Which Marvel EIC/Writer's Love Thor and Which Don't?

Avatar image for malevolent1
Malevolent1

1100

Forum Posts

157

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#1  Edited By Malevolent1

One of the common questions regarding Thor on almost every comic web site I've ever been on is why Thor isn't written to his potential? Who is stronger, Hulk or Thor? Is Thor a planet buster? And on and on.

In large part, I would have to say the editor/writer has a lot to do with how any given character is portrayed.

Unquestionably, Stan Lee, loved the character of Thor. He was the one who borrowed from Norse mythology when creating the comic character we all know and love today. And there was no question in his mind who Marvel's most powerful superhero was; his very direct answer to that question from a reader who wrote in was indicated at the end of Thor #4....Thor!!

However, since Stan Lee left Marvel, long ago, the Thunder God has seen editor's and writers who furthered Stan's vision of the be all, end all of ALL superheroes...and those who did NOT share Stan's vision.

In your opinion, which editor's/writer's liked the character and portrayed him the right way and which ones didn't?

Also, does Marvel portray Thor the way he should be portrayed in this day and age? If not, what is the solution?

Avatar image for omegared86
OmegaRed86

518

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#2  Edited By OmegaRed86

I can only answer one question. I believe Thor can only show his true power in his own book when he's fighting in Asgard. If he fights in Midgard, he'll have to hold back and popular characters will get the spotlight ala Wolverine and Iron Man. If Thanos, Ultron, or Hulk type villains are involved, Thor will have the opportunity to go all out and save the day.

Avatar image for thephoenx
ThePhoenX

135

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 2

#3  Edited By ThePhoenX

@Malevolent1: Matt Fraction definitely didn't. It would be good to see "a Thor" with more fighting skills. Not a

stronger Thor (he's already strong enough), but a strategic Thor, a Thor with serious hand to hand fighting skills.

Not just a guy who stands and bang!!!

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#4  Edited By majestic99

Jeph Loeb does this to Thor:

No Caption Provided

Anything by the guy....don't read.

No, Thor isn't written to his full potential. Classic Thor was capable of transmuting elements, stalemating Hulk's strength for an entire hour(even though Hulk was getting stronger and stronger and still unable to overpower Thor), rendering the Abomination unconscious with a single blow, shattering entire planets with the force of his blows, moving as fast as the lightning he commands, battling Celestials, teleporting beings into other dimensions, absorbing energy sufficient that it could destroy an entire galaxy,etc.

Now, Thor is beaten by Rhino, owned by Hulk, slapped around by Rulk, struggles to lift up Asgard, isn't a speedster(reactionary wise), is harmed by Wolverine's claws,etc.

Marvel uses Thor as a punching bag in comics, tv shows, and movies.It REALLY makes me ANGRY. I'm a serious Thor fan, and they just don't respect Thor. Superman fans, if you read a comic where Batman knocked out Superman with one punch, would you be happy? No, you wouldn't! You want Superman to be written to his full potential, how he is supposed to be written!

When I hear feats of Thor, I want to hear things like Thor turning Molecule Man into iron with a mere touch, knocking out Photon while she was moving at light speed, absorbing energy sufficient that it could destroy the Milky Way galaxy 10 times over, effortlessly defeating Thanos(without his hammer), shattering every bone in Hulk's body with a mere headbutt, striking down Gladiator while Glads was moving at 40,000 FTL, surviving a White Dwarf Star some 10 million times larger than our own sun going supernova and isn't so much as phased, creating a 40.0 earthquake by merely stomping his foot on the ground,etc. When fans ask who would in"Thor vs Superman"(bloodlusted) or "Thor vs Hulk"(brute strength)? It should be no question that it is Thor because Thor is an actual GOD andSuperman or Hulkare NOT.

But that's just my two cents.

m99

Avatar image for jeanroygrant
jeanroygrant

20442

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#5  Edited By jeanroygrant

@majestic99 said:

Jeph Loeb does this to Thor:

No Caption Provided

Anything by the guy....don't read.

No, Thor isn't written to his full potential. Classic Thor was capable of transmuting elements, stalemating Hulk's strength for an entire hour(even though Hulk was getting stronger and stronger and still unable to overpower Thor), rendering the Abomination unconscious with a single blow, shattering planets with the force of his blows, moving as fast as the lightning he commands, battling Celestials, teleporting beings into other dimensions, absorbing energy sufficient that it could destroy an entire galaxy,etc.

Now, Thor is beaten by Rhino, owned by Hulk, slapped around by Rulk, struggles to lift up Asgard, isn't a speedster(reactionary wise), is harmed by Wolverine's claws,etc.

Marvel uses Thor as a punching bag in comics, tv shows, and movies.It really makes me angry. I'm a serious Thor fan, and they just don't respect Thor. Superman fans, if you read a comic where Batman knocked out Superman with one punch, would you be happy? No, you wouldn't! You want Superman to be written to his full potential, how he is supposed to be written!

When I hear feats of Thor, I want to hear things like Thor turning Molecule Man into iron with a mere touch, knocking out Photon while she was moving at light speed, absorbing energy sufficient that it could destroy the Milky Way galaxy 10 times over, effortlessly defeating Thanos(without his hammer), shattering every bone in Hulk's body with a mere headbutt, striking down Gladiator while Glads was moving at 40,000 FTL, surviving a White Dwarf Star some 10 million times larger than our own sun going supernova and isn't so much as phased, creating a 40.0 earthquake by merely stomping his foot on the ground,etc. When people ask who would, Thor or Superman, Thor or Hulk, Thor or Wonder Woman? it should be no question that it is Thor because Thor is an actual GOD and Wonder Woman/Hulk/ Superman are NOT.

But that's just my two cents.

m99

This.

Avatar image for hectorsquall
hectorsquall

1137

Forum Posts

511

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#6  Edited By hectorsquall

@majestic99:

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#7  Edited By majestic99

@jeanroygrant said:

This.

Do you agree with me? PLEASE RESPOND!!!

m99

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#8  Edited By majestic99

@hectorsquall said:

@majestic99:

Do you agree with me?

m99

Avatar image for jeanroygrant
jeanroygrant

20442

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#9  Edited By jeanroygrant

@majestic99 said:

@jeanroygrant said:

This.

Do you agree with me? PLEASE RESPOND!!!

m99

LOL yes i do.

Avatar image for hectorsquall
hectorsquall

1137

Forum Posts

511

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#10  Edited By hectorsquall

@majestic99 said:

Do you agree with me?

m99

Sure I do!!

But like you said, it doesn't only apply to him but to a lot of other characters, like Superman for example. I think that instead of decreasing their powers, writers should come up with better storylines and character development. What they are currently doing with Thor only shows that they don't know how to handle a character like him and they should hire a better writer, who has a real feel for the character and who could do him justice (like Ed Brubaker did with Captain America).

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#11  Edited By majestic99

@hectorsquall:

Wish I knew how to become a comicbook writer. I would make BIG changes.

m99

Avatar image for angethedude
AngeTheDude

160

Forum Posts

1

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#12  Edited By AngeTheDude

Marvel seems to hate Thor yet they made a movie out of him. It's very strange. They constantly poop all over him and the rest of the Asgardians. It's shameful. Writers like Simonson, Jurgens, and Straczynski worked hard to make him awesome and Marvel just lays waste to everything they set up time and time again.

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#13  Edited By majestic99

@AngeTheDude said:

Marvel seems to hate Thor yet they made a movie out of him. It's very strange. They constantly poop all over him and the rest of the Asgardians. It's shameful. Writers like Simonson, Jurgens, and Straczynski worked hard to make him awesome and Marvel just lays waste to everything they set up time and time again.

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#14  Edited By majestic99

@AngeTheDude said:

Marvel seems to hate Thor yet they made a movie out of him. It's very strange. They constantly poop all over him and the rest of the Asgardians. It's shameful. Writers like Simonson, Jurgens, and Straczynski worked hard to make him awesome and Marvel just lays waste to everything they set up time and time again.

Did you read my post?

Avatar image for malevolent1
Malevolent1

1100

Forum Posts

157

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#15  Edited By Malevolent1

@majestic99 said:

@hectorsquall said:

@majestic99:

Do you agree with me?

m99

Can I get an Amen!!

Avatar image for malevolent1
Malevolent1

1100

Forum Posts

157

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#16  Edited By Malevolent1

Honestly, I sometimes think Marvel simply hates the character. I mean, it began with DeFalco. He was the first EIC at Marvel to put his stamp of approval on Hulk being ABOVE Thor in raw, brute strength. Like Majestic indicated above, classic Thor stalemated a raging Hulk. For an hour. At best, Hulk could originally only equal Thor in strength.

Then Quesada took over, with his, "it's comics! anything goes!", philosophy (which mantra is incidentally repeated by Fraction). Completely opposite of Stan's philosophy of suspension of disbelief.

Then Quesada let Busiek, a professed fan of Superman write the JLA/Avengers crossover. Those books were so laden with PIS, it stunk to high heaven. And there were all the other theories out there about why Superman won and Thor lost. "Superman is the more popular character, the writing was on the wall!". "He's DC's bread and butter, they couldn't piss off their fan base, they had a lot more to lose!". And on and on.

After that, J Michael Stracynksi wrote a great re-boot of the character, allowing Thor to actually inherit the Odin force and step up a rung in power. So what does Marvel do? They let the guy go?

I mean, am I just paranoid?

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#17  Edited By majestic99

@Malevolent1:

Nope, you're right about everything so far.

m99

Avatar image for gravitypress
gravitypress

2102

Forum Posts

6

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

#18  Edited By gravitypress

Simonson's like of the character made Thor's comic respectable. Fraction and Bendis seem to dislike him. It almost feels like Quesada hates him though.

Avatar image for malevolent1
Malevolent1

1100

Forum Posts

157

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#19  Edited By Malevolent1

@gravitypress: Agreed. Almost thought I was getting paranoid. Now, I will give props to Marvel studios the way they treated Thor in Avengers. I thought I was going to be completely embarassed again, like in the Hulk vs. DVD/travesty/disaster thing. They not only captured the rivalry between the Hulk and Thor, Thor was actually taking Hulk's best shots and coming back for more...and dishing out a few nice shots of his own.

I would SO like to see Thor inherit Odin's power in Thor 2.

Avatar image for gravitypress
gravitypress

2102

Forum Posts

6

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

#20  Edited By gravitypress

@Malevolent1: Yeah, Hulk vs Thor was crap. I'm tired of this new morose Thor they keep portraying.

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#21  Edited By majestic99

@gravitypress said:

Simonson's like of the character made Thor's comic respectable. Fraction and Bendis seem to dislike him. It almost feels like Quesada hates him though.

Greg Johnson and Craig Kyle hate Thor as well.

@gravitypress said:

@Malevolent1: Yeah, Hulk vs Thor was crap. I'm tired of this new morose Thor they keep portraying.

Did you notice who made it?(hint: see above comment)

m99

Avatar image for malevolent1
Malevolent1

1100

Forum Posts

157

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#22  Edited By Malevolent1

@majestic99: Agreed. Employees tend to take on the quirks of their bosses. Thor was the shizzle under Lee and Shooter. Even DeFalco, who erroneously claimed Hulk as outright stronger than Thor (Defenders #10 is powerful proof that, at his strongest, Hulk is about equal to Thor in strength), still felt Thor was more powerful, and would say as much. Under the Quesada-Enchilada regime, Thor took a decided step back.

Now, during the second run with Jurgens and Romita, Thor had some pretty good feats and showings. It wasn't until Quesada turned Busiek loose on the JLA/Avengers disaster that Marvel began to reveal their real view of the Thunder God. Since then, Thor has been up and down in terms of power, making a somewhat surprising victory over the Sentry (surprising from the stand point of Marvel's attitude toward Thor...).

Regarding Fraction, I recently read an interview with him on CBR and he literally used the same phrase I've heard Quesada use: "It's comics. Anything goes!", which mantra is diametrically opposed to Stan's efforts of weaving decades of storytelling with suspension of disbelief in mind.

Yep. Unquestionably, writer's and editor's can be biases fan boys as much as the readers can.

But you would think that even Marvel comics under the current "administration" would see the recent success of the Thor movie (I seem to remember about $325 million in world wide sales to date) and the character's much greater success in the STUNNING world wide ticket sales of Avengers (a staggering $1.1 billion to date) as an opportunity to push the character. Marvel has cancelled the series twice now, citing poor sales of the book. Supposedly, J Michael Stracynski left because of not meeting deadlines for his run (which was OUTSTANDING!!!)...the character was as powerful as he had ever been in the past...at which point Stracynski departs for DC.

Bottom line: Marvel has absolutely no reason to not push Lee's vision of a Superman killer. Thor, like Superman, has become a household name. To me, Marvel editorial's disdain of the character would be OBVIOUS if they did not push the character in the direction Stan Lee set for him in the first place.

Avatar image for gravitypress
gravitypress

2102

Forum Posts

6

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

#23  Edited By gravitypress

The inconsistent writing is bugging me bad. The writing is really suffering having to interrupt a book to have another bad event. Quesada needs to go. He has turned Marvel comics into its own Chaos war. Right now Thor's comic is a bad drama.

It wouldn't take much to set Thor to right either. I wanna rant but I won't.

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#24  Edited By majestic99

@gravitypress said:

The inconsistent writing is bugging me bad. The writing is really suffering having to interrupt a book to have another bad event. Quesada needs to go. He has turned Marvel comics into its own Chaos war. Right now Thor's comic is a bad drama.

It wouldn't take much to set Thor to right either. I wanna rant but I won't.

Thor ought to have consistent feats(strength, speed, durability,etc.)

m99

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#25  Edited By majestic99

@Malevolent1:

You make REALLY LONG posts, but informative ones as well.

Avatar image for malevolent1
Malevolent1

1100

Forum Posts

157

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#26  Edited By Malevolent1

@majestic99 said:

@Malevolent1:

You make REALLY LONG posts, but informative ones as well.

I feel compelled to. Marvel's heroes, including Thor, are hitting the big screen through animation movies with real actors. After watching the Hulk vs DVD, my wife was like, "Why did Thor get beat so bad?". Marvel these days does care a lick to enter Thor into most powerful supehero sweepstakes. But they DID back in Stan Lee and Jim Shooter's day. Now, except for a good run under Jurgens and a good but short run under Stacynski, Thor's showing are not what they used to be.

Since I KNOW what Stan Lee intended when he created Thor in the first place, I feel compelled, as a fan, to tell the truth about Thor.

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#27  Edited By majestic99

@Malevolent1:

Yeah, Hulk vs Wolverine was GREAT!!!

But Hulk vs Thor was complete PIS and spite!

I don't know if you noticed who made the movie, but it was Craig Kyle, Greg Johnson, and Frank Paur:

WHO HATE THOR!!!

They're the ones who made God a punching bag in Avengers: EMH.

Their goal is to:

  • Make Thor a punching bag
  • Make sure Hulk dominates everyone
  • Depower Thor(don't know if you knew this, but you ever wonder how in Hulk vs Thor, Thor could ONLLY fly and control weather with his hammer???)

Does your wife know how powerful comicbook Thor is?

And watch this:

Avatar image for malevolent1
Malevolent1

1100

Forum Posts

157

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#28  Edited By Malevolent1

@majestic99: Awesome video. Yeah. I agree. It's amazing. If you go to any number of comic sites and a comparison is made of DC's Superman and Marvel's Thor, invariably a reference will be made to the JLA/Avengers crossover. Consensus is it was fine for Superman to have won in the manner he did. But that I guarantee, that is not how Stan would've wanted it to be. I totally agree. Marvel, mostly, has no interest in pursuing Stan's original vision for the character.

What a shame. And yeah, my wife is on board with Thor. She knows whats up!!

And by the way: very cool video on comments by Stan Lee!! Thanks for sharing!!!

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#29  Edited By majestic99

@Malevolent1:

No problem!

Did she read my post or something?

Avatar image for malevolent1
Malevolent1

1100

Forum Posts

157

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#30  Edited By Malevolent1

@majestic99: No. I just meant I've taken the time to share with her what I've learned over the last several decades regarding the Thunder God.

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#31  Edited By majestic99

@Malevolent1 said:

@majestic99: No. I just meant I've taken the time to share with her what I've learned over the last several decades regarding the Thunder God.

I just hate Thor's inconsistency.

Avatar image for malevolent1
Malevolent1

1100

Forum Posts

157

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#32  Edited By Malevolent1

@majestic99 said:

@Malevolent1 said:

@majestic99: No. I just meant I've taken the time to share with her what I've learned over the last several decades regarding the Thunder God.

I just hate Thor's inconsistency.

*sigh*

All us Thor fans do...

*sniffle, sniff*

Avatar image for majestic99
majestic99

8915

Forum Posts

348

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

#33  Edited By majestic99

@Malevolent1:

lol

Avatar image for thorson
THORSON

4995

Forum Posts

2

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 1

i find this sad.

Avatar image for spiderman1997
Spiderman1997

2391

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Avatar image for coolcat4
coolcat4

77

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

well thor has been written pretty powerfuly recently, he has strength striking power, durability speed and fighting skill. also one of the most powerful versions of him ever

Avatar image for sophisticated_ignorance
Sophisticated_Ignorance

2713

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

However wrote Thor in that storyline where he gets mind controlled by Red Skull wrote him well. He one shotted that turtle guy that was apparently meant to be the embodiment of physical will,and if thats true (The narrator said it was) that would mean that guy was around Hulk level strength, yet Thor still one shotted him,that's impressive.