Thor is one of Marvel’s most recognizable characters with his magical hammer and divine appearance. Based on the Scandinavian mythological god of thunder and lightning, Thor (Þōrrr), Marvel has turned this mighty man into a popular superhero of our time.
Thor first appeared in a Marvel comic book in 1962 Although Thor has been around for centuries, his first appearance in a Marvel comic book was in 1962. In Scandinavian mythology, he is known as the god of thunder with incredible powers, and the first Marvel comic book featuring Thor was called Journey into Mystery #83. However, another version of Thor, depicted in Venus No. 12 and No. 13, was published in 1951.
Thor is not only the hero of the whole series, but since 1963 he has been a permanent member of the Avengers team. The creators of Thor the Superhero are comic book author Stan Lee, screenwriter Larry Lieber, and artist Jack Kirby.
Thor is the god of thunder, a valiant warrior, and the son of the great Odin, lord of the kingdom of Asgard. From childhood, he was distinguished by courage and bravery. His main character traits were honesty and openness. Thor always had great respect for his father and brothers, Baldur and Loki.
His father decides to teach his wayward son a lesson and sends him back to Earth in the body of medical student Donald Blake. Donald does not remember that in the other world, he was a god and had superpowers. After graduation, Blake goes on vacation to Norway, where he sneaks into a cave and finds Thor’s hammer Mjolnir. Taking it in his hands, he regains his divine powers.
Thor is forced to lead a double life on Earth: he fights evil and cures the sick in the hospital, where he is helped by nurse Jane Foster. Upon learning of Thor’s whereabouts, his brother Loki, the god of guile and deceit, summons destructive warriors to destroy his rival in the struggle for the throne of Asgard. However, Loki’s intervention has the opposite effect: Thor meets Earth’s superheroes and becomes one of the Avengers.
Thor possesses enormous power and knowledge that is inaccessible to mere mortals. Like any god, Thor is immortal. In addition, being a god of war, he remains an incomparable warrior who cannot be defeated in a fair fight. He is immune to diseases and poisons and resistant to various kinds of spells.
Thor’s hammer, Mielnir, is made of the ancient metal Uru. Because of this, only its owner can lift the hammer, it always returns to the owner’s hand and can shrink and enlarge at will. Mielnir allows Thor to summon rain, storm, tempest, and lightning – and to control them. In addition, the hammer can create a stream of pure energy that can kill an immortal.
What is Thor?
Thor is the name of a superhero from the Marvel Universe, which was first introduced in the 1960s. Thor was sent to Earth as a man by his father, the god Odin, primarily to learn humility. Thor became human and was named Donald Blake. His memory was erased, so he forgot that he was a god.
In terms of visual identity, the Thor logo was redesigned for each of the four movies about the superhero, but the main graphical symbol of Marvel’s Scandinavian God has always been based on a geometrical image of a hammer, Mielnir.
For the first movie about Thor, released in 2011, the logo was based on a very elegant three-dimensional lettering in the uppercase of a sophisticated serif typeface, with the characters executed in a gold metallic palette. The capitalized “Thor” in the center of the composition was accompanied by a small “Marvel Studios” inscription in a geometric sans-serif, written above a thin horizontal line in the top part of the composition.
For the second movie about Thor, filmed in 2013, the logo got more ornate and posh, being written in gold and silver, with massive uppercase characters set in a three-dimensional way with gloss and blinks. The “Thor” was underlined by the golden “The Dark World” inscription, set in the same font, but in a smaller size and with no silver elements. The whole composition was accompanied by a small “Marvel” badge in the corporate red and white palette.
For the Thor Ragnarok movie, released in 2017, the logo was redrawn again. The composition became stronger and more up-to-date, with the top level set in glossy yellowish shades, and the bottom one — in blue and gray. The lines were separated from each other by a sharp gray line with a northern mood and details. The three-dimensional inscription was accompanied by the flat and small banner on top, composed of the white “Marvel” on a red rectangle and the black “Studios” on a white one.
The logo, created for Thor: Love and Thunder movie, filmed in 2022, had everything enlarged and exaggerated in it. Starting from the intense blue and red color palette, and finishing with the geometry of the bold uppercase characters, all elements in the badge looked strong and confident. The top part of the logo was decorated with the same red and white banner, as the previous version.
All of the Thor logos, designed throughout the years, are based on designer fonts, created individually for each movie. The latest badge, introduced in 2022, is set in an extra-bold geometric typeface, with lots of volume and stability in the characters.
As for the color palette of Thor’s visual identity, from year to year it varies, but always contains cold metallic shades, which represent the essence and the roots of one of the most famous Marvel superheroes.