10 Amazing Facts You Probably Didn't Know About THOR

After being kept on the sidelines during Captain America: Civil War, the God of Thunder returns to the big screen in Thor: Ragnarok. Refresh yourself on his crazy comic book history with these mind-blowing facts...

By JoshWilding - Sep 07, 2016 08:09 AM EST

Filed Under: Thor

Viewed as a B-List superhero by many for a number of years, things changed for Thor when he made his big screen debut back in 2011. While the vast majority of comic book fans knew just how important this founding member of the Avengers was, he soon found his way on to everyone's radar after Chris Hemsworth donned wielded Mjolnir and went to war with Loki and The Destroyer in live-action.

Now, Thor is most definitely A-List in both the comic books and Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there's a lot you probably don't know about the God of Thunder. As one of the House of Ideas' weirdest creations, Thor has been on some bizarre adventures and has a pretty weird history which we delve into here by looking at ten amazing facts about the Asgardian hero who returns to theaters next year...

10. Who The Hell Is Thorion?

So, yeah, you've probably already figured out that "Thorion" is a mashup of Thor and DC Comics character Orion. Another creation of a bizarre crossover between Marvel and their Distinguished Competition in the 90s, the Amalgam Universe took heroes and villains from both worlds and combined their respective histories to dream up new characters. Some were more inspired than others, but taking the member of the New Gods and having him become an actual God thanks to Thor's background was an interesting concept.

Thorion was the son of Odin the Highfather and wielded the astro-force, while Asgard was transformed into New Asgod. His greatest enemy meanwhile was Thanoseid (yes, Thanos + Darkseid = Thanoseid), and while John Romita Jr. nailed the visuals here, the whole thing just felt a little too silly to ever be taken all that seriously.

Thor has been kicking ass since Vikings walked the Earth, and while he's "died" a few times thanks to the events of Ragnarok, how exactly has the God of Thunder lived such a long life? Most just brush it off as being down to him being immortal, but there's actually more to it than that. You see, Asgardians aren't actually born immortal; instead, they frequently feast on the magical Golden Apples of Idunn, a special Asgardian fruit which gives them their expanded lifespan and keeps them looking young.

The comic books have only addressed this a handful of times (it does after all seem a bit daft), but it should come as no surprise to learn that it's an idea taken straight out of real Norse mythology. Keep your eyes peeled in the first Thor movie and you'll actually notice that golden apples were being eaten at one of the feasts the Asgardians held.

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8. Mjolnir Is Able To Raise The Dead

Mjolnir has been shown to have many unexpected and useful abilities over the years, but one of the most surprising was revealed shortly after Thor returned to Earth following the events of Civil War. Saddened to learn of the death of Captain America, the God of Thunder was able to briefly bring his old friend back from the dead for a short chat about their friendship and whether or not Steve Rogers wanted Thor to avenge his death by going after those responsible.

For this to happen, Cap apparently had to swear an oath over the weapon at some point, though when exactly that happened was never revealed. This moment was also made all the more confusing by the fact that it was later revealed Captain America wasn't actually dead; he had been sent back in time. Who exactly Thor was speaking to then isn't clear, but this is a plot point it's best not to overthink.

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7. He Isn't Actually Able To Fly

It's a common misconception that flight is one of Thor's many abilities. After all, the sight of him flying through the sky both inside and on the covers of various comic books is a familiar one, but the truth is that he's completely grounded without Mjolnir. That is why the God of Thunder holds his weapon out in front of him whenever he takes flight as it's the hammer he's using to get about.

When he wants to hover, it has to be twirled like a helicopter blade, though that's something which has been portrayed in various ways depending on the artist. Interestingly, Thor has never really been shown flying through the sky in a traditional sense in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; instead, the movies have so far featured him using it more to propel himself through the air as he heads into battle. It will be interesting to see if Taika Waititi plays with that in Thor: Ragnarok.

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6. Loki Nearly Played Thor (And So Did Sabretooth)

It's always fun to look at what might have been when it comes to superhero movies, but can you picture Tom Hiddleston as Thor instead of Loki? The British actor did actually audition for the role and was seriously considered by Marvel Studios before Chris Hemsworth came along and they decided that he would be a better fit (after initially passing on him) for the God of Thunder. Hiddleston would later be cast as Loki and arguably steal the show from Thor, but this wasn't the first time things nearly panned out very differently for the Asgardian hero.

While Thor made his live-action debut in The Incredible Hulk TV series, there were plans to bring him to the small screen back in 2000 for a TV movie on UPN which would have seen X-Men star Tyler Mane (Sabretooth) play the character. That project quickly fell apart, as did movies thought up by Sam Raimi and Matthew Vaughn.

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5. Superman Has Wielded Mjolnir

"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." That's what the inscription on the side of Mjolnir reads, and while the God of Thunder has currently been deemed unworthy (hence why Jane Foster is carrying it around as the new Thor), only a very small handful of heroes have been chosen to pick up the hammer over the years. Did you know though that the DC Universe's most iconic superhero was among them?

During a rare Marvel/DC crossover which teamed up the Justice League and Avengers against a multiverse level threat, Odin granted Superman the ability to use Mjolnir during a pivotal moment in battle which also saw him pick up Captain America's shield. Amazed by the power it held, the Man of Steel was even more shocked to learn he could no longer budge it once the heroes had saved the day!

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4. He Had Some Adventures As A Frog

Thor has had a lot of very strange adventures over the years, though that's probably to be expected when you consider the fact that he's a Norse God and all. However, one of the weirdest came during Walter Simonson's celebrated run when he had the hero transformed into a frog by Loki. Sounds like a fun little one off tale, right? Well, believe it or not, this remained the status quo for four issues meaning that fans were left reading the adventures of Frog Thor for four whole months!

It was a great tale though to be fair, and among the highlights were moments like Thor leading a ground of his fellow frogs into battle against some villainous rats. While he eventually returned to Asgard and was returned to normal, Thor left a shard of Mjolnir for his ally Puddlegulp. That frog would go on to be transformed into Throg and now wields a very tiny version of Thor's hammer as a member of the Pet Avengers.

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3. He's The First Superhero Based On A God

Stan Lee has frequently said that he believes comic book superheroes will one day be looked back on hundreds (or thousands) of years from now as a kind of modern day mythology equivalent to the way we perceive Norse legends now. It's a fascinating point of view and something none of us reading this in 2016 will ever find out, but the writer still did an impressive job of combining those two worlds when he dreamed up the God of Thunder alongside Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby.

However, while Thor may be the first superhero based on an actual God, Lee only chose to play around with Norse mythology because he couldn't think of a human character who would realistically be stronger than The Hulk. He also felt that Greek and Roman Gods had been done to death, and so after turning to Norse God Thor for inspiration, "The Man" changed the Marvel Universe forever.

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2. He Has A Couple Of Pet Goats

Superheroes often have some pretty unusual sidekicks or allies, but it's hard to find a weirder pairing than Thor and two goats! Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder are among his most trusted friends though, and they're usually shown flying the God into battle as he rides through the air in a chariot behind them. It's admittedly a little weird sounding on paper, but with Thor now deemed unworthy, he's been making good use of them in the comic books.

They haven't made a huge number of appearances over the years, and first showed up in 1976's Thor Annual #5. The flying goats have yet to make their live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but with Thor: Ragnarok set to push the hero to his very limit, it will be interesting to see if they show up. Honestly, don't hold your breath, but you have to admit that it would be pretty cool!

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1. Mjolnir Wasn't Actually His First Weapon

While Thor is obviously most closely associated with Mjolnir, many of you may not realise that the hammer wasn't actually his first weapon. In recent years, it has been established that the God of Thunder first wielded Jarnbjorn, a giant axe with the power to cut through almost anything (something which backfired on Thor when Malekith the Accursed used it to chop off his arm not too long ago).

Before being deemed worthy to wield Mjolnir, Thor used Jarnbjorn throughout the ninth, tenth, and eleventh century, but lost it following a battle with Apocalypse. No longer able to use Mjolnir, Thor is once again equipped with the axe he used as a youngster, and it makes for a very cool visual. It's indestructible and can even deflect powerful energy blasts. Here's hoping it ends up making an appearance in Thor: Ragnarok, eh?

Which of these Thor facts is your favourite? Have we missed any good ones that you're aware of? As always, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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69 Comments

1 2

mathias - 9/7/2016, 8:41 AM

-_-

vitamix - 9/7/2016, 1:33 PM

Thor movies would have been better had he been a frog, tbh.

jones - 9/7/2016, 1:33 PM

@nightman -

ikr

MiopTop - 9/7/2016, 8:46 AM

Should have put the fact that he was originally a DC character on here

DarkArrow19 - 9/7/2016, 8:48 AM

Eh I was hoping for better facts

TheFro - 9/7/2016, 8:52 AM

Ragnarok will be the best CBM of 2017.

Gonna say this on every Thor thread. Get used to it!!

GhostDog - 9/7/2016, 8:54 AM

DonDave - 9/7/2016, 8:58 AM

These are pretty common facts. No surprises here.

BloodyBed - 9/7/2016, 9:13 AM

"...after Chris Hemsworth donned wielded Mjolnir.."

TheUnworthyThor - 9/7/2016, 9:14 AM

Technically while he rarely does it Thor can hover without Mjolnir using the wind like Storm does.

BlackPhillip - 9/7/2016, 11:12 AM

@TheUnworthyThor - I just posted images of Thor hovering/flying w/o Mjolnir

1 2

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10 Amazing Facts You Probably Didn't Know About THOR

After being kept on the sidelines during Captain America: Civil War, the God of Thunder returns to the big screen in Thor: Ragnarok. Refresh yourself on his crazy comic book history with these mind-blowing facts...

10. Who The Hell Is Thorion?

9. The Secret Behind Thor's Immortality

8. Mjolnir Is Able To Raise The Dead

7. He Isn't Actually Able To Fly

6. Loki Nearly Played Thor (And So Did Sabretooth)

5. Superman Has Wielded Mjolnir

4. He Had Some Adventures As A Frog

3. He's The First Superhero Based On A God

2. He Has A Couple Of Pet Goats

1. Mjolnir Wasn't Actually His First Weapon

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