile, Odinson wanders the cosmos trying to find a new hammer (and reason to be worthy) as The Unworthy Thor.

The reading order for this period is as follows:

Original sin : Thor & Loki : the tenth realm / Aaron, Jason

Original sin. Who shot the Watcher? / Aaron, Jason (only on Libby)

Thor : the goddess of thunder / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

Thor [2] : who holds the hammer? / Aaron, Jason

Secret wars / Hickman, Jonathan

The mighty Thor [1] : thunder in her veins / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

The mighty Thor [2] : Lords of Midgard / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

Thor : the goddess of thunder, [2], and The mighty Thor [1] and [2] are also collected together as Jane Foster : the saga of the mighty Thor

The mighty Thor [3] : the Asgard/Shi’ar war / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

The unworthy Thor / Aaron, Jason 

The mighty Thor [4] : the war Thor / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

The Mighty Thor [5] : the death of the Mighty Thor / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

Unworthy Thor and The Mighty Thor [4] and [5] are also collected as Thor : the complete collection. Volume 4


The War of the Realms

Jason Aaron’s last Thor series has Thor Odinson reclaim Mjolnir, while his enemies from across the Nine Realms band together to invade Midgard and take over Earth. This results in the crossover series The War of the Realms.

Thor [1] : God of Thunder reborn / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

Thor [2] : road to war of the realms / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

The war of the realms / Aaron, Jason

Thor [3] : war’s end / Aaron, Jason

King Thor / Aaron, Jason

Thor [1], [2], [3] and King Thor are also collected as Thor : Volume 5


Jane Foster, Valkyrie

After her tenure as Goddess of Thunder, Jane Foster gains a new weapon in Undrjarn the All-Weapon and becomes Valkyrie, leading souls to the afterlife while balancing her career as a doctor.

Valkyrie : Jane Foster [1] : the sacred and the profane / Ewing, Al (also on Libby)

Valkyrie : Jane Foster [2] : / Ewing, Al (also on Libby)

King in black : return of the Valkyries / Aaron, Jason

The mighty Valkyries : all Hel let loose

Jane Foster & the Mighty Thor / Grønbekk, Torunn

A variant of Valkyrie based off Tessa Thompson’s performance in the MCU Thor films is a member of the Exiles, a multiverse-hopping team of heroes.

Exiles [1] : test of time / Ahmed, Saladin

Exiles. Vol. 2, The trial of the Exiles / Ahmed, Saladin


Donny Cates run

Venom scribe Donny Cates is the most recent Thor writer; his series so far explores Thor’s new duties as All-Father of Asgard in Odin’s absence.

Thor [1] : the devourer king / Cates, Donny

Thor [2] : prey / Cates, Donny

Thor [3] : revelations / Cates, Donny

Thor [4] : God of Hammers / Cates, Donny

Thor [5] : the legacy of Thanos / Ewing, Al

Thor [6] : blood of the fathers / Grønbekk, Torunn


Beta Ray Bill

Did you know that an alien was once worthy of wielding Thor’s hammer? Beta Ray Bill from the planet Korbin got a hold of Mjolnir while Thor was inspecting his crashed spaceship, and Bill briefly took on the role of God of Thunder. Bill became an ally to Thor, and was eventually given his own Asgardian hammer named Stormbreaker.

Thor : Ragnaroks / Oeming, Michael Avon

Beta Ray Bill : godhunter / Gillen, Kieron

Beta Ray Bill : argent star / Johnson, Daniel Warren