14 DAY TRIAL // Marvel has been getting a lot of flak in recent months, after announcing several major changes to its most famous comic book series that didn’t sit well with the fans. We can finally see how one of them will impact the comic book universe, because the first issue with the female Thor is out.
That’s right: for the first time in the history of this comic book character, Thor is no longer a man. Starting with this new series, the Mjölnir hammer will be in the hands of a female Thor and Marvel is telling fans that she is here to stay. In other words, this isn’t just a gimmick to get more female readers, a gimmick that will be dropped once the target is reached.
Your first look at this non-gimmick, if that's what this is, is included in the gallery below.
Introduce a new female character, don’t “ruin” those you already have
However, there is no denying that the move to make Thor a woman will undoubtedly appeal to more female readers. So, whether Marvel admits it or not, the change will ultimately serve the purpose of making women feel more at home in the comic book universe.
Still, the same result could have been achieved if Marvel created a brand new series, with a strong female character as lead. It’s not like it doesn’t have where to choose from. This is essential to understanding the frustration of fans who took it to heart that Marvel would simply switch the sex of a well-known character and expected them to just deal with it.
Marvel wants fans to embrace the new Thor, no questions asked
“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,” writer Jason Aaron said after the announcement.
In a separate interview, Aaron blamed the fans for the frustration they felt at the change, saying if they had no trouble before accepting Thor as a horse-faced alien or a frog, they should not have any now either. That’s to say, if you’re upset about this, it’s your problem because you can’t think outside the box.
You can imagine how this sat with the fans who were already venting their anger on dedicated forums. Hint: not well.
Not that any of this mattered in any way, because Marvel stuck to the plan and turned Thor into a woman. The new series has Jason Aaron as writer and art by Russell Dauterman. As you can see in one of the screenshots below, Marvel is writing history by simply replacing the “he” in the inscription on the hammer with a “she.” Who knew a single letter could make such a difference?
