Thor

Thor is one of several powerful ancient beings who dwell in a magical realm called Asgard. Through history, these beings have been revered and worshiped as gods. Ages ago, Odin, lord of the Asgardian gods, desired a child who would one day exceed him in power. Odin wooed Gaea, the earth goddess, and from their union Thor was born in a small cave in Norway on Earth. Odin took him to be raised in Asgard by his wife,Frigga. The young Thor grew up alongside his adopted brother Loki, the trickster, who was always jealous of his more favored sibling. Thor grew in power and popularity and on his eighth birthday, Odin had the hammer Mjolnir created for him, enchanting it with powerful magic. Odin decreed that Mjolnir would be presented to Thor when his son had been proven a worthy warrior. After spending the next eight years training and performing heroic deeds, Thor was given the hammer and declared the greatest warrior in Asgard.

While Thor continued to engage in many heroic battles and adventures through the years, he grew headstrong and proud. On one occasion, Thor broke a truce between the Asgardians and their enemies, the brutal Frost Giants, nearly starting a war. To teach his son a lesson in humility, Odin sent Thor to Earth in the mortal body of a crippled medical student, Donald Blake. Stripped of his hammer, his powers and memories of being an Asgardian, Thor, as Blake, graduated medical school with top honors, gained a reputation as a caring family doctor and a brilliant surgeon, and opened a private practice in New York City. He worked beside a caring and skillful nurse, Jane Foster, and the two fell in love.

After 10 years on Earth, Blake received a subconscious prodding from Odin to vacation in Norway where alien Kronans were preparing to invade Earth. Fleeing into a cave (which, unbeknownst to him, was also his birthplace) Blake discovered a plain walking cane in a secret chamber. When Blake struck the cane against a boulder, he transformed into Thor while the cane became Mjolnir. Thor fought against the Kronans and their invasion was thwarted. Tapping the ground with Mjolnir, Thor was able to transform back into Don Blake, holding the simple wooden cane once again.

Blake returned to New York, using his secret identity of Thor to fight crime, defend Earth and contend with the jealous and hateful Loki, who plagued Thor with many devious tricks and outright confrontation. One such trick led Thor and other heroes, including Ant-Man (Hank Pym), the Wasp (Janet van Dyne), and Iron Man (Tony Stark) to fight the Hulk (Bruce Banner). Learning of Loki’s manipulations, the heroes, along with the Hulk, bested Loki and agreed to continue their partnership, forming the Avengers.

While Thor faced many struggles as an Avenger, his personal life as a human was also tumultuous. Despite the sincere love between Blake and Foster, Odin was displeased by the relationship between a god and a mortal. He forbade Blake from revealing his identity to her, creating a strange love triangle between Foster, Thor and Thor’s alter ego, Blake.