Marvel have announced that from this October, Thor will be changing in a big way. A new Thor series is soon to be released, written by Jason Aaron (Wolverine, Ghostrider) with accompanying art from Russel Dauterman. According to Marvel, Thor will be changing as a new female hero is set to take up the mighty hammer. Editor Wil Moss saw this as a continuation of Marvel's ever-growing list of superheroes as she joins the ranks of Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Storm and many other amazing female characters that Marvel have brought to life. He also explained that the new Thor is no temporary substitute; “she's now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!”
October is shaping up to be a great month for female superheroes as Thor will also be accompanied by a shiny new reboot of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl from DC who released ideas as to what her new costume will look like. Illustrator, Babs Tarr and writer, Brenden Fletcher are opting for a much more modern and less stereotypically skimpy outfit, focusing primarily on practicality and utility rather than perpetuating the age-old semi-naked outfits that so many female superheroes have adorned before. They have even clearly indicated that Barbara's costume will feature NO SPANDEX.
Despite the reaction from some Marvel fans being heavily against the company's move towards endorsing non-white/non-male super hero, Ms. Marvel, the reactions for a female Thor hasn't been all too negative. Both the industry and fans seem more than in favour to support Thor's reincarnation. Even going as far to begin deciding who would suitably play her in her hypothetical film début.
One reason as to why this was such a great move on Marvel's part is because Thor is so stereotypically male; he is all brute force with his rippling Norse muscles and humongous phallic hammer. He is undeniably the pinnacle of masculinity in a traditional, stereotypical sense. It's so obvious that it's almost boring and that's pretty much always been my problem with Thor. I think he's out dated and completely one dimensional.
Despite not having much interest in previous Thor story arcs, or in his character at all, I'm completely excited by this proposal as Marvel move away from the heteronormativity that plagues all successful comic books. By screwing with the gender of this masculine archetype, it defies the rigidity of gender binaries and allows for more flexibility in what the new character can be. Of course we don't know very much on what the new Thor will be like at all, she definitely could be some scantily clad, hyper-sexual super human contortionist (see Eschergirls) complete with an outfit consisting of nothing more than a thong and breast encrusted breastplate. However, by the sounds of the enthusiastic focus on how different but worthy she will be from writer Jason Aaron, I would be incredibly surprised if they then decided to follow back down the cliched tropes that so many comics use. The greatest thing about this is the new Thor will not just be another Thor Girl, as put by Writer Jason Aaron - "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." She will not amount to some female hand-off of the original Thor. She will be of the same value, with the same title, because she is the same Thor. Although it's pretty terrible that it still has to be mentioned that as a female, she will still be of the same worth as the original, it's amazing to hear male writers being so vocal about their character.
Despite clear attempts from Marvel to push for some kind of change in regards to the perceptions of women and masculinity in comic books, Paris Lees explains that gender-bending male characters won't do all that much to help push for gender equality or distort the archaic views society holds on traditional femininity. Despite strong, female characters being praised for going against the grain, with the exception of openly gay superhero Alan Scott as Green Lantern, there are still very few signs of feminine or homosexual or non-stereotypical male superheroes and although we should definitely cheer for Thor's incarnation as a woman, we are still not breaking any new grounds for gender equality. Lees explains that "It's wonderful that the fairer sex were able to undo their corsets and take on things that were traditionally seen as masculine ... but it has done little to challenge the scapegoating of femininity." Lees explains that reason as to why there's so little attempt to move away from the heteronormative male superhero is because any association of femininity is either ridiculed or shunned.
Even though Lees is completely right to question how diverse this change and how much of an impact it will have on gender equality in niche sectors such as comic books, gaming and film, any attempt to veer away from the straight/white/male trope of a superhero protagonist should be considered a small win and a step in the right direction. Female leading characters are generally not explored too often by companies such as Marvel, and a chance to show that they can be just as, if not more successful than their male counterparts without being overly-sexualised then this is a chance to show the rest of the industry on not only what they're missing out on, but also what they can be a part of.
Molly Rose x
Loved the link! And Batgirl is definitely going to be awesome!
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