'Thor' 10 Years Later

It’s hard to believe, but April 17th, 2021, marked 10 years since Thor made his MCU debut. At that time, Chris Hemsworth was a rising hunk that not many people had heard of and Thor was an obscure Marvel phenomenon that many weren’t sure would translate to the big screen. But Marvel was very canny in how they launched their newest hero. First, they hired a terrific director in Kenneth Branagh who delivered a smart, efficient and entertaining debut for the character. Marvel stuck to the basics of introducing a character, they believed in their star-making process, and it has proven to be wildly successful.

Here’s a look back at Thor 10 years later.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a testy and impatient man-child when we meet him in his home realm Asgard. When his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) warns him not to break the peace with the Frost Giants, even after the Frost Giants broke the peace first, interrupting Thor's coronation as King, Thor is quick to defy his father and in the process start a war. For his impudence Thor is cast out of Asgard and his powers are taken away. Thor is banished to earth along with his mighty hammer Mjoliner, however, he cannot wield the hammer's strength until he once again proves himself worthy. Once on earth Thor is aided by Astro-Physicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) along with her mentor Eric Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and her wisecracking assistant Darcy (Kat Dennings.)

Yes, Jane has a wisecracking assistant which can be as cheesy as it sounds. But, I have a rule about wisecracking assistants in movies; if they are played by Kat Dennings, they are always great. Dennings brings a needed amount of wit and her humor punctures the pomposity of this Superhero universe. Thor is a superhero movie that desperately needed a sense of humor because what happens on Asgard, a place that is a Queen soundtrack away from looking like the planet from Flash, is so over the top that if the film didn't laugh at itself we'd be laughing at it in ways the filmmakers had not intended. Dennings, and occasionally Hemsworth, brings needed laughs to Thor.

Chris Hemsworth makes a terrific Thor, combining his massive physicality with a superstar smile. Acting opposite Academy Award winner Natalie Portman as his love interest and Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins as his father, Hemsworth holds his own and makes the movie his own. That’s quite a feat for an actor whose previous experience at the time consisted of Australian TV shows and dying in the opening minutes of the then most recent Star Trek. It was evident even in this early part of Hemsworth’s career that he had charisma and star power to spare. Yes, he was and is a hunk, but he backs up the superstar look with a dynamic personality that over a decade later has made him one of the biggest stars in the world.

Director Kenneth Branagh is an actor trained in Shakespeare and a director whose previous efforts, prior to his most recent foray into crowd pleasing blockbusters with Thor, Cinderella, and Murder on the Orient Express, included, well, Shakespeare. Branagh certainly wasn’t the first director who came to mind when it came to making a comic book movie when he was tapped to direct Thor a decade ago. Credit Marvel execs for seeing past Branagh's resume of lengthy Shakespeare adaptations. Thor is the kind of movie that needed a great director, one who could balance the high cheese of Asgard with humor, timing, adventure, and a sense of wonder. Branagh’s playful efforts such as Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It turned out to be unlikely precursors to Thor, films that show off Branagh’s deft balance of humor and seriousness.

Thor was never going to match the glory of Spiderman 1 & 2, precursors to the modern MCU and two of the best Superhero movies ever made, and without the snarky, charming, presence of a Robert Downey Jr, Thor couldn’t be as entertaining as Iron Man 1 & 2 were. But with its just right balance of adventure and playfulness, origin story and stand alone action movie, Thor has proven over time to be a sturdy and entertaining addition to the Marvel canon. There is no arguing that it is one of the great Marvel movies but as an introduction to a character that definitely needed an introduction for mainstream audiences, Thor was just right. 10 years later that opinion still holds. While Thor has gone on to greater and more entertaining adventurers, solo and as part of the Avengers, it’s hard to argue that he would not be the beloved character he is today without this sweet, clever, modest introduction to the MCU.