20 times Thor was the best Marvel superhero

There are plenty of reasons to love Marvel’s Thor. Here are 20 times the God of Thunder was well and truly the best.

Image via Marvel

Sometimes, with all the talk of superheroes, it’s easy to forget just who is in the mix. It’s even harder still to pick a favorite. Should you make Spider-Man your champion? What about Wonder Woman? Teams of superheroes complicate things even further. Should you just say you like the X-Men as a group and leave it at that? Good luck trying to pick the most interesting mutant, at any rate.

Before you give up in a storm of confusion, however, there’s hope. Because you see, there is always Thor.

Honestly, with some help from your friendly local comics nerd, you can pick a Thor comic to suit nearly any taste. Want something goofy and fun? Thor’s here for you with a Renn Faire accent and a basic misunderstanding of modern technology. Want tragedy? Look no further than the complicated family dynamics of Thor, his father Odin, and adopted brother Loki. As it turns out, Odin, the All-Father and leader of the Asgardians, has a real knack for creating longstanding drama.

How about vast, cosmic epics? Any Thor series worth its salt will have that in abundance. After all, the Asgardians, along with many other peoples depicted in the Thor comics, are really just alien beings with vast powers. Of course, if you want action comics, then the God of Thunder himself is more than willing to provide some stunning fights for your entertainment. Fans of science fiction and fantasy will also find much to enjoy in Asgardian tech, including Thor’s magical hammer, Mjolnir.

So, in one issue, you can read about Thor palling around with his reincarnated teenage brother, Loki. In another, he’s battling a serpent so big that writer and artist Walt Simonson put together an entire comic full of splash panels to tell the heroic tale. Pick up one more Thor story, and you may find him traveling to planets, speaking with sentient spaceships, and befriending one of the coolest aliens of them all – the justly legendary Beta Ray Bill.

If you still need some convincing, read on to learn about twenty of Thor’s best moments and attributes. There are a few spoilers sprinkled throughout, so tread with caution.

If nothing else, I highly recommend checking out the work of Walt Simonson, considered to be one of the best comics writers ever. He started his work with Thor on Thor #337, so that’s an excellent place to start. Otherwise, read on, worthy mortals.