Why haven't any other Gods caught on other than Thor?

[Mike_Murdock]

Personally, all other Gods in the MU feel like a "Thor-lite". Why would I read about "insert God here" when I could just follow Thor's adventures?

Yeah, for most people, Thor is the god introduced into the Marvel universe as a superhero. The rest are just copies of Thor.

[JudicatorPrime]

Because Jack Kirby isn't around anymore.

Well, Jack wanted the Eternals to more or less supplant the gods.

[theoneandonly]

Marvel never really pushed them. Not to the extent of Thor, which, if we're being totally honest with ourselves, went through some growing pains and popularity strains since he was first introduced. I personally think that Marvel could have pushed any mythology, but I'm glad that they went with the Norse variety to change things up. Most of the other comics companies had already touched on the Greco-Roman and Egyptian lore.


Horus the Elder. Specifically, Redwing as Horus the Elder, stripped of his divine powers by a Cosmic Cube wielding Red Skull and the Elder God, Set. (Not Seth, Set.) I would pitch a limited series where Redwing gradually starts to overcome the effects of the Cube, regaining its powers and ferocity, if not his mortal form. Horus the Elder was basically a skyfather level power, so naturally, Redwing is not someone to be taken lightly. And he is chomping at the bit for some get back. It knows that Set and Red Skull were involved, but suspects that other powers were involved as well. Sure enough, Redwing discovers that Cyttorak had a hand in the power play. Wasting no time, Redwing goes after the Juggernath, basically dragging a disbelieving Sam along with it. It isn't until Sam sees Redwing talon-punch a hole through Juggernaut's chest, removing his heart, that Sam realizes that Redwing is telling the truth. He is Horus the Elder, and through their link, Sam begins to gradually exhibit superhuman abilities as well. Your basic reveal, revenge and revanche tale.



I like that Marvel has its own mythical gods vis-à-vis the Celestials. I hate that they've been knocked down several pegs to be on par with Earth's gods, for some reason. That should never be the case.

that sounds like it's lifted straight from Sabrina the teenage witch with her cat Salem being a ancient witch or something.

[Killerbee911]

So here my choices for Gods who could be used other than Thor part 1

1.Su Wukong


One of the more popular tales in Asian Culture from what I have seen, There is a lot of versions and material to work with this character. If Marvel had develop him this is the type of character who should be appearing in the cinematic universe as bridge to bring in more Asian fans.


2. Ares



Greek Mythology has several good characters to use but Ares who is typical used a villian actually made for a good anti hero and the design I think was pretty good. When he was used in the Mighty Avengers they describe him as "Thor and Wolverine combine" and that gives you idea of how to use him. Plus the story of him raising son on earth is an interesting angle for him.



3. Anansi



They have gone a little overboard adding magic and Anansi to the Spiderman mythos but I think you could still do something interesting with Anansi

[jackolover]

But why Thor? Why did he catch on?

If you look at Thor’s mythology, he was very sensitive to the common man, who prayed to him a lot, so to Baltic States Thor was a very strong god to them. To the rest of us, he was a nebulous form, and the only thing he was known for is his hammer. So was this what attracted the rest of us to Thor? And he zoomed across to everywhere flying here and there, even into outer space. So when Lee and Kirby put form to the indescribable, and he was this dynamic character that exuded royalty, was there some subconscious longing in us that needed a king like Thor. If that is the case, then that is why we only picked Thor as a god and no other.

[Midnight_v]

Also, because Thor is aspirational. A big part of the Mythos of him, aside from issues with Dad, and exuding royalty... and 60 years of gravity on his side.

Is the idea that if you're good enough...
If you're worthy...
You could possess the power of Thor.

In our Reckless power fantasies we forget that superheroes are supposed to be somewhat aspirational, and such is the hero part.
I'll never be smart as Tony.
Or lucky like steve (chosen out of millions during a great war)
But being "worthy"? It resonates with a LOT of people and espcially with kids when most people would encounter thor the comic.
So if u take the idea of being "chosen" or "worthy" and put it on someone else they might have some of that appeal... or they might come off as a clone. Hard to say.

Just like its hard to say who else could be used. ARES was nice but gods dont mean anything when used that way.
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh the forgotten one is used as an eternal not a god.

So its hard to pick one that might catch on like fire.

Tl:dr: it's because mjolnir can make anyone that is "worthy" posses the power of Thor. Everyone om some level wants to feel wothy. So it resonates loudly.

[JudicatorPrime]

that sounds like it's lifted straight from Sabrina the teenage witch with her cat Salem being a ancient witch or something.

Sorry, never read Sabrina, but being a witch, it's typical lore for them to have familiars, esp., daemonic familiars. I did read lots of myths. Rest assured the Egyptian variety are the source. The gods of ancient Egypt were often therianthrophic, if not fully animal. Pretty common practice for gods in many myths and world religions to appear as animals at one point or another... and not merely as a metaphor. Horus the Elder being an Egyptian deity, falcon god, sun god, etc., etc., seemed like a natural to be Redwing. Although the god never intended for Set and the Red Skull to strip him of his divine powers and leave him in that form indefinitely.

[JudicatorPrime]

Is the idea that if you're good enough...
If you're worthy...
You could possess the power of Thor.

The myth within the myth. While many claim to be drawn to Thor for this reason, the instant some other character is found worthy and wins the hammer, most Thor fans freak out. As a consequence, Mjolnir inevitably finds its way back to Odinson's hands. Mjolnir is not a Green Lantern ring. As aspirational as Odin's enchantment on the hammer may be, most Thor fans don't want to see anyone else with Thor's hammer or Thor's power.

[PCN24454]

The myth within the myth. While many claim to be drawn to Thor for this reason, the instant some other character is found worthy and wins the hammer, most Thor fans freak out. As a consequence, Mjolnir inevitably finds its way back to Odinson's hands. Mjolnir is not a Green Lantern ring. As aspirational as Odin's enchantment on the hammer may be, most Thor fans don't want to see anyone else with Thor's hammer or Thor's power.

In the original interpretation, Donald Blake wasn’t just an identity for Thor. He was an actual person. The “Blake is a deifacted human” is a retcon.

[Rosebunse]

OK, it isn't just Thor, but the entire Odinson family and the whole of Asgard. Loki was the villain to who brought the Avengers together and Asgard has featured heavily in franchises like the X-Men. At this point, trying to bring in other pantheons just feels like copting Thor's family.

[JudicatorPrime]

In the original interpretation, Donald Blake wasn’t just an identity for Thor. He was an actual person. The “Blake is a deifacted human” is a retcon.

I realize that, but nevertheless, this is now the standard: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he [she] be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." It's been around long enough -- likely before most people now reading this thread were born -- that it's pointless to debate it. Thor fans should embrace it, but few rarely do. So what we end up with is not only an environment where redefining Thor is a difficult sell, but having any other god supplant Thor is also a pretty tough row to hoe. People are too invested or too entrenched in their own appreciation of the extant fiction.

[DrNewGod]

We're missing a key point. Thor, as we know him now, is not the character Kirby and Lee gave us in the early 1960s. That Thor was basically a grown-up version of Binder & Beck's Captain Marvel. He endured because he changed with the times, adapting to an adience that matured and took time.to gain a deeper knowledge of Norse mythology.

[Midnight_v]

The myth within the myth. While many claim to be drawn to Thor for this reason, the instant some other character is found worthy and wins the hammer, most Thor fans freak out. As a consequence, Mjolnir inevitably finds its way back to Odinson's hands. Mjolnir is not a Green Lantern ring. As aspirational as Odin's enchantment on the hammer may be, most Thor fans don't want to see anyone else with Thor's hammer or Thor's power.

No. Absolutely not. . .

You might have misunderstood. No one wants someone else to be worthy and get the power of Thor. Especially not someone else's character insert!

No. Another CHARACTER getting the power Thor is the LITERAL WORST under the paradigm I was describing.

What I was saying is that the underlying allure is that it appeals to the "READER" sometimes subconciously even that they themselves could aspire to being worthy. Despite the fact thats its all fictional it presses those psychological buttons with many people.

No it isnt a green lantern ring i fact its the opposite. You dont become one part of thousands or millions. You become the one person with the power of the thuder god because you were deemed "worthy".

Intentionally nebulous worded as it needed to be so the reader feel more special and connected with thor on his journey.
Yet subtlety giving the indication that being Worthy is a super rare and exclusive thing. Something occurring only once every other generation, or so rare that you have to leave Earth to find another wielder.

TL;DR There's not a myth inside a myth at all. No one really wants someone else to be Thor. They want to think that they can become Thor. Any other character getting the power inherently lessens it's provisional worthy Clause each time. Humans love exclusivity, and options.

Edit: doctor new God. You have a good point I agree with you he is indeed a grown-up version of Captain Marvel. Really astute actually.

[Mike_Murdock]

But why Thor? Why did he catch on?

Because he was a Jack Kirby character and a prominent Avenger who also had the fortune of being written and drawn by Walt Simonson.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

The reason Marvel latched on to Thor was that it was, at the time, underexposed. Norse Mythology remember in terms of written history is some 1000 years old when the oral stories were first set down and collected and written down. And then it was virtually forgotten until the 19th Century and Richard Wagner. Greek and Roman Mythology are widely used and repurposed and well known but Norse myth not so much and Kirby and Lee can be credited for popularizing Norse myth. Like in case of Greek and Roman mythology, people use references like vases, old ruins, and statues...you have no such visual material for Norse Myth, so it's free and open in a way that Greek and Roman isn't. Like you know that Wonder Woman is Greek so you know Themyscira is going to be white marbel, columns, and vases and so on. Whereas you don't really have set details on how Asgard is supposed to look like, so Kirby could go nuts and define that. And that means that Marvel can claim to be the visual standard-bearer and illustrator of Asgard and that world, forcing everyone else to do a Non-Marvel take on it.

Norse myth also adapts well to superhero comics purely for the fact that it's the only mythology where the gods are mortal and who end up dead in Ragnarok, so you can have some stakes and having Thor lose a fight to Thanos or the Hulk is more achievable than say if he was Zeus (which is probably why Wonder Woman is a demigod and not actually an Olympian, so that you can sell her as a superhero among others). The Norse gods are on the whole a much more vulnerable bunch than the Greeks who are personifications of nature. In Norse stories I read (I recommend Neil Gaiman's recent reader friendly retelling), the Asgardians basically get powers and abilities from stuff that other people make and which they con and steal from them. So you can have them as gods but as small-g gods you know. Norse Mythology is perfectly suited to Marvel for its vulnerable, flawed and neurotic attitude.

In general it's always best to adapt from mythology or religions that isn't practised, or not practised to the extent of it being a political and social nightmare. So any of the major religions are out, and that means Hinduism which is the only surviving polytheistic religion and recently Marvel got into trouble with stories with that. So you can't touch that. You can say that the Asgardians and Norse Figures in Marvel are from advanced alien realms and so on, and that won't cause a ruckus. Do it with any other figure and people "will have words with thee".