On Tuesday’s episode of ABC’s The View, Marvel Comics announced that the character of Thor is now female thanks to a switch in possession of the Mjölnir.
The title, not the person under the mask, is switching gender because of who now holds the hammer.
“It’s a huge day in the Marvel Universe. Thor, the God of Thunder, he messed up, and he’s no longer worthy to hold that damn hammer of his,” said Whoopi Goldberg in an announcement set up by Marvel this morning. “For the first time in history, that hammer is being held by a woman. That’s right. Thor is a woman.”
Thor series writer Jason Arron stressed in a follow up statement that this is the new Thor. “This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve ever seen before.”
Added Marvel in a statement, “no longer is the classic Thunder God able to hold the mighty hammer, Mjölnir, and a brand new female hero will emerge worthy of the name THOR.”
The new series, Marvel says, will “speak directly to an audience that long was not the target for super hero comic books in America: women and girls.”
Two first looks at the character were also unveiled:
“The inscription on Thor’s hammer reads ‘Whosoever holds this hammer, if HE be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.’ Well it’s time to update that inscription,” says Marvel editor Wil Moss in a press release. “The new Thor continues Marvel’s proud tradition of strong female characters like Captain Marvel, Storm, Black Widow and more. And this new Thor isn’t a temporary female substitute – she’s now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!”
The new Thor will premiere this October. It’s too early to tell at this time what this means, if anything, for the film series which has Chris Hemsworth in the lead role. Thor may revert back to a man in the comics eventually, but we wouldn’t mind seeing a female take on the movie role for a film or two while there’s a chance.