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

[LordMikel]

Gods of mythology are not copyrightable. That is why Thor could appear in the Supreme comic by Image. Why Hercules/ Zeus is used in both Marvel and DC comics. Realistically today, I doubt Thor would be given a chance for that reason.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Gods of mythology are not copyrightable. That is why Thor could appear in the Supreme comic by Image. Why Hercules/ Zeus is used in both Marvel and DC comics. Realistically today, I doubt Thor would be given a chance for that reason.

True, but since Marvel caught and latched on to Thor first and fast, they have the only commercially valuable version of Thor. Similar to Disney and fairy tales. If Thor is blonde, his brother is Loki, and if Mjolnir belongs to "whosoever is worthy" and not just TM of Tor forever and in perpetuity (as in the myths) then you are thinking Marvel. And if you are thinking of Marvel Thor already, why go to any other Thor aside from doing some English homework class.

[Rosebunse]

Gods of mythology are not copyrightable. That is why Thor could appear in the Supreme comic by Image. Why Hercules/ Zeus is used in both Marvel and DC comics. Realistically today, I doubt Thor would be given a chance for that reason.

I don't think it was just that. Norse Mythology wasn't nearly as well known back then as it is today and even today it isn't exactly mainstream. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby could sort of do whatever they needed. However, and this can't be understated, they didn't have internet. They were working off of their own genealogy knowledge and whatever reference books they had the time to read.

Heck, just look at them changing Loki's parents around. Laufey and Fabuti are his mother and father, respectively. Stan Lee just got confused because Loki's usually known as Laufeyson.

This isn't the biggest change, but it does sort of showcase the difficulties they were up against.

To complicate things even more, they were trying to create their own Superman without getting sued. And it's not like Superman was in his heyday at the time, so they also had to make him different just to avoid redoing a stale trope.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I don't think it was just that. Norse Mythology wasn't nearly as well known back then as it is today and even today it isn't exactly mainstream. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby could sort of do whatever they needed. However, and this can't be understated, they didn't have internet. They were working off of their own genealogy knowledge and whatever reference books they had the time to read.

Jack Kirby certainly knew a lot about Norse myth and obviously he thought a lot about myths. Thor was mostly his work and Stan Lee didn't have as much to do with it.

To complicate things even more, they were trying to create their own Superman without getting sued. And it's not like Superman was in his heyday at the time, so they also had to make him different just to avoid redoing a stale trope.

Superman in the 50s and 60s was definitely in his heydey. Biggest selling superhero comics at that time. And I don't think Thor was created to be their take on Superman though Stan Lee may have said that once or twice. Spider-Man was more deliberately patterned on Superman or rather Clark Kent.

[Rosebunse]

Thor is totally Superman even if Peter Parker is Clark Kent.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Thor is totally Superman even if Peter Parker is Clark Kent.

Thor is Superman if Krypton didn't explode, if he still had a home planet he can return to, and still had his Dad and family, wasn't raised on earth and empowered by earth biosphere, had a regular weapon to channel his abilities through, and battled exclusively cosmic threats and big scary dudes and wasn't the banner title of his company line. Yes aside from those small details, Thor is totally Superman.

Superman is a multifaceted character and there are lots of stuff to him. On a certain level, the Fantastic Four are collectively Superman, since they are the publicly known and beloved and senior superheroes and the Baxter Building is the Fortress of Solitude if it was based in New York and not in the Arctic, Phantom Zone and Negative Zone and so on.

[Rosebunse]

Thor is Superman if Krypton didn't explode, if he still had a home planet he can return to, and still had his Dad and family, wasn't raised on earth and empowered by earth biosphere, had a regular weapon to channel his abilities through, and battled exclusively cosmic threats and big scary dudes and wasn't the banner title of his company line. Yes aside from those small details, Thor is totally Superman.

Superman is a multifaceted character and there are lots of stuff to him. On a certain level, the Fantastic Four are collectively Superman, since they are the publicly known and beloved and senior superheroes and the Baxter Building is the Fortress of Solitude if it was based in New York and not in the Arctic, Phantom Zone and Negative Zone and so on.

As many have pointed out, the appeal of Thor is how he still manages to be a very human character even with all that stuff.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

As many have pointed out, the appeal of Thor is how he still manages to be a very human character even with all that stuff.

I agree with that. Thor feels human or has that sentiment because again a Norse god is more vulnerable than figures from other pantheons.

[Rosebunse]

I agree with that. Thor feels human or has that sentiment because again a Norse god is more vulnerable than figures from other pantheons.

I don't think it's just that. Greek gods had the same thing working for them. What made Thor work was his whole thing with working past his arrogance and his growing love for Earth, his relationship with Jane, his dysfunctional relationship with Loki and Odin, etc.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I don't think it's just that. Greek gods had the same thing working for them. What made Thor work was his whole thing with working past his arrogance and his growing love for Earth, his relationship with Jane, his dysfunctional relationship with Loki and Odin, etc.

In Greek mythology, the Gods themselves were never figures you were intended to relate to. The usual stories revolved around demigods, children of Olympian-Human relations (rarely consensual). The most famous is Heracles. DC uses Wonder Woman which is a fantastic update and use of that and in keeping with Greek myth.

In the Norse stories that we have, while you do have heroic lays and stories of Norse demigods and so on, most of the time the Norse gods themselves are presented as figures to identify with, so you have them brought closer to human understanding.

[JudicatorPrime]

In Greek mythology, the Gods themselves were never figures you were intended to relate to. The usual stories revolved around demigods, children of Olympian-Human relations (rarely consensual). The most famous is Heracles. DC uses Wonder Woman which is a fantastic update and use of that and in keeping with Greek myth.

In the Norse stories that we have, while you do have heroic lays and stories of Norse demigods and so on, most of the time the Norse gods themselves are presented as figures to identify with, so you have them brought closer to human understanding.

I disagree. The Greco-Roman gods were absolutely identifiable figures. Think about their actions, adventures and exploits. They weren't there merely to describe phenomena, but to humanize it. Even Heracles, although the son of Zeus, was never considered a God until after he died and ascended to Mount Olympus. Most of his feats, his 12 Labors, the adventures that he had with the Argonauts, etc., etc., were all as a being who was as much a human as a god. In that respect, Heracles spoke to our own sense of inner divinity. That thing that allowed normal humans to achieve seemingly impossible feats.

[JudicatorPrime]

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.

Considering how many people have been deemed worthy lately, can we still consider it a "rare" occurrence? As gods measure time, surely it must seem like the hammer has leapt from owner to owner every other heartbeat, let alone a generation.

The enchantment operates as it has always operated, to bind others to the unique will of Odin, whose standard determines worthiness. I always laugh when I think of Odin's magic sent across time and space to summon Thor, only to have Beta Ray Bill surprisingly emerge from his teleportational enchantment. That look of disbelief and disappointment on Odin's face told the truth of it. It was the look of a father who had rigged the system to benefit his son, only to find that despite all of his clever, yet biased machinations, someone else's son won the race.

Myth within a myth.

[Killerbee911]

Being relatable is only one aspect of heroes, People don't necessarily relate with Deadpool(They did a good job in the movie tho) and he is a popular hero. Okay Thor worked because family and relatability. Okay I am talking across every other Pantheon Mayan, Greek, Roman,Celtic ,Chinese, Egyptian, Japanese ,Slavic, African, Polynesian, Hindu ,Cthulhu, Arthurian, Voodoo, Angelic, Demonic..etc nothing else works? They are so many areas they can be drawing from and in just typing that out yeah I kind answer my question based on the makeup of Marvel and DC staff I should not be surprised they are not good at handling stuff from other cultures.

It is still interesting Thor is really only one that has caught on I mean we have Eternals and demigods like Wonder Woman or Hercules or sort Avatars of gods like Black Panther, Shazam or Moon Knight as what is being used. Should have something else broken out by now I mean through Thor and Norse Mythology shouldn't Baldur,Tyr, Sif, Loki, Valkyries have blown up big as well.

[Zero Hunter]

I think one of the biggest things Thor had going for him from the start in comics is that in America not many people really knew that much about Norse mythology so it was fresh to most people. The greek gods were more well know I believe so it might have been a harder sell to really take hold. Really if an American knew who Thor was back in the 60's that was probably the extent of their knowledge of all norse myths.

Plus it has to be said the norse myths all being about fighting white guys was a much easier sell to the general public than something like the African or Japanese gods when it was created back in the 60's.

[Midnight_v]

Being relatable is only one aspect of heroes, People don't necessarily relate with Deadpool(They did a good job in the movie tho) and he is a popular hero. Okay Thor worked because family and relatability. Okay I am talking across every other Pantheon Mayan, Greek, Roman,Celtic ,Chinese, Egyptian, Japanese ,Slavic, African, Polynesian, Hindu ,Cthulhu, Arthurian, Voodoo, Angelic, Demonic..etc nothing else works? They are so many areas they can be drawing from and in just typing that out yeah I kind answer my question based on the makeup of Marvel and DC staff I should not be surprised they are not good at handling stuff from other cultures.

It is still interesting Thor is really only one that has caught on I mean we have Eternals and demigods like Wonder Woman or Hercules or sort Avatars of gods like Black Panther, Shazam or Moon Knight as what is being used. Should have something else broken out by now I mean through Thor and Norse Mythology shouldn't Baldur,Tyr, Sif, Loki, Valkyries have blown up big as well.

I'm pretty sure I'm spot on. A big part of the thor mythos is "Sword in the stone" bit they lifted from Arthur and put on Mjolnir.

More in a bit. But I'm thinking one of the Orishas.

Specifically: Ogun and Xhango

If I had my way that's who I'd pick