Marvel recently announced that the newest incarnation of Thor will come out this October– and that Thor will be, for the first time, portrayed as a woman, which could potentially be a huge boost for feminism. The comic book industry has come under fire many times in the past for objectifying women, but recently many artists have been making a conscious effort to include more well-rounded female characters who contribute to more than just the aesthetics of the series. According to Variety, the newest version of the superhero based on the Norse god of thunder is the eighth comic book series to include a female protagonist. Writer Jason Aaron stated, “This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is Thor. This is the Thor of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve seen before.”
His statement quells many would-be critics who would object to a feminized, girly version of the powerful Thor we’ve seen in the past. As for what it does or doesn’t do for feminism, that is yet to be determined. Once we can get our hands on the first issue, that will become much more clear. If Marvel delivers what it’s promising, though, we could count Thor among positive female role models. I, for one, genuinely hope that the newest incarnation isn’t turned into a cheesy, oversexed vixen, but that she comes across as a powerful hero who just so happens to be a woman. I’m glad that, instead of creating a whole new superhero that acts as the female counterpart to a male superhero, they’re mixing it up and (hopefully) showing that women can be just as mighty and powerful as men.
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