The Female Thor: A Step Forward?

Recently, Marvel just revealed a revamp of one of its most beloved characters, Thor. No, he's not getting a wardrobe update. He is now a she. You heard me right. A WOMAN.

From what I've seen, this seems like a welcome change with support coming from many different media outlets including E! News and USA Today. And why shouldn't it be? When I first heard the news, I was pretty happy. I mean, Thor is a cool character. He's only a hammer-wielding, lightning-summoning Norse god with a cute brother. Seems like a total win for women, especially in the comic universe. But, is it really?

The only reason I really started thinking about it was because of the name: Thor. I don't know about you, but the name just rings "dude." Personally, as a woman, I don't think I would really want to be named Thor. To me, the name seems fairly masculine.

Secondly, if it isn't broke, why fix it? Thor as a male has done pretty well. He's only a member of the Avengers, has his own comic book series, and four movies (including The Avengers). Not only that, but tons of merchandise. Seriously. Tons. I'm only wearing a Thor shirt right now. Sure, Marvel wants to bring in what they see as a fairly new audience, women and girls. But to me, this just seems like a cop-out.

In my opinion, the best way to bring in female readers and fans isn't to have a female character that has a popular name like Thor. Instead, I think it's time to go back to the drawing board and come out with something that women can actually relate to. For me, what Marvel needs to introduce an entirely new female protagonist.

Sure, Marvel has some strong female characters including Storm, Captain Marvel, and Black Widow who are independent of their male counterparts.But these characters weren't created for women. These heroines were created purely for the enjoyment of men. How could they not be? I don't know about some of my female counterparts, but I just don't think most women would save the world in a mini skirt and plunging neckline.

All in all, introducing a female character into the Marvel Universe is great. However, it just seems like they're taking the easy way out. Will this new Thor be all that she is promised and introduce a new era in the comic book world? Or will she fall flat as the sexy secretary look alike by day and barely-there armor bikini Norse god by night?

Love,

Heldie

#thor #female #new #character #marvel