By Brandon T. McClure (@btmcclure @fakenerdpodcast)
The MCU, specifically the Infinity Saga (2008-2019) has meant a great deal to me, as I am sure it has for many people. What first started as a book pitch is now a series of essays of mine that will be (hopefully) published every week. The goal is to pick a specific moment within The Infinity Saga and share with you why I believe it’s a defining moment. To revisit previous posts, visit our site HERE.
Enjoy the ride as we count down from 50 of the most defining moments and share your thoughts in the comments.
• If He Be Worthy •
MOMENT# 34
MOVIE: Thor
DIRECTORS: Kenneth Branagh
WRITERS: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz & Don Payne
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in Thor.
“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” These are the words inscribed on the side of the mighty hammer Mjolnir by the All-father Odin. While they do appear in Norse mythologies, they play a large role in the MCU’s 4th film, 2011’s Thor. This film would introduce the famous Norse god to mainstream audiences and pave the way for his future adventures with his fellow Avengers.
Thor is a relatively simple film when you strip it back to its bones. Thor has been raised to be the greatest warrior in all of Asgard and will soon take up his father's role as king. But a group of Frost Giants ruin Thor’s big day and he seeks revenge with his brother Loki, and his friends Sif, Vostag, Hogan, and Fandral. The six of them go to Joutenheim and accidentally spark the fires of war between Asgard and the Frost Giants, something which Odin wished to avoid. After a heated argument between the God of Thunder and the All-Father, Odin strips Thor of his power and banishes him to Earth, to seemingly live the rest of his life as a mortal.
What does it really mean to be worthy of the hammer? When Odin strips Thor of his godliness, he calls him a vain, greedy, and cruel boy and laments that Thor's warrior heart has blinded him to what Odin had taught him. Thor needed to learn humility and to think with his head and not his heart. He wanted glory and to be feared and worshipped throughout the nine realms, but that is not how a king, or a god, should behave.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in Thor.
As a film, Thor is very lean, it has very little fat. Thor needed to learn a certain lesson and he does, very quickly after arriving on Earth. When he couldn’t pick up his hammer again, he realized he was no longer worthy and what that truly meant after he saw the words inscribed on the side of his former weapon. No more will he soar through the skies as the God of Thunder or dine in the banquet halls of Asgard. Now he will be forced to live out a mortal life on Earth. But it’s not all bad, he’s grown to love a woman named Jane Foster and has grown fond of the people he’s met.
Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in Thor.
Now it’s time for one more test, however, in the form of the Destroyer. Loki, afraid that Thor will return to Asgard, sends Asgard's greatest weapon, the Destroyer to Earth to kill his adoptive brother once and for all. As the Destroyer lays waste to the town, Sif, and the Warriors Three, Thor attempts to do the unexpected, and apologize. He approaches the Destroyer, apologizing to his brother for all the wrongs he had caused all his life, knowing that his life could very well end. Thor knew the battle could not be won with strength, but with words of compassion. Through his sacrifice, he finally became worthy. Mjolnir exploded out of the ground and charged toward its former and future wielder and in one of the greatest moments in the first Thor film and the MCU, he caught it and reclaimed his mantle as the God of Thunder.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in Thor.
Thor grabbing the hammer out of the air is a good old-fashioned fist-pumping moment. An early moment in the history of the MCU where the audience could cheer for the hero. The character of Thor has seen a lot of changes over the years, but the first film stands as a solid foundation to build up the God of Thunder. The one thing that needed to work in the film was Thor's redemption and, thankfully, by the time that hammer shoots up from the ground, audiences were reassured that it did.