Thor is one of several powerful ancient beings who dwell in a magical realm called Asgard. Through history, these beings have been revered and worshiped as gods. Ages ago, Odin, lord of the Asgardian gods, desired a child who would one day exceed him in power. Odin wooed Gaea, the earth goddess, and from their union Thor was born in a small cave in Norway on Earth. Odin took him to be raised in Asgard by his wife,Frigga.
The young Thor grew up alongside his adopted brother Loki, the trickster, who was always jealous of his more favored sibling. Thor grew in power and popularity and on his eighth birthday, Odin had the hammer Mjolnir created for him, enchanting it with powerful magic. Odin decreed that Mjolnir would be presented to Thor when his son had been proven a worthy warrior. After spending the next eight years training and performing heroic deeds, Thor was given the hammer and declared the greatest warrior in Asgard.
A Lesson in Humility
While Thor continued to engage in many heroic battles and adventures through the years, he grew headstrong and proud. On one occasion, Thor broke a truce between the Asgardians and their enemies, the brutal Frost Giants, nearly starting a war. To teach his son a lesson in humility, Odin sent Thor to Earth in the mortal body of a crippled medical student, Donald Blake. Stripped of his hammer, his powers and memories of being an Asgardian, Thor, as Blake, graduated medical school with top honors, gained a reputation as a caring family doctor and a brilliant surgeon, and opened a private practice in New York City. He worked beside a caring and skillful nurse, Jane Foster, and the two fell in love.
After 10 years on Earth, Blake received a subconscious prodding from Odin to vacation in Norway where alien Kronans were preparing to invade Earth. Fleeing into a cave (which, unbeknownst to him, was also his birthplace) Blake discovered a plain walking cane in a secret chamber. When Blake struck the cane against a boulder, he transformed into Thor while the cane became Mjolnir. Thor fought against the Kronans and their invasion was thwarted. Tapping the ground with Mjolnir, Thor was able to transform back into Don Blake, holding the simple wooden cane once again.
Blake returned to New York, using his secret identity of Thor to fight crime, defend Earth and contend with the jealous and hateful Loki, who plagued Thor with many devious tricks and outright confrontation. One such trick led Thor and other heroes, including Ant-Man (Hank Pym), the Wasp (Janet van Dyne), and Iron Man (Tony Stark) to fight the Hulk (Bruce Banner). Learning of Loki’s manipulations, the heroes, along with the Hulk, bested Loki and agreed to continue their partnership, forming the Avengers.
While Thor faced many struggles as an Avenger, his personal life as a human was also tumultuous. Despite the sincere love between Blake and Foster, Odin was displeased by the relationship between a god and a mortal. He forbade Blake from revealing his identity to her, creating a strange love triangle between Foster, Thor and Thor’s alter-ego, Blake.
Whole Mind, Broken Heart
Even though Donald Blake knew he was the legendary Thor, he still lacked his full memories from his former life as an Asgardian. However, over time his memories slowly returned, until one day Odin finally revealed himself and restored Thor’s complete memory. Odin also admitted his role orchestrating Blake’s trip to Norway to discover his Asgardian alter-ego. Thor was reintroduced to his childhood friend and former lover, the Asgardian warrior Sif, further complicating Thor’s love life on Earth.
The love affair between Thor and Jane Foster eventually ended when Foster fell in love with a mortal man, Dr. Keith Kincaid. Resuming their ancient romance, Sif and Thor were betrothed, and Sif lived on Earth posing as Donald Blake’s cousin. Foster and Kincaid married, but wedding plans were cancelled for Thor, as Sif grew bored with his time spent as Blake, and returned to Asgard.
The Worthy Alien
The fire demon Surtur, enemy of the Asgardian gods, ravaged a distant galaxy (the "Burning Galaxy") for the sake of forging his Twilight Sword, the "Sword of Doom." A fleet of survivors of the galactic massacre from the planet Korbin traveled the cosmos in search of a new home, under the protection of their noble guardian, Beta Ray Bill. As the fleet ventured close to Earth, Thor mistook them for a threat and attacked the Korbinites. Separated from Mjolnir, Thor reverted into Donald Blake, while Beta Ray Bill retrieved and wielded the hammer, magically unliftable to all but the most worthy. With Donald Blake helpless and defeated, Bill made a claim to keep the hammer to help him fight back against Surtur’s demons. Odin had Thor and Beta Ray Bill compete for the right to use the hammer and Beta Ray Bill won, but Odin awarded him with a similar weapon, Stormbreaker, rather than disarm his son. Once Thor, Bill, and Sif defeated Surtur’s demons, Odin transferred the enchantment that changed Thor into Donald Blake onto Stormbreaker, so that Bill could revert to his mortal form. Thor, therefore, abandoned his Donald Blake identity, and resided in Asgard. He and Bill still successfully teamed together to vanquish Surtur when the demon led an assault against Asgard and Earth. Afterward, Bill departed with his people to find a new home.
After commuting back and forth from Asgard to Earth to continue his heroic adventures with humans, Thor sought help from Nick Fury, director of the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D., to create another human identity to enable him to live among humans. A new alias was created, that of construction worker Sigurd Jarlson. However, Thor infrequently used the guise, consumed by his adventures as Thor.
The Fall of Odin
After being defeated by Thor and Beta Ray Bill, the vengeful Surtur made an alliance with the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim (one of the realms of Asgard) to war against the Asgardian gods. Thor, Loki, and Odin protected Asgard by merging their spiritual essences together, thereby increasing their powers. However, the battle could not be won until Odin sacrificed himself for Asgard, seemingly dying as he grappled Surtur and plummeted into a huge chasm. With Asgard left without a leader, Loki schemed for ways to assume power. Working in collusion with Loki, the Asgardian goddess Lorelei (a notorious seductress like her sister Amora the Enchantress), cast a spell on Thor causing him to fall in love with her in hopes that he would then help Loki become the new ruler. Thor broke free of the enchantment, but the incident strained Thor's relationship with Sif, who still loved the thunder-god.
As the gods of Asgard performed the "Great Althing," a ceremony to choose a new leader to replace Odin, Loki continued to scheme to seize Asgard’s throne for himself. He incapacitated Thor by turning him into a frog on Earth. As a heroic amphibian, Thor became embroiled in a battle between the frogs and the rats of Central Park, New York, until he turned into a frog-like humanoid upon finding his hammer. Meanwhile in Asgard, Harokin, an Asgardian warrior, pretended to be Thor so as to cast his vote for Loki. Thor captured Loki and Thor’s friend Volstagg returned him to his normal form. Thor was offered his father’s seat, but declined the throne, nominating Balder as Asgard’s new leader.
Kursed
A Dark Elf named Algrim the Strong defended his ruler, Malekith the Accursed, from Thor when the thunder-god attempted to rescue Lorelei from capture. Malekith dropped both Thor and Algrim into a chasm towards molten lava. While Thor escaped, Algrim was badly burned and left an amnesiac with nothing but vengeance against Thor on his mind. The near-omnipotent being called the Beyonder, curious about human desires, transformed Algrim into Kurse, healing his injuries, augmented his strength, and remodeling his armor. Kurse wreaked havoc searching for Thor in Manhattan. Assisted by the junior super-team Power Pack, Thor defeated Kurse, reawakening his memories in the process. Kurse realized it was Malekith, not Thor, who caused his fall, and redirected his anger. At Thor’s request, the Beyonder sent Kurse to Hel to find Malektih, where Hela, the Asgardian death goddess, grew furious with Kurse’s rampage through her realm. Kurse eventually found Malekith in Asgard and slew him. In retaliation, Hela cursed Thor such that his bones became brittle, yet he was prevented from dying from his injuries. Humiliated but determined to remain a warrior to the end, Thor donned a suit of battle armor to support his fragile body.
Loki took this opportunity to release the Midgard Serpent, the beast prophesized to kill Thor and start Ragnarok, the apocalyptic end of the Asgardians. Despite his weakened condition, Thor was able to kill the Midgard Serpent and, thanks to Hela’s curse, Thor survived the battle although his body was completely broken and battered. Loki then sent the enchanted Destroyer, an animated indestructible suit of armor, to torment Thor but instead, Thor managed to send his spirit into the Destroyer armor and take command of it. He traveled to Hel in the Destroyer and began wreaking havoc. The desperate Hela had no choice but to fully restore Thor’s original body and release him from her curse.
Odin Returns
After a battle between Asgard and the Egyptian god of death, Seth, which resulted in Odin triumphantly returned to the throne of Asgard, Thor began to suffer sudden and momentary bouts of weakness during times of stress. Travelling within Thor’s mind, Doctor Stephen Strange the Sorcerer Supreme, discovered an evil version of Thor present, derived from Loki’s evil residue which had manifested when Thor, Loki, and Odin had mingled their essences to battle Surtur. Thor defeated his evil alternate version within himself.
Thor, in his civilian identity of Jarlson, had become friends with the architect Eric Masterson and his son, Kevin. Eric was kidnapped by Mongoose (a superhuman agent of the powerful scientist, the High Evolutionary) who had previously attacked Thor, attempting to gain a cell sample. Thor tracked Eric to the High Evolutionary’s European base at Mount Wundagore, where Mongoose led the animalistic residents to attack. Freeing Eric, Thor learned that the High Evolutionary and the Greek demigod Hercules were missing. Accompanied by Eric, Thor rescued Hercules and the High Evolutionary from the ancient galactic entities, the Celestials, in the Black Galaxy. Upon returning to Earth, they were again attacked by the Mongoose, and Eric blocked a blast of energy meant for Thor, giving Thor and Hercules a chance to defeat Mongoose.
Eric Masterson
With Eric dying from Mongoose’s attack, Thor pleaded with Odin for aid on Eric’s behalf. Odin reluctantly agreed to save him, but did so by merging Thor and Masterson together, body and soul.
Thor and Eric shared a body in the same manner in which Donald Blake and Thor had, although the latter two were never truly separate beings. They dealt with their new condition, despite the problems it caused for Eric's private life and custody of his son. Thor continued his adventures, plagued by Loki. Eventually, the two’s bodies were separated by a Celestial while they were involved in the birth of a new Celestial in the Black Galaxy. During a tremendous battle between the fiery Surtur and the frost giant Ymir, a battle that signaled Ragnarok and the end of the Asgardians, Thor recovered Surtur's powerful sword from the Sea of Eternal Night to oppose the elemental giants. Weakened by his separation from Masterson, Thor was easily stopped by Surtur and Ymir, but Masterson willingly merged with Thor again, even though it meant giving up part of his life. While Ymir and Surtur fought over the sword, Thor opened a dimensional rift that sucked them both into the Sea of Eternal Night, ending the threat of Ragnarok.
When Thor returned to Earth, he quickly found himself in battle with Loki over the fate of Kevin Masterson. Although Thor defeated Loki, the trickster fired one last blast at Kevin and his mother Marcy, but it was blocked by Eric’s secretary, Susan Austin, killing her. Angered as never before, Thor absorbed all of Loki's lifeforce with his hammer, seemingly destroying the evil god forever, despite breaking Odin's sacred rule forbidding Asgardian gods from killing each other.
However, this was all according to Loki’s plan with the Hell-lord Mephisto. Loki’s spirit was able to possess Odin while Odin’s spirit was sent to Mephisto’s realm in exchange. Posing as Odin, Loki exiled Thor into Eric’s subconscious mind, though Eric could still assume Thor's form after striking his cane. Loki’s decrees while in Odin’s body became increasingly irrational and oppressive. Eric, Balder and Sif discovered Loki’s deception and rescued Odin and reclaimed his body from Loki. Mephisto seized Loki’s soul, allegedly his true goal. Eric then freed Thor’s spirit from within himself. For Eric’s courageous efforts, Odin granted him an enchanted uru mace. Still able to transform into a version of Thor, Eric adopted a new separate heroic identity, Thunderstrike.
Warrior's Madness and the End of Asgard
With the frequent shifting of identities between godly and human forms, and the sharing of his power, Thor was left mentally unbalanced for a time. Sif began to suspect Thor was falling prey to the incurable "Warrior’s Madness" and, along with Beta Ray Bill, Silver Surfer, and the self-appointed guardians of the universe, the Infinity Watch, she confronted Thor. During the conflict, Thor stole one of the most powerful artifacts in the universe, the Power Gem, becoming power incarnate. The heroes elicited the help of the wicked mad titan, Thanos, believing only he could stop Thor. Restrained, Thor was taken to Odin, who discovered the truth behind the malady after a spiritual journey through his son’s mind. Thor fought the personification of his own madness, that of a beautiful Valkyrie (handmaiden of Odin), and destroyed it.
This experience sparked Thor’s anger at his father regarding his discipline of humility. He left Asgard, allying with the High Evolutionary and his newly created godlike beings, the Godpack. In the meantime, Odin decided that the time had come for Ragnarok to begin, and he needed Thor. Disowning Thor, Odin resurrected Red Norvell, who once held the mantle of thunder god but had died in battle, and re-made him into a new "Thor." Odin also divulged the truth to his son about Donald Blake, that he and Thor were never separate beings. Thor became enraged and severed his ties with Asgard.
Odin hoped to bypass Ragnarok by transforming the Asgardian gods into mortals, but his plan was hijacked by the Egyptian god Seth, and put it into action prematurely. Asgard fell, and its gods were banished to Earth. Odin hoped Thor would restore the gods to power, but before he could, Thor fell in battle with the psychic entity, Onslaught. Thor vanished, along with the Avengers and other heroes, but, was merely reborn to another dimension, Counter-Earth. He eventually returned through the reality altering power of the boy Franklin Richards, son of the Fantastic Four’s Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman.
A God Reborn
When Thor returned, he discovered Asgard had been claimed held captive by the cruel Dark Gods (beings formerly banished by the Asgardians to the farthest reaches of the universe). They sent the Destroyer to Earth on a rampage, leaving the Avengers defeated and Thor nearly dead. The mysterious being named Marnot (secretly Hescamar, one of Odin’s magical ravens) offered to restore Thor in exchange for taking the place of Jake Olsen, a paramedic who died during the battle. Thor agreed, fighting the Destroyer again and banishing it to another dimension. Thor found he could transform between himself and Olsen, although he had none of Olsen’s memories, making it difficult to maintain two identities.
The Dark Gods, in the guise of Asgardians, attacked Olympus and left it in ruins. Thor and Hercules uncovered the truth and led the battle against the Dark Gods, eventually freeing both Asgard and Olympus, restoring them to glory. Marnot revealed that the Dark Gods had once invaded Asgard ages ago, and Odin had prepared an enchantment on Hescamar to seek out a way to defeat the Dark Gods should they return. The raven fulfilled this by transforming into Marnot and helping Thor. Afterwards, Thor remained on Earth with his dual identity of Jake Olsen.
Tarene and the Throne of Asgard
Among his subsequent adventures, Thor rescued a woman named Tarene, a cosmic being also known as the Designate. She later took on the identity of Thor Girl out of admiration of Thor. Thor and Thor Girl battled the time-travelling Gladiator (Kallark), who vowed to destroy Thor in a preemptive strike to prevent a terrible horror that he believed Thor would inflict in the future.
While Thor failed to defend Asgard against an army of monstrous Asgardian trolls during one of Odin’s "Odinsleeps" (a time when Odin recharges his energy and is left vulnerable), Odin punished Thor, stripping him of his immortality and left him on Earth. Shortly afterward, Loki (who had escaped Mephisto’s captivity) brought the Destroyer back to Earth, animating it with the soul of Tarene. Ultimately, the Destroyer was thwarted and Tarene was restored, but during the battle, Thor was severely wounded. Dr. Jane Foster tended to Jake Olsen's wounds but was unable to treat Thor's. Odin brought Thor to Asgard and physically separated Thor from his alter ego to allow Thor to heal while Jake Olsen was returned to his life on Earth.
Later on, Surtur appeared on Earth and an assemblage of Asgardian heroes and allies confronted the demon and its hordes. Tarene used her powers to restore Thor to full health, joining with Odin and the Asgardian warriors against Surtur. In the end, Odin tapped into both Thor and Tarene's powers to deliver a fatal blow against Surtur, but sacrificed himself in the process.
In mourning the loss of his father, Thor initially refused to take Odin's place. Eventually a discussion with Jake Olsen convinced Thor to accept the responsibilities of the new monarch of Asgard. Thor did so, gaining his father’s might, the "Odinpower," as a right of rule.
The Reigning
Thor decided to restore the gods of Asgard to their former role on Earth, guiding humanity’s affairs. He did this by bringing Asgard directly into the Earth dimension. Worship of the Asgardians flourished, with many branches of the Church of Thor established around the world. Defending his followers, Thor was pitted against the Avengers, and broke ties with the team of heroes. Later on, Earth’s citizens became wary of Thor and launched an assault upon Asgard, reducing it to rubble. Thor then devoted himself to conquering Earth and for nearly two hundred years, he ruled the planet. Eventually, he recognized how unjust he had become, and travelled back in time to prevent his younger self from becoming a despot, merging him with Jake Olson to ensure he retained some humanity. Thus, his future as a tyrant was prevented (diverged into a separate timeline called Reality-3515, "the Reigning").
Ragnarok
Almost immediately after restoring Asgard to its own realm away from Earth, Thor was attacked by Loki and his armies, who had teamed with Surtur to create weapons for Thor’s enemies, forged in the same way as Mjolnir. The fight for Asgard escalated into Ragnarok. Although Thor managed to defeat Loki, severing his head, the war left many of Thor’s allies dead, including Sif and his friends "the Warriors Three." Thor forced Surtur to re-forge Mjolnir, which had shattered during the battle. While Asgard succumbed to Ragnarok, effectively wiping the Asgardian world from existence, Thor sought out the gods known as Those Who Sit Above In Shadow, who gained power from repeating Ragnarok and Asgardian rebirth throughout history. Thor refused an offer to join them. Confronting them in battle, Thor destroyed Those Who Sit Above In Shadow as Asgard died. The Odinpower congratulated Thor on succeeding at his greatest mission. Thor then closed his eyes, apparently joining his people in death.
A Hammer Falls: A New Beginnings
Shortly following Ragnarok, Mjolnir sped through the cosmos and landed on Earth, releasing a blast of light. This signaled the return of Thor and the Asgardians. Thor had been residing in a limbo-like dimension since Ragnarok where he was visited by his Donald Blake aspect. Blake encouraged Thor to return to life and recreate Asgard, observing that with Those Who Sit Above in Shadow vanquished, the Asgardians could finally chart their own destiny rather than repeatedly face Ragnarok through time. Thor agreed and used the Odinpower to restore Asgard as a floating city hovering over the town of Broxton, Oklahoma. Once again, Thor and Blake shared their existence and Blake resumed his work as a physician. The rest of the gods were reborn in mortal guises, but Thor quickly located them and restored them to normal. Unfortunately, Thor was tricked into releasing Loki and other villainous Asgardians as well. Loki again sowed discord, revealing Balder was Odin’s son, a secret kept from Balder himself. He also manipulated Thor into slaying his own grandfather, Bor, and spurred Balder into claiming the throne of Asgard and exiling Thor. However, when Norman Osborn (the crafty but mentally unstable criminal known as the Green Goblin), then leader of the US peace-keeping forces, schemed with Loki to invade Asgard with his Avengers team and super-human armies, Thor defended Asgard. Loki switched sides after Osborn’s supremely powerful pawn, the Sentry (Robert Reynolds), threatened to destroy both Earth and Asgard. The mad Sentry slew Loki but was ultimately defeated by Thor, and Osborn’s forces were also defeated with the aid of Thor’s comrades from the true Avengers. Under the leadership of Steve Rogers (formerly Captain America), Osborn’s Avengers were disbanded, and a new Avengers team, including Thor, was forged.
