There’s been an argument over who is the better Thor ever since Lady Thor first came to the comics since the whole idea of ‘anything you can do I can do better’ has been in existence for quite some time now. But while the debate can get a little irritating, the fact is that it does need to be addressed since the MCU has been making it a habit to push the women within the franchise to new heights that the comics have done as well. The only issue here is that elevating certain heroes above others, not just because they have a new movie appearance coming, but because it’s the ‘in’ thing to do these days, feels like a great way to get fans talking about controversy and the dubious explanation that these characters deserve this honor. Now let’s be honest, women do deserve respect, they do deserve their spot in pop culture since otherwise things would get incredibly boring, not to mention that a lot of stories might have died out by now. But elevating one person over another simply because they need representation is kind of a bad move.
The idea that Lady Thor is capable of mastering Mjolnir in ways that Thor never could is quite interesting since it shows that she’s attuned to the hammer in a way that Thor was never able to achieve. It does make a lot of sense to be fair since Jane’s thought processes are far different than Thor’s and thereby she’s bound to be more analytical in her approach and far more reasonable. Even in Norse mythology, Thor is more of a fighter and less of a thinker, though he’s not brainless. The fact is however that he wasn’t quite as in tune with Mjolnir as Jane obviously is, as she’s already been able to coax a few new abilities out of it that Thor was never known for mastering or even accessing.
But there are reasons why Thor is still a greater character than Jane is bound to be, and no, it’s not because he’s a man. One is that he’s a seasoned and experienced fighter, meaning that he has literally been around longer than many of Jane’s ancestors, and he’s been learning to fight that entire time. Lady Thor is already looking like a skilled fighter, but her reliance on Mjolnir is one way that she makes up for the lack of martial experience. Should the movie make it appear that she’s a badass from the moment she changes from Jane to her powered-up self then it’s going to become another reason for fans to cry foul since the Jane that they remember was a scientist and a strong-willed woman, but this will mean that the moment she touches Mjolnir and is found worthy, the hammer will grant her a serious upgrade that she won’t have earned. Like it or not, earning skills means a lot because a person has put in the time and effort to become the type of individual that people love to watch. Thor has been handed plenty of defeats throughout his long life, and some of them have come at the hands of his father, but the fact is that he’s grown stronger over time and has acquired the skills and strength, as well as the right, to be seen as a badass.
Another big up that Thor has on Lady Thor is that he is far more of a weapons expert than she is, as once again, she relies so heavily on Mjolnir that her area of expertise kind of begins and ends with the hammer. To be fair, if she relinquishes Mjolnir, she becomes Jane once again, while Thor remains who he is, a god that has a millennium of experience and doesn’t need the hammer to access the power that’s his by right of birth. To admit that Jane can access the power that Mjolnir channels is easy since the hammer is also a sentient weapon and can aid pretty much anyone that it deems worthy, which is why Captain America being able to hurl lightning in Endgame was so awesome. But much like Cap, Jane is her regular self when not holding the hammer.
Is Thor a better all-around character than Lady Thor? That’s kind of up for personal interpretation since both of them have their pluses and minuses when talking about their character and their overall efficiency in the franchise. It’s especially hard to do this since this is Lady Thor’s first and possibly last appearance in the MCU if rumors are correct. It does sound like a bad idea to create a one-off of Jane as Lady Thor, but perhaps there will be a solid reason given during the movie why this is the way things are going to be. With so many people replacing the major heroes it’s tough to think of who will stand in for Thor at some point.
Follow Us
