The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to... The Mighty Thor

By Gus

Whosoever reads this blog shall gain the publication order of the comics of Thor! It’s the Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to Marvel’s God of Thunder!

Youth Youth featured
comic covers arranged in a grid

[Video via the Marvel Entertainment Youtube channel]

Who is The Mighty Thor?

Years ago, the Norse god of thunder Thor was banished to Earth to live as a mortal, Dr Donald Blake. After rediscovering his enchanted hammer, Mjolnir, Thor became a superhero and now protects Earth (or 'Midgard' to the Asgardian gods) alongside the Avengers.

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

In the early Thor comics, the God of Thunder believed he was the mortal Donald Blake who transformed into Thor; he fought crime as a superhero on Earth and becoming a founding member of the Avengers. Some of these early stories are recounted in Thor: The Mighty Avenger, written by New Zealand's own Roger Langridge.

Thor of the Midwest

Prior to Marvel NOW!, Thor and Asgard were brought down to Earth - literally, as the home of the Norse gods hovered over the ordinary town of Broxton, Oklahoma. This era ends with Norman Osborn's invasion of the floating city in Siege.

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

During the Marvel NOW! relaunch, Thor: God of Thunder 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.

Jane Foster, The Mighty 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:

More Mighty Thor books

The War of the Realms

All of Thor's enemies from across the Nine Realms band together to invade Midgard and take over Earth, resulting in The War of the Realms.

All-Father Thor

After the War of the Realms, Thor becomes the All-Father of Asgard in Odin's absence, becoming the most powerful Norse god. However, with greater power comes greater responsibilities, so the new All-Father must contend with bigger threats, like the 'Black Winter' and the 'God of Hammers'.

The Immortal Thor

In Immortal Thor, the God of Thunder returns to defend Midgard from an ancient storm god, faces a series of trials set by Loki, and begins to lose his sense of self after his myths are turned into intellectual property.

More Thor series

Thor Allies

Jane Foster, Valkyrie

After her tenure as the Goddess of Thunder, Jane Foster gains a new weapon in the shape-changing Undrjarn the All-Weapon and becomes Valkyrie. Now, she leads souls to the afterlife and fights mythological threats while balancing her career as a doctor.

A variant of Valkyrie, based off Tessa Thompson's portrayal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a member of the Exiles, a multiverse-hopping team of heroes.

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.

Angela, Asgard's Assassin

Introduced during Original Sin, Angela is the long-lost sister of Thor and Loki, raised by the angelic race of beings from the hidden 'Tenth Realm', Heven. Raised to hate Asgard, she later defects after learning her true parentage and works as Asgard's assassin, when she's not travelling the cosmos with the Guardians (or Asgardians) of the Galaxy.

Loki, God of Mischief

We will be reuploading the Loki reading guide in due course! Watch this space!