November 7, 2013
Thor in Film
By Kelvin Cedeno

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the studio had
many challenges to face. The biggest, of course, was laying out the
groundwork for what they called phase one: giving origin films to
each superhero that both worked on their own and also formed a
cohesive whole before climaxing in The Avengers. One
challenge, though, was handled so effortlessly, one would think it
was easy to conquer: the character of Thor. Out of all the Avengers,
Thor's story stands out the most due to its supernatural elements.
The other entries and their sources are effectively science-fiction,
but the Thor comics were always fantasy. Marvel needed to find a way
to bring Thor to the screen in a manner that not only fit with the
surrounding films, but also wouldn't be seen as campy or
unintentionally amusing. The studio took the approach of making Thor
and his Asgardian supporting cast aliens from another realm equipped
with advance technology rather than gods with mystical powers. For
the origin film, it was decided that the majority of it would be a
fish-out-of-water story that takes place in our world, with
characters pointing out the potential ludicrousness of Thor's
claims. The approach was a success, and the character was able to
slip in with the other Avengers easily enough to warrant his own
sequel. In honor of that release, what follows are refresher
summaries of Thor's exploits on screen thus far.
Thor (2011)

In the realm of Asgard, a young prince named Thor
Odinson has his coronation day interrupted when Frost Giants attempt
to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters. This casket was the source
of the Frost Giant race's power before Thor's father Odin defeated
them in war. Although the giants are dealt with swiftly, Thor wants
to use this security breach as an excuse to rekindle a war with the
icy beings. Thor, along with his brother Loki and comrades Sif and
the Warriors Three, travels to the Frost Giant realm of Jotunheim to
get to the bottom of things. A battle ensues, and while this ignites
the war Thor so desperately wanted, Odin is furious. He banishes
Thor to the realm of Midgard, also known as Earth, and strips him of
his powers.
Loki discovers that he's actually a disguised Frost
Giant Odin had rescued as a baby during the old war with Jotunheim.
In fact, his father is Laufey, king of the Frost Giants. The
combination of Loki's rage over this news and Thor's recent
banishment causes so much strain on Odin that he goes into the
Odinsleep: a comatose state he periodically succumbs to to recharge
his powers. Loki is made the temporary king of Asgard, and while Sif
and the Warriors Three petition to him to lift Thor's banishment, he
refuses.
Thor, meanwhile, meets an astrophysicist named Jane
Foster along with her assistant Darcy Lewis and Erik Selvig, a
scientist friend of Jane's deceased father. When Thor finds out
Mjolnir, the mystical hammer his powers emanate from, has also
landed on Earth, Thor convinces Jane to take them to the landing
site. The area's secured by the Strategic Homeland Intervention,
Enforcement and Logistics Division (otherwise known as
S.H.I.E.L.D.), and though Thor manages to fight his way through
security, he is unable to lift the hammer. A spell had been placed
on it by Odin so that only he who is worthy shall possess its power.
A defeated Thor is taken into custody and questioned by Agent Phil
Coulson.
Loki pays Laufey a visit and offers him and the
Frost Giants passage into Asgard. He later visits Thor to tell him
the false news that Odin's dead and that their mother Frigga wishes
for Thor's banishment to be permanent. Thor is devastated, and when
Erik manages to free him from custody, Thor attempts to make a
better life for himself on Earth. Sif and the Warriors Three manage
to travel to Earth despite Loki's orders in order to bring Thor
back. They reveal to Thor that Odin still lives and Frigga wishes
him back. Loki sends the Asgardian protector known as the Destroyer
to destroy the earth, but Thor offers his life instead. With his
sacrifice, Mjolnir comes back to him, and his powers are restored.
Thor leaves Earth with the promise that he'll return
for Jane and confronts Loki. Loki kills the Frost Giants who invade
Asgard, including his own father Laufey. It turns out Loki is set on
annihilating all of Jotunheim in order to prove to Odin what a
worthy son he is. The only way Thor is able to stop him is by
destroying the Bifrost: the method of travel between Asgard and the
other eight realms. Doing this awakens Odin from his sleep, and he
manages to rescue Thor and Loki from the wreckage. Loki, however,
chooses to fall through a wormhole upon finding out Odin's
displeasure at all he's done. Thor grieves over the loss of his
brother and is unable to return to Jane who still waits for him on
Earth.
In an end credits scene, Erik is summoned by
S.H.I.E.L.D. to inspect a cosmic cube known as the Tesseract. It's
revealed that Loki still lives and can now control Erik's thoughts
and actions from an unseen locale.
The Avengers (2012)

Loki has formed an alliance with the Chitauri race
to take over the earth. The Tesseract that S.H.I.E.L.D. has found
opens a wormhole allowing Loki in. He uses a scepter to control
several members of S.H.I.E.L.D., including Erik Selvig, in hopes of
obtaining the Tesseract. He's captured by Tony Stark (a billionaire
who created an elaborate defense suit known as Iron Man) and Steve
Rogers (a World War II veteran known as Captain America who was
frozen in ice for over 60 years), members of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Avengers
Initiative. Thor arrives on the scene, retrieves Loki, and tries to
convince him to give up this mission and return home with him to
Asgard. Tony and Steve get into a fight with Thor before they all
accept their common purpose of protecting this world.
Thor allows S.H.I.E.L.D. to place Loki in custody
while they figure out what to do. Agent Phil Coulson assures him
that Jane Foster's safe. S.H.I.E.L.D. arranged for her to hide in
Norway as soon as Erik was taken by Loki. The hypnotized
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents place an attack on the helicarrier everyone is
traveling in. During the chaos, Thor engages in a fight with Bruce
Banner, a scientist affected by gamma poisoning who turns into a
green monster known as the Hulk whenever he's angry. Loki kills
Phil, traps Thor in the ejectable prison meant for himself, and
escapes the helicarrier with the Tesseract in tow.
Erik creates a device that unleashes the Tesseract's
power at full blast, creating a wormhole for the Chitauri to invade
Earth through. Thor manages to escape from his prison and joins
Tony, Steve, and Bruce in the battle against the alien race. In the
midst of it, Thor continues his plea for Loki to back down but to no
avail. Bruce in his Hulk form beats Loki to a pulp, and Tony
launches a nuclear missle through the wormhole that destroys the
Chitauri and their home base. Erik awakens from his spell and aids
in closing the wormhole. Thor and a defeated Loki use the Tesseract
to travel back to Asgard.
In an end credit scene, we find out the titan known
as Thanos is the leader of the Chitauri and continues his plan of
overtaking the earth.
Thor: The Dark World Prelude (2013)

A two-part comic was published by Marvel that ties
the events of Thor, The Avengers and Thor: The Dark
World together. In part one, Jane is busy working on a device
that'll create a wormhole and allow Thor access back to Earth. Upon
testing it out, though, it proves to be a failure. Meanwhile, back
in Asgard, Frigga uses her powers to seek out Loki and discovers him
with the Chitauri. She tells Thor and Odin of the plan to overtake
Earth, and Odin uses dark energy from the heart of Asgard to
transport Thor to Midgard. The usage of this, unfortunately, leaves
both parties weakened, and Odin warns that there are further
consequences to be had.
In part two, Thor and Loki's story in The
Avengers is retold and then continued. Jane discovers Thor was
on Earth during the Chitauri attack and is hurt that he hasn't come
looking for her. Thor brings Loki back with him to Asgard, and Odin
disowns his adopted son. The Tesseract is used to repair the Bifrost.
Now that Asgardians can travel between all nine realms again, Thor,
Sif, and the Warriors Three set out to rescue other realms that are
being terrorized by outside forces.
Out of all the Avengers, Thor was probably the
character who could've proven the most disastrous if mishandled.
Thankfully, Marvel proved they knew what they were doing when
translating the Norse mythology-influenced comics to the screen.
While the character's adventures are laced with a sense of
self-awareness and irony that makes the outrageous elements easier
to swallow, they're also filled with something else: heart. It's
that crucial element that makes the god of thunder resonate with
readers and audiences alike, and if the tales of him and his
colleagues are any indication, Thor: The Dark World will be
another winner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.