Thor #8

The time finally comes for Thor’s big reveal! Now that the Odinson is no longer worthy of Mjolnir, who instead finds herself worthy to call herself the goddess of thunder; but does her worthiness gain her respect amongst her warrior peers or is it something she’ll have to earn, if she wants their respect at all. 

writer: Jason Aaron

artist: Russell Dauterman

colour artist: Matthew Wilson

letterer: Joe Sabino 

cover art: Dauterman & Wilson 

Her most heavily guarded secret rises curiosity from everyone else, from fellow Asgardians Odin and Thor, to fellow Avengers Captain Marvel and Spider-Woman. Her wield of Mjolnir when both Asgard and Earth find themselves in chaos has her gaining some enemies but thankfully also some allies. As Odin handles the news of the new Thor rather poorly he sets The Destroyer on her. It is now her time to prove the she truly is worthy of such power. Thankfully she’s not left alone in her battle (despite how ungracious she may seem— perhaps it’s a Thor thing) and the Odinson brings with him those of a similar caliber to Thor’s, the most powerful female defenders he knows from Valkyrie and Angela, to the Scarlet Witch and Black Widow. 

This is an impressive statement coming from Aaron, one that he’s been constantly making since the conception of the All-New Thor; times are changing for the Marvel universe and it’s one that should be embraced. This new Thor is worthy and despite her gender, she should be welcomed with open arms (and minds) after all Marvel has proven to consistently give us amazing female characters that add amazing strength to their stories. And as they all fight by Thor’s side to defeat the Destroyer it’s an empowering ‘girl power’ moment (with amazing visuals as per usual from Dauterman and Wilson), at least from a storytelling perspective, all the characters fighting most likely are too busy fighting villains to realize they’re anything but warriors battling to do the right thing. But Aaron shows a variety of female warriors, those that have fought at the side of the Odinson for Asgard (Sif, Valkyrie, Freya), Avengers (Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Spider-Woman), one who is also carrying on a legacy in name (Captain Marvel), and even new characters brought into the fray (Angela). Thor is truly amongst her peers in battle and she doesn’t falter or find herself behind them, she instead shines proving exactly how capable she is and not only worthy of Mjolnir but also worthy of respect amongst her fellows. This is such a great buildup of story to set before her big reveal. Powerful imagery. 

Previous issues have led readers to try and figure Thor’s identity as the Odinson has. There seems to be a natural conclusion at this point so the Odinson demands the truth of her but naturally due to circumstances the reveal falls only to the readers eyes and none in the Marvel universe yet know her secret. As for the identity itself, as to not reveal spoilers, let’s just say this: she is undoubtedly worthy to wield such power, of this it’s no surprise, in fact it’s the most obvious surprise choice that could have been made with her rather intimate knowledge of both Asgard and Earth (and the previous Thor). After all the guessing games it might have been exciting to see a character that we were less familiar with— or not known at all, but out of all the characters who could possess the power of Thor out of all options already available, this is indeed the most worthy.