Thor is now a woman?

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Debi

Debi

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Now wait just a minute here! I've never been "into" comics, didn't know who Stan Lee was until I got hooked on "The Big Bang Theory", but I've had two characters that I've enjoyed over the years, either in movie or cartoon versions. The first is Archie. Watched the cartoon as a kid and enjoyed the characters. I read this week that they're killing Archie!

The second is Thor. Enjoyed the movies and at least know the background of the mighty Thor and HIS hammer. So now, thro the miracle of some cartoon drawing god, Thor is a woman? I'm not sure if I see this as a compliment or down right sexist, as the drawing of this new character is quite something. Either way, I see this as almost a PC move reflecting the changes in the world. I guess I was just hoping that at least one thing in this ever changing world could remain the same. Silly me, huh?

So, how do you feel about Thor's sudden sex change? Women, are we offended or complimented? Men, especially of the comic book variety like @surge and @DarkMatter, are you thrilled? And what about poor Archie? An iconic character murdered?

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/07/15/thor-is-now-woman/?intcmp=features
 
I had to laugh when I read the article. This is now THE Thor, the one and only. Not a She-Thor. She is supposed to speak to a new fan base of women and girls. Yeah, sure....the costume with the outrageous bodice I believe will speak more to the guys than most of the gals! lol

And didn't know the storyline on Archie's exit, so thanks for the info. Ya know, this forum is dragging me into areas I never thought to wander! lol
 
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I'm more or less with DM on this one. I was pissed when I found out Samuel L. Jackson had been cast as Nick Fury. In the comics, Fury was a grizzled old cigar chomping WWII vet, and a white guy. Then I saw Jackson on screen and wasn't so pissed anymore. He wasn't the Fury from the comics, but he created a good character that I was willing to accept.

They did the same thing with Thor, casting Idris Elba as Heimdall. There was a lot of fanboy outrage over this one since the Norse gods have always been characterized by their Scandinavian features, and Elba is about as far away from that as you can get. Personally, it didn't bother me because Heimdall is a pretty minor character in the Marvel Universe (except for when he took over from Odin as ruler of Asgard), and in the end Elba was fantastic in the part.

I think you're right, Debi, in that there is a certain amount of PC in all this. The Fantastic Four reboot has cast a black actor as Johnny Storm/Human Torch. Since Johnny is the brother of Sue Storm/the Invisible Woman, I have to wonder how they plan to realistically handle the fact they they are of different races. Adoption? Bi-racial parents? In any case, they are fundamentally changing the character even more so than they did with Nick Fury. With the Fantastic Four, changing Johnny so radically changes the entire back story of another major character as well. I think my final opinion on this one won't come until I've seen the movie, but right now I don't like it. And for anyone reading this and wondering, no, my opinion has nothing to do with race. I would feel the same way if they had cast a white guy as the Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Now then, Thor as a woman. Like DM says, they have changed the character of Thor in the comics before. As with most comic characters that have been around for as long as Thor, it can all get pretty convoluted with all the retroactive continuity and reboots, but the one thing that has remained constant has been that Thor was a man. IMO, changing him into a woman is a PR move and nothing else.

Comics have a poor history where female characters are concerned (sexist and eye candy), so I understand wanting to have a strong one at the forefront of the Marvel line. However, I think it would come off as much more genuine if they either created an entirely new character, or took one of their existing female characters and focused on making her better. For instance, the Scarlet Witch has always been brimming with potential, IMO anyway, but they've just never quite managed to get it right with her; not even when she was altering reality in the House of M storyline. So give her a series with top of the line creators and make her a major bad ass in the Marvel Universe. Changing Thor into a woman says to me that they don't really think they can create a decent new female character, so they're just going to change one of their established male characters into a woman. They may get some good stories out of this, but my bet is that within two years Thor will be a man again.

Archie. Ummm... can't say I've read any of the comics since I was a wee lad. I did watch the cartoons on Saturday mornings, though. But based on the recent history of Archie Comics, I think DM is right about this story being agenda driven. It's really sad that Archie can't be left alone to just be fun comics for kids to read; even those characters are used by the writers to make political statements.
 
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Debi said:
Aquaman, anyone? New movie coming soon.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Aquaman-Throne-Atlantis-First-Look-1084500.aspx
Click to expand...
DC has done a pretty good job with their animated movies in recent years. I can say I've ever counted Aquaman as a favorite character (although Steve Skeates and Peter David wrote some memorable stories), but I'll give the movie a shot when it is released. I don't think Aquaman is as lame as some people do, but for a long time he was the character that no one knew what to do with, and as a result he was sort of boring. Maybe this will pump some new life into him.
 
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I never knew how complex the world of comics is until this post! lol Like I said, was never even aware of much of it until Big Bang came along. Now, listening to you two, it ALMOST makes me want to take a trip to a comic store. ALMOST......lol
 
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