Thunderstruck
Marvel’s ‘Thor’ hits the fast track, but who can play a god?

The forecast for 2009 calls for a massive thunderstorm!  Marvel Films recently announced that it has found a director for the long-rumored movie about Marvel mainstay Thor in the form of “Stardust” director Matthew Vaughan.  While the British helmer was once attached to “X-Men: The Last Stand,” this time, he’ll be crafting a superhero story from square one based on a script by Mark Protosevich (“I Am Legend”).  Here’s a rundown on the perfect cast to call down the thunder in theatres!

Kevin McKidd as Thor
With a hefty dose of Scottish swagger, the gravelly voiced star of NBC’s “Journeyman” exudes the perfect attitude to bring the Thunder God to theatres.  Ad that to McKidd’s sword-swinging acting resume in HBO’s “Rome” and the recent “The Last Legion,” and you’ve got Mjolnir’s new master

Jesse Spencer as Donald Blake
Thor’s physician alter ego needs to have the same look as his godly counterpart, but with a much frailer physique.  “House” co-star Spencer has the perfect mix of charm and nerdiness.

Linda Cardellini as Jane Foster
Blake’s assistant needs a specific kind of gal Friday sexy, and “E.R.” actress Cardellini exudes more than enough “girl next door” hotness to coerce fans into scheduling multiple doctor’s appointments.

Cillian Murphy as Loki
Previous roles in “Batman Begins” and “Red Eye” were scary enough, but with a touch of CGI, Murphy’s take on the persuasive and perverse trickster god Loki could be the most frightening comic villain in screen history.

Kate Beckinsale as Lady Sif
Female furies who kick ass and carry big swords are hard to find.  Luckily, Beckinsale can pull off the action heroine part (a la “Underworld”) without snuffing out her smoldering hotness.

The Great Debate
Which Thor costume is better?

CLASSIC:  Before I harp on the majestic brilliance of Thor’s classic costume, let me simply say this about the new one: The guy needs chainmail?!  He’s the son of Odin, a freakin’ god on Earth who commands storm clouds!  Not only does it seem redundant for the Hulk’s most well-matched brawlin’ buddy to wear armor, but the conductivity of the metal alone seems counterproductive while weidling the mythical hammer that is the worlds’ best lightning rod.  And what is the purpose of hiding the Asgardian arms that have beat back the likes of Loki and Hercules?  If you’ve got god-given guns, you better flaunt ‘em, because there is no better way to intimidate the monsters of Midgard than showing off a pair of perfectly sculpted hammer-hefters!  That said, I don’t even need to mention the pure awesomeness of a tunic that turns into a pair of undies below the belt, but oh wait, I just did!

CURRENT:  It’s an ugly, dirty world out there full of fire demons, ice giants, and government troops looking to draft you into the Superhuman Registration movement – so you can bet your sweet Asgardian ass you need an equipment upgrade now and again!  First off, Marvel didn’t muck with the Thunder God’s must-haves:  Thor still sports the regal red cape, the basic black chest tunic complete with armor-disc bling and the imposing knee-high shit-kickers.  However, the Son of Odin has successfully ditched his tighty-whities on the outside, making way for an under-armor look that an NFL all-pro would kill to have; hey, you think Hulk or Loki don’t hit below the belt?  And Thor’s tickets to the gun show are still valid, baby; now they’re just laminated for his protection.  Throw in that streamlined helmet – the wings have been reduced and the headpiece lowered to guard Thor’s supermodel looks – and you’ve got a Thunder God generating 1.21 gigawatts of awesomeness!

In an interview with Warren Simmons, the current editor of Thor, several questions are answered, along with some of Coipel's design sketches

• Q: Thor13 08-21-2007 11:07 AM
  Is Thor going to see some Marvel Heroes after the first arc or will he stay in Oklahoma the whole series?

  The Thunder God is back, friends, and he is in a very serious mood.  And while Asgard is currently floating a few feet above terra firma in the great state of Oklahoma, I can promise that you’ll be seeing plenty of the Thunder God in the Marvel Universe over the next 12 to 18 months. In fact, you could say he’ll be playing a vital role in the Universe in the months to come…

• Will Loki return in the new series? (or any of the classic Thor villains?)

  Where there is Thor, there is… Sorry, but, you’ll have to wait and see what Mr. Straczynski and Mr. Coipel have in store

• On a different note, can you tease any character comebacks we might be seeing in Thor soon?

  They’ll be coming fast and furious in issues # 3 and # 4. And I promise that the last page of issue # 3 will just knock your socks off. Olivier is doing amazing work here

• In the last couple of years, Hercules has now returned and become a major character in the Marvel universe. I was just wondering if there any plans to feature him as a reoccurring character in a future Marvel title or appear in Thor or The Order seeing as how he's one of Thor's closest friends and the Order has been ripping of his families' names?

  That made me laugh, Spidey. Remember, he gets royalties. Well, theoretically, at least. Anyway, there are some big plans afoot for Hercules in the Marvel Universe. Although I can’t promise they’ll be as cool as when he picked up a magma-covered Ares and tossed him into a horde of undead zombie warriors who were trying to destroy Olympus, they might come close. For all things Hercules, let’s bring Mr. Paniccia into the conversation. Mark?

  Mark Paniccia: Plans for thy favorite bearded and sandaled hero cannot be revealed, but fans shall be pleased, me thinks. To say more t’would risk spoilage!

  WS: Ah, then let’s not risk any spoilage. Stay tuned, folks, more Hercules news…soon

• Was there any thought about making Thor for the revamp to make him more in line with the traditional Thor from mythology, the red hair and beard?

  Olivier did a number of sketches when he was coming up with a design for the character, but they primarily were influenced by the classic Marvel Kirby design. Here are a few of the initial sketches Olivier put together, with the finalized versions at the bottom:

• Does Thor have any recollection of his life on Earth BEFORE Ragnarok? In other words, when Thor beats up Iron Man, is it because he knows all that Iron Man has done in the context of experience, or just because Iron Man is there and talking smack and he doesn't know or care who Iron Man is?

  As we’ll see in issue # 3, he is aware of his relationship to Iron Man before Ragnarok. But he still whups his ass. Pick up the issue for the excellent details

• Does Oklahoma have a superhero team thanks to the 50 States Initiative, and if so when are they going to meet up with Thor?

  Well, check out issue # 3 for where Iron Man and Thor part ways...

• First, I'm loving JMS' and Oliver Coipel's take on Thor! Secondly as the editor I was wondering if you could tell us how the changes to the Asgardian came about? I've always remembered Thor as a jovial figure who for some reason spoke Middle English and was always read to share a pint with friends. It seems like Ragnarok really did a number on his personality.

  As the series goes along, will we see Thor (as well as Donald Blake) interact more with his former Avengers friends and the rest of the Marvel U? And how many designs of Thor did Coipel go through before settling on the final version? I hope he keeps his chainmail armor, because it just makes sense for battle.

  Hey, Spidey, very happy to hear that you are digging JMS and Olivier’s take. While Ragnarok almost certainly had a profound impact on his character, I think that Thor has returned to a Marvel Universe that is remarkably different from the one that he left. And in the same way that our environment has a profound effect on each of us, I think that the Thunder God is looking around at some of the extraordinary changes to America, and I do not know if he likes what he sees…

There's also another article with preview pages for Thor #3

NRAMA: Moving things over to the guests, then…we’re going to have you to put modesty aside for a moment, as you are one of a small handful of creators asked to be part of this…What do you hope as an individual to bring to the table at a session like this one? A particular unique skill or insight?

J. Michael Straczynski: My job is to listen to everyone else argue because very often the answer walks into the room mid-argument but nobody notices because everybody is busy protecting their turf. So my place is that of Grand Vizir, thankyewverymuch.

NRAMA: Joe, we know you intended to change your approach to focusing ore more finite projects - why? What the reason this change in focus/direction?

Straczynski: I want to focus on Thor, creating and reviving the mythology of the character, and do a bit here and there on smaller stories is fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1yNbC3JoGs

And here's a link to a Brazilian Mugen page courtesy of Loganir

http://www.mgbr.net/index.php?end=multi&id=131&sid=25827

In an article on the upcoming World War Hulk event, it's mentioned about Thor possible standing in the Hulk's way

What Worked Before:  If stark's lucky, Thor will still answer his calls after that clone cyborg debacle during Civil War.  Should the Thunder God enter the fray, he can prove the difference maker, as he boasts physical strength on par with the Hulk as well as abilities that tall, green and gruesome lacks, such as flight and a nifty all-purpose Uru hammer.
Why It Won't Anymore:  Again, Hulk's got an army - one that includes former Thor sparring partner Korg, one of the stone men from Saturn - and there's nary an Asgardian in sight these days.  Sakaar's finest fighting forces swarm Goldilocks, then Hulk swoops in with a smirk and a nasty right hook.
Pak Talk:  "Part of the thing about this war-bound crew from 'Planet Hulk' is that they're not scared of anybody.  They have fought in legendary mythic battles against foes nobody should be able to defeat and they've triumphed.  If Earth wants to throw a god at them, they're perfectly ready to go for it.

In a blurb about Ultimates 2 #13

The long-awaited conclusion to writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch's final arc on the Ultimate Universe's Mightiest Heroes finally arrives this May when issue #13 hits stores.  It's the Asgardian smackdown to end all as Thor has escaped his prison and prepares to confront the man responsible for all the Ultimates' woes: Loki, the god of evil!

In an article on the relaunch of Thor

Even if he didn't know Thor was a god, a man still has to have balls of steel or the brain of a potato to stand up to a six-foot-six giant clutching an enormous hammer - Sam Miller probably falls into the latter category.  The Oklahoma farmer has a serious beef with the Norse God of Thunder when the Thor title relaunches in July.  No, Sam isn't Loki (we don't think); he's just a simple farmer pissed off that the returned deity decides to take up residence in his hometown and aims to resurrect Asgard on the farmer's property.  Sound out of this world?  Writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Olivier Coipel reinvent the Thor mythos, and to get the scoop, we went straight to Marvel HQ and asked enough questions to satisfy Odin himself.  Here's your cheat sheet to the upcoming rebirth!

Thor
Who Is He?  Created by bored Nordic people a billion years ago and reinvented by Stan Lee in 1962, the Norse God of Thunder has thrown down with Frost Giants and battled Ultron alongside the Avengers.  He's go a big ego and the brawn to back it up.
Last Seen:  Dead.  His brother Loki brought an army against him, but Thor cut off Loki's head while the world was literally ending around him.  As Asgard fell apart, Thor destroyed the "gods to the gods," known as "Those Who Sit Above In Shadow," and essentially brought about an end to his world.
Future Plans:  Buying real estate in the Midwest and getting a new costume.  "We've kept the classic Kirby feel of the costume because that's such a wonderfully iconic design," says Thor Editor Warren Simons, "but we've made some changes so it's closer to an actual warrior's garb."

Asgard
What Is It?  Before it was destroyed, it was the home of Thor and the Norse gods and their answer to the Green Mount Olympus, but with a rainbow bridge.
Last Seen:  In the cataclysmic events of Ragnarok, the gods' final Judgment Day, Asgard sat at ground zero.
Future Plans:  Floating above some Oklahoma farmland.  "The first arc is really about Thor putting his house in order," explains Simons, "and Asgard is where he starts."

Donald Blake
Who Is He?  Thor's human alter ego.  The good doctor and Thor were joined together by Thor's father Odin to give Thor some much needed humility.
Last Seen:  Fantastic Four #538, picking up a hammer.
Future Plans:  Looks like a reunion in Oklahoma.

Mjolnir
What Is It?  Thor's favored sidearm.  It scatters foes like ninepins at a bowling alley and can only be lifted by beings as worthy as the mighty Thor.
Last Seen:  Picked up by a guy with the initials "D.B." in the aforementioned FF #538
Future Plans:  According to Simons, it's back with its "rightful owner" so expect more head bashing.

Odin & Loki
Who Are They?  Thor's father Odin is the rightful ruler of Asgard.  Thor's stepbrother, Loki, is as twisted an arch nemesis as you can find.  The Avengers were originally formed to stop the trickster god.
Last Seen:  Both dead.
Future Plans:  "Where there is Thor, there is Odin and Loki," hints Simons.

His return has been hinted at for months, a bastardized version of him played a supporting role in Civil War, and his fans have been patiently drumming their fingers through it all, waiting and waiting for the real Thor to return to the Marvel Universe.

This summer, the waiting stops, when Marvel launches a new Thor series by J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel. (By the way, if you missed the news earlier this month, JMS' screenplay, The Changeling will be produced by Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment and Clint Eastwood's Malpaso company, with Eastwood directing, and Angelina Jolie set to star.)

We've spoken with the writer previously, but as the launch gets closer, we're able to get some new information out of him - as well as score some preview pages form the first issue.

Newsarama: The character of Thor has been off the Marvel playing field for several years now, only hinted at with an appearance of his hammer in your Fantastic Four run and with the android Clor in Civil War. But now that your new series is announced, we can say he's back - but how does he come back to Earth?

J. Michael Straczynski: The first issue finds Thor in what is essentially a kind of limbo, between life and death and something greater and more profound. He is offered both an opportunity, and a challenge, a chance to fight his way back to finish the work he began. We also use the same process to re-introduce Donald Blake, who raises the question: "Is it for the gods to say when men die, or for men to say when the gods die?" Answering that question is a large part of what propels Thor back into the world of the living.

NRAMA: Much has been made of the announced story element that Thor is rebuilding Asgard in the Middle of America - Oklahoma to be specific. Can you tell us why Thor would set up stakes in middle America as opposed to the lands where Norse mythology was worshipped, or say in another dimension as Asgard was done in the past?

JMS: A large part of the story involves both rediscovering and reinterpreting his godhood, but also reacquiring his ties to humanity, since it was that love of our species that has kept him here for so long. He needs, wants to bring back Asgard, but wants it closer than before to his loved home Earth, feels that they have lost something by being so removed. So he begins that process, and selects Oklahoma for a number of reasons including the fact that it has vast open spaces large enough to accommodate the primary city of Asgard. Any place else would get flattened. And putting it somewhere in Antarctica would defeat the larger point.

NRAMA: The last we saw of Thor, he went off into deep space following the foretold end of the Asgardian people with Ragnarok. How are you fitting that in with the new series?

JMS: We cover that in the first issue, but I don't want to say too much about it yet, that needs to be seen in the telling.

NRAMA: Fair enough. In a previous interview with us, you said that "Way back several retreats ago, Joe Quesada mentioned the goal of eventually bringing Thor back, and I made a suggestion for whoever ended up doing it." This project has been one that's gone through several writers - both Mark Millar and Neil Gaiman were on tap at different points to write the series before it came back to you. Can you tell us what that original suggestion was from you, and how the book ended up back on your table?

JMS: I may be wrong, but I think the progression started with Neil, who had some great ideas (as he always does), then when that didn't work out for logistical reasons, it bounced back to the group. I mentioned the image of the hammer falling in Oklahoma, and Mark leapt right for it, but also had to bow out for similar reasons. It then came back to the group, and it came my way again. I'll be honest, I was kinda hoping that would happen because I've always been a big fan of Thor and his mythology, which I really wanted to explore.

NRAMA: Thor's alter-ego has been under several names and personalities over time, but most notably that of Dr. Donald Blake. In your Fantastic Four run, someone with the initials "D.B." eventually picked up Thor's hammer discreetly and went off. What can you say about the story of Mjolnir as it crashed into the FF comic?

JMS: The crash is dealt with in our first issue, and was established in FF because we were trying to tie the whole thing together, and give the event the proper weight. If he just showed up, it wouldn't have as much impact as setting it up gradually, so people get a sense of what's coming, and then pull the trigger.

NRAMA: Virtually throughout his entire history in the Marvel Universe, Thor's been a character out of time and place - what would you say his perspective is on Earth in the new series?

JMS: Initially, he's distant, trying to figure out where he fits in again. We're going to really power Thor up, give him all the strength of his heritage, and that can kind of put you apart the very human race you want to rediscover. He doesn't want to get pulled into the other groups, he wants to do his own thing...the question he has to answer is, what is that? And why? To a large extent, what he finds in the people of Oklahoma will help to answer some of those questions.

NRAMA: Much has been made of Thor's unique speech pattern in Marvel Comics - he has had, on and off, a Shakespearean way of talking --- but it's something you've said in the past you've had problems with. Can you tell us where you're coming from in writing Thor's dialogue, and perhaps give us an example of how he would say something?

JMS: I've just never understood why a Norse god would speak in Medieval English. Never parsed for me, even as a kid. So I'm going for more of a sense of antiquity in the grammar and style rather than tarting it up with "these" and "thous." The closest tonal parallel would be Aragon in Lord of the Rings. The sense of dialog there has the feeling of formality and otherness, but without resorting to tricks.

The artist is going to be Olivier Coipel.  You can see his artwork on House of M, and Avengers #77-81, amongst others.

Joe Quesada reveals that the writer of the upcoming Thor launch will be - J. Michael Straczynski!  You can check out his site here http://worldsofjms.com/marvel/index.htm to see what all he's done.

Question: This three initialed writer will be taking over Thor.

Answer: Who is JMS, Joe Michael Straczynski?

NRAMA: Aha, finally… well, okay. So Thor’s been acting a little off in Civil War. How much does what’s happening there play into this new series?

JQ: Oh, a lot, trust me.

NRAMA: You told us a few months back that one of the things you wanted to see in a Thor revival was a new take on Asgard and Asgardians. Does JMS’s new series fit that criteria?

JQ: [Laughs!] Oh yeah, and while he’s reinterpreting the character and his universe, he’s also taking him back to basics as evidenced by the man who gets the hammer.

NRAMA: And how about that infamous Wizard article of a couple of years back where it was suggested a new group of teens find the Asgardian artifacts and become the new Norse Gods. Wizard got the research facility in the Mid-West right? Did they get the rest..?

JQ: That article was right at the time. Joe was intrigued by Neil Gaiman’s initial thoughts on Thor and it got him thinking about writing it. Then we he started scripting he used some elements but not all. How much he used you’re going to have to read to find out.

And then, Newsarama talks to JMS about Thor.

While it probably won’t come as any great surprise to Marvel fans writer J. Michael Straczynski will serve as the creative force behind Marvel’s upcoming Thor revival, spinning partly out of the writer’s own work in Fantastic Four and partly out of Civil War, official confirmation comes after literally years of waiting for fans of the character.

So with the news newly minted, we figured it was time for a sit-down with JMS for the writer’s first open conversation about the upcoming Thor ongoing series…

Newsarama: Joe, first of all, this seems like a project that has long been in gestation. We’ve asked you about Thor in the past in reference to your Fantastic Four storyline, but you’ve never been able to respond fully acknowledging the ongoing series. So now that the barrier is removed, can you ask you again to give us the brief but now definitive back-story of this Thor concept...? Its origins? How and if Neil Gaiman and Mark Millar were involved?

J. Michael Straczynski: I've always been a big fan of Thor, and I've always actually preferred to write characters with a big mythos behind them than more straight-ahead characters. The best Babylon 5 characters were always the ones that came at you from more unusual stomping grounds (Londo, G'Kar, others) than Earth-normal. Way back several retreats ago, Joe Quesada mentioned the goal of eventually bringing Thor back, and I made a suggestion for whoever ended up doing it, and [Mark] Millar jumped right in and said it was his. (He also made this claim about the Sudetenland, and we all know how that worked out.) But Mark, being Mark, was soon distracted by other bright-shinys. Neil [Gaiman] was on tap at one point, with more of a teen Thor approach, then eventually it came back to me
.
NRAMA: Is there a specific reason for the period of time it took for this title to launch? Was it a creative decision? A marketing one? Personal?

JMS: I think it was a combination of the first two. Marvel wanted to rest the character for a while, which I think was a good decision, so that his return would be noteworthy. They also wanted to find some way to interface this with the Civil War storyline, and some considerations in that story - which will surface in Civil War #4 - meant pushing the debut back beyond that point.

NRAMA: Any hints just to hold readers over for another week or so?

JMS: Let us just say of Civil War #4 that there will be a reckoning....

NRAMA: Before asking you for specifics, if we may, let’s start with some broader questions. What’s the appeal of the Thor concept to you?

JMS: I've just always liked the character, from his debut in Journey into Mystery, which I read as a kid when it first appeared, to now. To be honest, I've always preferred that iteration of Thor, with the Dr. Donald Blake persona, than some of the later variations on that theme. Maybe that's just nostalgia speaking, but I think there was something valid there in the counterpoint of the characters, a warrior and a physician.

As some measure of how much a fan I am, when I heard that Marvel West might be getting back the rights to Thor, I spec'd out a complete movie screenplay even though I had heard that they already had another writer on tap, just because I wanted to do it. I'm still very happy with that screenplay, incidentally, though it has absolutely no bearing on what we're going to do with Thor in the comics.

NRAMA: Are you a fan of the “a god walking among humans?” thing?

JMS: That's one aspect of it, certainly, and Marvel has always slanted a bit toward those kinds of characters...Captain America out of his element in the 21st century, Peter Parker who never seems to fit in, Daredevil who cannot see the world as we do, the Hulk who is always at odds with the world...a god among humans certainly has that aspect and that appeal. But what also makes the character attractive is the flip-side, to see humans interacting with a god. Who are they to him, but also, who is he to them? I think that's a very cool dynamic to play with.

NRAMA: Are you a fan of Norse mythology?

JMS: To a certain extent, yeah...for as far back as I can remember, even as a kid, I had an attraction to Greek, Roman, and Norse mythologies.

NRAMA: Though one of Marvel’s more iconic figures, perhaps with the exception of Walt Simonson’s 80’s run, Thor has never been a huge seller for Marvel, at least not in the last 20 years or so. Why do you think that is, and do you think your concept address this issue at all?

JMS: I'm not entirely sure. If I were to speculate, and that is all this is, it may be that over the years it got farther afield of its original architecture as a story and a character. I love Beta Ray Bill as a character, but does his appearance, so near to Thor's, make the latter less unique? I loved having him turned into a toad, but does that make it harder to take him seriously later on? I do think it's possible to treat a character with too much reverence, but at the same time, you can go too far in the other direction as well. I think the stories may have gotten a bit repetitive over the course of decades, so that when you picked up an issue of Thor, you kind of always knew what to expect...and there's good to that, and not-good to that.

NRAMA: Will your new series/ be steeped in the character’s previous history, particularly then last few years and end of the previous series, or are you using this opportunity to clean the slate?

JMS: I'm picking up where the story left off, but I kind of do want to use this as a way to clean the slate and bring it back more to the Kirby/Lee roots of the character. We've already hinted that Donald Blake is back (raising the question: how?), and there are other elements I'd like to see brought back as well.

NRAMA: We’ll assume you’re going to save that “how” for the series, so we won’t put you on the spot and ask…

Quick question – faux Shakespearean dialogue… pro or con?

JMS: I'm inclined to try one bit of a change there. Even as a kid, I could never figure out why a Norse god would speak in medieval style English. I think it's possible to have that distance and formality in one's language without resorting to that kind of dialogue. The closest thing I'd point to as a comparison would be Aragorn in Lord of the Rings. His speech patterns have a very stylized feel, there's a sense of antiquity about them, but you don't have to parse a lot of "thou's" and "thy's". So that's more the feeling I want to strive for.

NRAMA: Getting a little more specific… Thor in the past has always had to distinct words to move in – the Avengers/Marvel Universe world and the fantasy-based/Asgardian world. Which world (if either) will this new Thor inhabit?

JMS: A bit of both. One thing that I tried in the first few issues, which have gone over very well in-house, involved the choice of where to rebuild Asgard. Imagine for a moment shining Asgard, in all its ancient glory, high minarets and spires, miles wide in every direction...hovering eight feet above the ground...in the American Mid-West. Oklahoma, to be specific. How would Thor (and, in time, other restored Asgardians) relate to the folks thereabouts? How would they relate to gods living in their midst? Rather than go with the stereotype, I think they'd be (for the most part) welcomed as neighbors. Eccentric neighbors, to be sure, but neighbors nonetheless.

It's a marvelous opportunity to provide real contrasts between those two worlds as the locals more or less adopt the Asgardians...'cause they're just looking for a home, same as anybody else. And imagine standing beneath that structure, miles in every direction, hovering just a few feet above your head.

The American Mid-West has been largely ignored or given short shrift by the comics’ universe, and this is a good chance to bring that world into play, with its values and its heart. We will see ourselves more clearly for the contrast, I think. The flip-side is that Thor et al will also be more contrasted against this background. If everything is godlike, then nothing is godlike...but put that contrast back in again, as Lee and Kirby put Loki and Thor and others into modern life, and I think it actually helps to strengthen Thor as a character...makes him more unique, more distant and godlike...while tugging at his humanity at the same time. And there's always room for a doctor in a small Oklahoma town....

None of which is to say that down the road Asgard can't or won't be moved to a more lofty locale, but for now, for re-starting the character and making him more interesting by the contrast, that location serves a very solid story purpose.

NRAMA
JMS: Yes, but not necessarily as you last saw them.

NRAMA: You briefly mentioned Neil Gaiman’s “teen” take on Thor, which Wizard detailed in their Thor news story of a couple of years back. That involved a new group of teens finding Asgardian artifacts at that Mid-West research facility and taking up the mantle of the gods. The Mid-West research facility part proved accurate, but just to set the record straight, from all your comments your concept breaks from that at that point and will present a more familiar take on the concepts and characters, correct?

JMS: I don't know if familiar is the word I'd use, but they ain't teens, that's for sure.

NRAMA: How about graphically… Will there be any new take or changes to the look of Thor and Asgard?

JMS: I like and want to keep the sensibility of his classic wardrobe, but I'd like to see if we can't make it a bit more realistic to the eye...to again hearken to the Lord of the Rings, if you look at the Riders of Rohan, their shields, helmets, or the soldiers of Gondor...I like that look, and would like to see if there's a chance to blend those together with the traditional Thor silhouette.

In an interview with Joe Quesada about Thor, lots of things were discussed

     Thor struck the Marvel Universe like lightning with his dramatic return in July's Civil War #3, but that rumbling you hear around comics isn't just an oncoming storm.
     Instead, it's the electric buzz surrounding the Thunder God's return, and the fact that his arrival poses more questions than it answers.
     Thor hasn't been seen in the current mainstream Marvel Universe since 2004's Thor vol 2 #85, the end of Michael Avon Oeming and Andrea DeVito's "Ragnarok" storyline (#80-#85) that effectively killed off the Thunder God and all his Asgardian brethren in an adaptation of the epic Norse end-of-the-world myth.
     Since then, Thor's been vacationing in comics limbo, though there have been a couple of Asgardian-tinged projects that came out following his demise - notably Loki by writer/novelist Robert Rodi (Codename: Knockout) and artist Esad Ribic (Wolverine covers) about Thor's diabolical brother who's also the God of Mischief, and Thor: Blood Oath, by Oeming and Scott Kolins (Beyond) which found the Thunder God teaming up with the Warriors Three when Frost Giants put them on trial for murder.
     However, those two books didn't take place in current continuity, and after a scuttled plan to have Mark Millar (Ultimates) and Greg Land (Ultimate Fantastic Four) do a Thor ongoing - the creators opted to do Ultimate FF instead - the Marvel U. has been Thor-less while the House of Ideas patiently bided its time.
     "We've been looking for a way to bring Thor back for quite some time," explained Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada.  "We just wanted to make sure it was the right way at the right time.  We started to feel like the time was right, but we didn't have the right way.  Then all of these ideas were popping up for Civil War.  Amongst all of us, we had this great way to bring Thor back that we knew was going to not only thrill the fans, but freak the fans out.
     Civil War turned out to be the golden opportunity for Thor's return, and over the past few months leading up to the event, Marvel began dropping clues that something big was brewing, most notably in Fantastic Four #536-#538, which centered around Thor's powerful mystical hammer Mjolnir falling to Earth and becoming an object of desire for Dr. Doom.  Also in that same arc, readers were teased by recurring panels that featured a shadowy figure sporting the initials D.B. - a nod to Donald Blake, the one-time human alter ego of Thor - traveling to Oklahoma where the hammer touched down.  That set the stage for Thor's dramatic return in Civil War #3, but his revival raises some questions for the fans.

HOW WILL THOR'S RETURN IMPACT "CIVIL WAR"?
"I think the real question that people will be asking is, 'How will Civil War affect Thor?" countered Quesada.  "I'm not going to tell you.  You're just going to have to read and find out.  But Civil War will have a great effect on Thor and show a side of Thor we've never seen before."
     When Thor makes his dramatic entrance, it appears he's being used as a secret weapon for Tony Stark's Pro-Registration faction (he's referred to as "Codename: Lightning").  But we expect to see Thor's loyalties torn between his current benefactor Iron Man and his closes Avengers ally, Captain America, before Civil War fires its final salvo.

WHAT PLANS ARE THERE FOR THOR FOLLOWING "CIVIL WAR"?
When asked about Marvel's big ongoing plans for the Thunder God, Quesada would only cryptically confirm that plans actually exist:  "Oh yeah, there's plans."
     However, it's safe to assume that Thor will most definitely be getting his own regular monthly series once more, probably some time in 2007.
     "I think it's a decent assumption that Thor may come back in his own book." teased Quesada.
     That, of course, leads into the next question...

WHO WILL BE THE CREATIVE TEAM ON 'THOR'?
"We've already go them, so...I'm sure [Wizard] will break the news," said the tight-lipped Quesada.  "The thing that we are looking for with respect to a new Thor series is definitely something that modernizes the character a bit, but at the same time goes back to the basic roots of the character.  It's the same kind of idea [as our Eternals relaunch], where it makes new sense of the mythology."
     So we know Marvel has creators tapped, and though the publisher won't confirm, Wizard's got picks of it's own (see below).

WHAT'S UP WITH THE REST OF THOR'S ASGARDIAN PANTHEON?
"That won't be touched upon 'til later," was all Quesada would say when asked about Thor's Norse brethren.  However, last we saw, Odin was already dead (although it was, like, the 37th time), even before Sif, Balder, Heimdall, Loki, the Warriors Three and the rest of the gods and goddesses perished during Ragnarok.  Regardless of what happened in the past or what the current status of the gods is, any Thor relaunch will either re-introduce the entire cast, or explain away their fate to start with a clean slate (our money's on the former).

WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO BRING THOR BACK?
Marvel could have cranked out a random year-long Thor ongoing with some A-list creators and it probably would have sold like hot-cakes.  But rather than rush the property back onto shelves, Marvel took a more patient approach - one that was probably driving some hardcore Thor fans absolutely crazy.
     "It was something we had to feel," stressed Quesada when explaining the delay.  "I think Moon Knight is the perfect example of a character that we waited and waited and waited until we got the right idea, and now we've got a character on our hands that nobody ever suspected would be a hit."
     "What would serve fans better:  just putting out a regular old Thor book that's not going to do gangbusters, or putting out a great Thor book that not only attracts old fans, but has people coming and saying 'Wow, I never really checked out Thor, maybe I'll like it this time'?"

WIZARD PICKS 10 POSSIBLE CREATIVE TEAMS FOR THOR
Marvel's already got a creative team tapped for an ongoing Thor book, but it's keeping the announcement under wraps for now.  Since the publisher's not spilling just yet, Wizard pitches 10 Thor creative teams we wanna see!

1. Mike Oeming/Andrea DeVito
   Oeming's proved his chops on superhero/mythology stories with his "Ragnarok" arc in Thor and Thor: Blood Oath.  Teamed with DeVito, their closing arc before the Thunder God disappeared was one of the best Thor stories ever!
2. Neil Gaiman/John Romita Jr.
   Want a complete reimagining of the Asgardians?  Gaiman could write the Norse gods in his sleep, and JRJR already dazzled on Thor once before.  Plus, look at what they're doing together on Eternals!
3. Walt Simonson/Olivier Coipel
   The writer behind the most beloved, memorable Thor run of all time comes back to the book, joined by the crazy dynamic pencils of Coipel (House of M)!
4. Keith Giffen/Leonard Kirk
   Giffen does plots like no one's business, and his humor will keep it from getting too overblown.  Kirk's a rising star, as seen in his smooth, clean lines on Agents of Atlas.
5. Charlie Huston/Mike McKone
   Huston's made it crazy-impossible to put down Moon Knight because of its hard-hitting action, and McKone's worth banking on any day.
6. Ed Brubaker/Greg Land
   Bru's got us buzzed on Daredevil and Captain America, so why not the big godly Thor reboot?  And Land proved he can rock the big guy in Ultimate FF, so he's a natural.
7. J. Michael Straczynski/Roy Allan Martinez
   JMS isn't shy about doing radical overhauls (see Spidey's unmasking), and he's already set the stage for Thor's return in FF.  Newcomer Martinez (Son of M) would bring a new feel and look and completely flip Asgard on its side.
8. Dwayne McDuffie/Scott Kolins
   McDuffie's already thrilled us while writing a pantheon of "gods" on "Justice League Unlimited," and his Beyond collaborator Kolins showed the goods for large-scale action on Thor: Blood Oath and Flash.
9. Jeph Loeb/Ed McGuinness
   This blockbuster duo blew fans away with the high-octane Superman/Batman, so it's not a longshot to thing they could tackle on of Marvel's heavyweights.
10. Brian K. Vaughan/Gary Frank
    With BKV's respectful treatment of classic characters, we'll get a book that'll feel new and classic at the same time.  Toss in Frank, who knocks it out of the park on Squadron Supreme, and it would be one hell of a title.
     

In an interview with Frank Cho and Brian Bendis, they discuss the upcoming title Mighty Avengers, and discuss some gods

Wizard: Frank, was there a character you were really excited about approaching for the book?
One of the characters I had fun drawing is Ares.  I read Mike Oeming's mini-series, but for whatever reason I didn't like the mohawk.  I recently saw Russell Crowe's "Gladiator" and I thought we could go more toward that look.  He'd still have that mohawk on his helmet, so people would know right away who he is, though.
Wizard:  If Ares were on the team, would you have him sporting the huge sword pictured here or his normal battle-axe and machine guns?
Cho:  Everything.
Bendis:  He'd use every weapon available.  And someone pointed out to me he'd be the first Avenger with a gun, so that's kind of cool.
Wizard:  Where did you go for his design, Frank?
Cho:  Final Fantasy.  You see all thee guys carrying huge friggin' swords - big phallic symbols.
Bendis:  Ares is a great character, but is wide open as far as subplots in his life.  I have to give Oeming credit for this, because he said, "We never tell you who Ares' kid's mother is."  It's someone in the Marvel Universe.  Could be someone on the team.
Cho:  Aunt May?
Wizard:  Who would win in a fight between Ares and Thor?
Bendis:  Ares.  I believe you will be seeing that.
Wizard:  Who'd win in a fight between Ares and Wolverine?
Cho:  Ares would kill him.  He's a god, dude!

Wizard did a countdown of the 50 Greatest Fights Of All Time

#42 - THOR, LOKI AND ODIN VS. SURTUR
The Mighty Thor #353
Ragnarok - the end of days for Asgard - is moments away.  Thor lies beaten and bloodied and his father, wise Odin, trapped in a frozen prison; Asgard's fate falls to its greatest villain...Loki.  As Surtur dips his enchanted sword into the Eternal Flames, making him nearly unstoppable, the trickster god (and Thor's half-brother) finally takes action to save his home - but his motives are not all altruistic.  "Why aspire to become lord of all I survey," he asks, "if all I survey is burned to a cinder?"  Freed to act, Thor and Odin join Loki to stop the rampaging god, and a father and his two sons put aside their differences to stop an ultimate evil.  Blow after blow and bolt after bolt of magic build to a sad, shocking ending as one of the three falls before the battle is done.

Lots of neat toys and props coming out soon, here's a link to a Marvel page, but coming up are...

• Marvel Icons Thor
• Marvel Legends Hercules
• Marvel Legends Lord Thor
• Super Hero Squad Thor/Iron Man 2-pack
• Mjolnir replica re-issue  this is available for pre-order here
• Stormbreaker replica
• Thor 1:1 scale bust  this is already available for pre-order here
• Sketch designs for an upcoming statue

In an interview with Tom Brevoort, Newsarama got this out of him

NRAMA: That last page - buh-hu-wha-huh? Is it safe to make the leap then, that things progressed rather rapidly from where we last saw them at the end of the latest issue of Fantastic Four, when some "DB" guy was hustling to grab the hammer?

TB: A few things have moved along, definitely.

NRAMA: So don't leave us hanging here Tom - you can't just walk away here after that ending - got a few teases for issue #4?

TB: Okay, we've already said that issue #4 includes a death, a funeral, a betrayal and a team reborn. So somebody's not making it out of the book in one piece, and you're about to see a major status quo shift for both a team and a book in the Marvel U.

And Thor is the fifth tease.

On Thursday's Civil War panel

Asked about the Thor project he was supposed to do with Greg Land, Millar said, "Oh sh*t, I knew there was something I forgot to do."

"There's a very good reason as to why Thor took a side," Quesada said when asked why Thor apparently is fighting on the Pro-Registration side in Civil War #3.

On Friday's New Joe Friday's from Newsarama