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.
Wisely, Craig immediately turned it down (see article HERE), but that didn't stop us from cracking wise about the hybrid movie titles that pairing brings to mind. So, in true Lettermanesque fashion, here are our top ten movie title picks:
