Disclaimer: I don’t keep up with the current status quo of Marvel and DC outside of the Internet scuttlebutt. I also don’t delve too deeply there so that when I finally get to play catch up via graphic novels at my local library I’m not completely spoiled. Thus, any opinions I form are subject to change upon a proper evaluation of the material.
Come October, Thor is going to be a woman. It seems that Thor Odinson has done goofed and is no longer worthy of his own hammer again. Its new wielder is a woman, but her identity is still being kept under wraps. There has been some speculation that Angela would be Mjölnir’s new wielder. However, I think that’s a bit unlikely since in the promo poster red headed Angela is standing right next to the still blonde FemThor.
So, what’s my opinion on this new development? Having just read through The Odison’s wikipedia page, I have confirmed that there is lots of precedent for this kind of thing, and precedence is very important to me. For a period of time Eric Masterson replaced Thor. It is not even the first time that a woman has had the power of Thor. The idea has been explored in a couple of What if’s over the years. But seeing a woman take on the role in the mainstream 616 universe is kind of exciting. The question becomes how long is she going to be THE Thor, and when the Odinson takes over again is she going to remain a recurring character like Beta Ray Bill? Marvel editor Wil Moss has claimed, “And this new Thor isn’t a temporary female substitute…” But we all know that isn’t true, no matter how awesome she is it is in the nature of these things for them to snap back to the status quo eventually. If we are lucky, she will be given ample time as Thor and become popular enough to remain a front line character after the reversion.
Sidenote: I really like the costume redesign. It stays true to the classic look and removes most of the elements that I always thought looked dumb. They even manage to make the helmet, hands down the worst part of Thor’s costume, look great. The one bad thing about the outfit is that there seems to be a patch of skin below the breastplate and before the belt… that seems out of place. But it’s a fairly minimal flaw, especially considering that Odinson had several periods of midriff bearing costumes 
Also part of the Avengers NOW! announcements is that Steve Rodgers is having to retire. This leaves a huge set of shoes to fill and Marvel is filling them with Sam Wilson. This is a good fit. There is plenty of precedence for Captain America being a legacy persona, passed from one person to the next. There is also precedence for Cap’s former sidekick to be the one to take over. As Bucky Barnes donned the red, white, and blue so too shall Steve’s modern sidekick Sam Wilson. An interesting thing about both of those transitions is that each brought some of their unique style to the persona. Bucky kept his trusty guns and Sam is keeping the wings from his Falcon suit. Sam Wilson is obviously having a resurgence in popularity since appearing in the MCU. This makes him a good choice not only for the story, but also a timely one for the company. Diversity in comics, and media….hell society in general, is an increasingly big deal. As Sam Wilson happens to be black, this allows Marvel to utilize the momentum of The Winter Soldier to add a feather to their diversity cap. However, as with the Thor change, it is unlikely to be permanent. 
As it also pertains to the Avengers NOW! announcements…. I think Tony Stark’s new armor looks dumb. He looks like a fucking iMac. That’s all I have to say about that.
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