20 times Thor was the best Marvel superhero

Image via Marvel

14. When you get a look at his glorious hair

I will fully admit that this is shallow. After all, there’s so much to admire about Thor and the various comics runs that form his story. At the very least, it recalls some of the objectification faced by female superheroes, who have historically been recognized more for their looks than for their abilities. Clearly, Thor’s long, flowing locks don’t really add to his superpowers.

Still, his hair is really, really nice.

Seriously, how many other male superheroes have hairstyles like this one? Most of the time, they’re sporting some variation on the utilitarian buzz cut. Perhaps they have a marginally different short hair cut or some vague curls. Unfortunately, they’re almost all uniformly boring.

And it’s nice to see a male superhero that’s unconcerned with some of the aspects of traditional masculinity. To be entirely fair, Thor has been often categorized as something of a man’s man, what with all of the fighting, adventuring and talking of Valhalla.

But Thor, or at least Thor at more mature stages of his life, is more complex. At his best, he’s respectful of women, kind to strangers, and unconcerned with the more toxic aspects of masculinity. So, while his hair is genuinely unique and really, really ridiculously good looking, it’s also emblematic of his better personality traits.

At the very least, it helps you remember that he can transcend some of our worst inclinations. While his new shorter hairdo in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok movie is probably very practical and necessary, we’ll miss those long, blonde tresses.