Thor: The Dark World, the second Thor film, and third time we’ve seen the God of Thunder on screen, smashed open the box office last weekend via the power of Mjolnir, and Chris Hemsworth’s dashing good looks.
While Thor may now be a powerhouse of modern cinema, for a long time he rarely got out of the comic pages. When Thor did make an out-of-comic appearance, it was often on TV, and sometimes not much to talk about. With Thor currently reaching the peak of his celluloid glory, I propose a look back at 14 Moments Of Thor On TV, both the good and the bad.
Following Captain America Mondays, came Thor on Thursday. While the animation here is stilted, and repetitive, the writers did use stories from the Kirby era of Thor books, and it was the sixties. It may never be top quality, but it deserves a place on this list.
Episode: Wrath Of The Sub-Mariner
Thor’s appearance on this early eighties version of the old web head is kind of a cheat. In the episode, Prince Namor’s cousin Namorita, (seriously, I couldn’t invent that) is injured. Who helps nurse her back to health? If you guessed Dr. Donald Blake then give yourself a check in the win column. Thor might not be here, but his human alter ego is. I told you it was a cheat.
Episode: “The Vengeance Of Loki”
A much better example of an animated thunder God, was Thor’s team up with Spider-Man, Firestar and Iceman. The four heroes come together to try and stop Loki, who has used his trickster magic to look like Thor. Not only does the episode have Thor in all his hammer wielding glory, there’s also a bit of human-on-Frost-Giant love.
Okay, fair enough, I’m starting with a movie, but I ask the naysayers to pause and consider the circumstances. The film hasn’t been in theaters for twenty odd years, it’s a staple on cable, and Vincent D’onofrio played the man thought to be Thor. How can I overlook the awesomeness of this oddball appearance?
