Marvel announces that the new Thor will be a woman

Okay, so this is interesting.

In a press release I received in my inbox just minutes ago, Marvel has announced that coming this October, one of their most iconic characters, Thor, will become (or be replaced by?) a woman.

That’s right, and already fans all across the Internet are at this very second raising up a thunderstorm on Twitter and social media.

No details have been given so far but Marvel has made clear that this isn’t going to just be a female version of Thor as with She-Hulk to Hulk or Batwoman to Batman.  This will be the Thor.

Says assigned series writer Jason Aaron:

“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.”

I’ll say. Are you intrigued? So am I.

How will they pull it off? I have no idea. But, hey, it’s the Marvel universe. Just about anything goes. People die and come back to life, characters change genders, realities shift and undulate, no big deal.

However, the press release does  make it sound like this won’t be a gender transformation. Rather, it sounds like the original male character will for some reason no longer become worthy to wield Mjölnir and that a fellow female Asgardian will take his place as the god of thunder.

Is it a calculated move to appeal to more female readers? Sure but that’s a good thing. More and more female readers are picking up superhero comics these days so it only makes sense that publishers try to increasingly serve that demographic. I’ve already been seeing some arguments elsewhere online and while we can disagree on exactly how publishers should go about trying to serve their shifting demographics, I think many would concede that the willingness to try is at least a start.  Consider this a baby step. Personally, I really don’t expect a lot from Marvel or DC comics anymore anyway in terms of either storytelling or cultural politics so I just try to interpret things positively and give them the benefit of the doubt, at least until the title comes out. If it sucks, it sucks. If it’s good, it’s good.

And I have to say, I’ve always personally found Thor to be a boring character but for the first time since the first Thor  movie came out and surprised me with how good it was, I’m at least curious to check out this title come October.

Prepare to meet the wrath of the Mighty Thor!