Updated October 24, 2019 1.6K votes 418 voters 24.1K views
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Vote up the Thor comic book story arcs every fan must read
Thanks to the pop culture explosion that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the character of Thor is now more popular that he has ever been, and most people’s list of Thor’s greatest adventures and their favorite Thor storylines contain more than a few memorable movie moments. However, to focus solely on the big screen, and not on the best Thor comics out there, would be to miss more than a half-century of published excellence.
Technically, all Thor story arcs are inspired by a canon much older than Marvel Comics, or even the medium of comic books in general. However, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby took the Asgardian roots of Norse mythology and crafted them into their own version of events—one that is infinitely more memorable and dynamic than the source material. That being said, Thor is clearly at his best when he straddles the line between past an present, keeping one foot in the legendary realm he was born into, and the other in the world of costumed superheroes.
This epic story served as the conclusion for much of what writer/artist Walt Simonson had built up during his first couple years on the title. With the fate of Asgard in jeopardy due to the threat of Surtur, an Asgardian dream team of Thor, Loki, and Odin must form to combat the fiery villain and save the Nine Realms.
The God of Thunder received a franchise reboot in a big way when writer Jason Aaron took over the series, and his already-legendary run began here. This story arc sees Thor facing off against the appropriately named Gorr the God Butcher, a villain aimed at ending the very concept of godhood in the Marvel Universe.
This arc features the conclusion of Thor’s battle with Gorr the God Butcher, an antagonist who has plagued him in past, present, and future. The time-bending tale brings together three different versions of Thor from the timestream to end the threat of the God Butcher once and for all, with double the Mjolnir and double the fun.
This classic story represents the peak of Walt Simonson weirdness, and that’s definitely a good thing. Beta Ray Bill is the kind of character that is better experienced than explained, but he’s basically a horse-faced alien that proves himself worthy of wielding Thor’s hammer. Bill remains a fan favorite to this day.
This newly-rebooted Thor series saw the God of Thunder returning from a lengthy absence due to yet another Ragnarok. After years away from the pages of Marvel Comics, Thor has a big to-do list—including rebuilding Asgard in Oklahoma and giving Iron Man a serious talking to after the events of Civil War.
The events of Avengers: Disassembled saw the entire team roster going through some extremely tough times, but none had it harder than Thor. Thor: Disassembled featured yet another Ragnarok, but this time it resulted in the destruction of Asgard and the death of all the Asgardians, including Thor—and this time, it lasted for multiple years!
