Thor: Protector of Midgard

Protector of Midgard

Thor (vol. 1) #126 (March 1966). The premiere, after the retitling of Journey into Mystery.Cover art by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta.
Being the son of the Elder Goddess Gaea, Thor has a natural affinity for Earth and feels obliged to protect the mortals that occupy it. Thor's time on Earth is marked by battles against supervillains, monsters, cosmic beings and even other gods.
Thor's principal foe is his adopted brother Loki, who has hated Thor since childhood. While a master of magic with power that dwarfs even that of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme Dr. Strange,[6] Loki prefers to employ the use of minions in his battle against Thor. Ever the schemer, Loki is cautious not to be seen to be directly involved for fear of angering Odin. To that end, Loki creates two ubiquitous foes of Thor — the Absorbing Man and the Wrecker. Loki also tricks others into fighting on his behalf, such as the Asgardian troll Ulik, the dragon Fafnir and the Silver Surfer.
Sometimes, however, Loki overreaches himself and faces disaster. Guiding a mortal to the shrine of the Asgardian Destroyer — which then absorbs the mortal's essence and battles Thor — almost proves fatal for Loki, as Odin became aware of the conflict and promises that should Thor perish, the trickster god would quickly follow. On another occasion, Loki uses the Hulk as a lure to draw Thor out; while this proved successful, it resulted in the formation of the superhero team the Avengers, of which Thor is a founding and longstanding member.[7]
Thor's other mortal foes include the Radioactive Man; Grey Gargoyle and Wrecking Crew, but among his most powerful foes are the Asgardian monsters as Mangog, the Frost Giants, the Enchanters Three, the Midgard Serpent and the fire-demon Surtur. Thor's gallery of mystical/cosmic rogues extends to Mephisto, Thanos, the God Eater, the Dark Gods, the Sh'iar Praetor Gladiator, and the god-slayer Desak. Thor has even fought against the combined might of the Celestials, when their Fourth Host arrived to judge Earth.