Thor is the fourth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and we get introduced to the character teased at the end of Iron Man 2. Thor is one of the most recognizable founding members of the Avengers and in this movie he takes center stage. We also get an introduction to Hawk Eye although it’s nothing like the focus we had on Black Widow in Iron Man 2.
Thor is available in a pack with Vallkyrie (who I’ll be painting in a future Thor or Avengers movie) for $40.
The Model
I adore the sculpt for Thor. He’s holding his hammer, Mjolnir, high in the air possibly summoning lightning or just declaring victory. It’s a victorious stance which is perfect for this character.
The model has a ton of detail and has a gorgeous cape that’s a delight to paint.
Thor front 
Thor right side 
Thor’s cape
I wanted to try something different with this model so I painted what I imagined the bifrost burn (what happens after Thor travels between planets) would look like on the concrete.
Bifrost burn in movie 
Bifrost burn on miniature
I debated switching out Thor’s hammer 
Mjolnir with 
Stormbringer, the axe he gets in Avengers End Game. However I’m hoping Atomic Mass Games will release different variants of the characters and I might get a different model with short hair and the axe, and I can then paint him with glowing eyes.
Paint Scheme
Clothes
- Eshin Grey
- Wash Drakenhoff Nightshade twice
- Layer 80% Eshin Grey 20% Soulstone Blue
- Highlight Dawnstone
Cape
- Base Mephiston Red
- Wash Reikland Fleshshade
- Layer Wazdakka Red
- Highlight Evil Sunz Scarlet
- Highlight Wild Rider Red
Metal
- Base Leadbelcher
- Highlight Iron Breaker
- Highlight Stormhost Silver
Pants
- Kantor Blue
- Wash Drakenhoff Nightshade
- Layer Altdorf Guard blue
- Highlight Calgar Blue
Skin
- Contrast Guilliman Flesh
- Wash Reikland Fleshshade
- Highlight Cadian Fleshtone
Hair
- Base Averland Sunset
- Wash Reikland Fleshshade
- Highlight Flash Gitz Yellow
The Movie
Thor as a character is hilarious, powerful, and also just a bit unusual. I still have one of my favorite jokes from this movie memorized and I know the last time I saw this movie was at least 5 years ago.
Good Things in Thor
But let’s start with the good stuff. Thor is funny. It’s a very different type of humor from Iron Man. It’s the fish-out-of-water content where Thor clearly doesn’t understand all of Earth’s customs and can get himself into awkward situations.
Being able to see Asgard and learn about their culture is super interesting from a universe building perspective. It’s very viking themed, they have a wise king, and they’re all apparently gods or close to it?
Thor actually starts out as a spoiled brat prince. He’s really obnoxious at the start and he learns to be a good person in this movie and continues to evolve in future movies.
I like learning more about Shield. We got to see Thor try to steal Mjolnir from under the protection of Sheild. We know Shield means business and they’re at the top of their game but they just can’t compare against super heroes.
Natalie Portman plays Jane Foster who is the love interest in Thor. She is probably the best love interest in the MCU at this point. Her character is interesting and the acting is great. If I’m only talking about this movie this would be entirely good… but the downside is eventually Natalie Portman has a falling out over “creative differences” and she fell back into the shadows for the rest of MCU. She will likely come back in a future Thor movie as lady Thor herself.
Bad Things in Thor
Again, the villain seems to be the weak point in this movie. I love Loki and the actor, Tom Hiddleston, who plays him but I already knew that Loki is the trickster in Norse mythology. And I think most people know that. So it was entirely predictable which made the film a little less interesting.
My Favorite MCU Movies (so far)
- Iron Man
- Thor
- Iron Man 2
- The Hulk
I debated giving the top position to Thor but Iron Man’s origin story is far more interesting. He gets blown up by one of his own weapons and becomes something greater. Thor’s origin story is that he’s an annoying brat and somehow Natalie Portman with just a few conversations makes him fall in love with her and he becomes a good person?
Both Iron Man & Thor are hilarious. While I enjoy the humor in Thor it’s so different from Iron Man. I thought I laughed out loud more often watching Iron Man than Thor.
The Comics
A friend recommended that I read The Mighty Thor. This came out in the early 80’s and fleshes out all the background we take for granted now. At the time this was free on Amazon so I read the whole thing and it was pretty good.
A few really interesting points:
- Beta Ray Bill is introduced. He’s the first non-asguadian worthy of raising Mjolnir. Which was pretty epic at the time.
- Loki is his usual self
- Thor fights Malekith the Dark Elf (who are the bad guys in the 2nd Thor movie)
- He also fights a dragon named Fafnir.
I liked reading the comic but my one criticism of the Thor comics is that they rely so heavily on Norse mythology that you already know what’s going to happen.
LOKI TRICKED THOR? WHO COULD HAVE KNOWN!?
On the plus side Odin is more stern in the comics. In the movies he’s a little too lovey-dovey for me.
My favorite part might be Roger Willis who helped Thor protect the Casket of Ancient Winters from Malekith. He was just a Korean war vet who has a pistol and fights demons. Pretty awesome.
My Favorite Comics (so far)
- Iron Man – Demon in a Bottle
- Planet Hulk
- The Mighty Thor vol. 1
- Black Widow SHIELDS Most Wanted
I don’t find Thor super compelling. He’s a god who doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses. Cool I guess?
Planet Hulk was also mostly action – but there were also cool aliens gladiator companions, an alien queen, and other interesting details.
Wrap Up
The movie is pretty good. Thor is a bratty prince and learns how to be a good person, there’s a nice love story, and I love the subtle introduction of Hawkeye and more insight into Shield.
The comic was classic for sure. If you’ve never read Norse mythology it’ll probably be pretty good. And we also learn that non-asguardians can actually wield Mjolnir .
I still haven’t played Marvel Crisis Protocol (MCP) but I understand Thor is a pretty powerful character. He’s good at charging, throwing, and overall beating people up. He’s also the leader of the Asguardian team so you’ll probably see him more often than not.
The movie was pretty good and sets up Thor to be even better in future movies. It feels like they’re almost done setting everything up. I can’t wait until The Avengers!
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