I just realized that I really am liking the Thor. Really. Just now. I mean, I never really was a fan of any of the Avengers, save the Hulk, but he was an Avenger for such a short period and for most of it, a pawn for Loki to boot.
Iron Man? Nah. He needed to plug himself in a little too much for my liking in the 80s and 90s. Giant Man and Wasp? Sheah, right.
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But Thor? He was sorta cool but in those days when I was a kid he was too He-Man-like. And anyone who looked a smidgen like my hero Adam of Eternia was obviously a fake/imposter/not the original. I also had issues with the bare sides in his costume top. (Is he wearing a shirt or is that some sort of double-sided apron?)
Fast forward a good 30 years later and these guys are all mainstream--Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor all have their own movies and are coming together in The Avengers opening hereabouts in a couple of days. I find myself now liking them, even Hawkeye and Black Widow (sorry Giant Man and Wasp! Maybe in Avengers 2?)
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And I suppose it's the way that Marvel have marketed their B-Listers and made them A-Listers. 10 years ago, the average person on the street wouldn't know who Iron Man or Thor was. Now everyone knows and those of us who knew already find ourselves liking them.
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For me, it all began with this little story called the Ultimates. All the characters were too interesting to ignore. It wasn't because they were all saints or completely badass. It was but because I could relate to them and their struggles with ordinary things like morals and dealing with relationships and even having super powers.
Ultimate Thor, for example, was the "Is he for real" hippie who no one believed was a Norse God except for himself. Yet sometimes he would know things or perform extraordinary feats that would throw you off just when you think you have him pegged for a fake. Or a god. And then there was his hammer, half axe and half hammer head. Even the circles on his suit started to make sense. I was sucked right in.
So here we are, just days before The Avengers is about to hit screens. So I guess it's fitting tribute that they've included Ultimates Thor among the first couple of waves of movie figures. Named "Battle Hammer Thor", let's see how he turned out.