Thor’s Identity Revealed!
Marvel released Thor #8 today, revealing the new Thor’s identity to be none other than…
Dr Jane Foster! Jane has been battling breast cancer, which makes her an unlikely candidate for superheroics, but as she says, the world needs a Thor “who knows how precious life is. How delicate.” Who better to recognize the fragility of life than a doctor?
She explains throughout the issue that after her mother’s death, Jane has vowed never to back down when she can help someone. Jane helped people every day as a doctor, and can help even more people as a superhero – even if she’ll die doing it. In the previous Thor series, Jane chose to fight her cancer using chemotherapy instead of Asgardian magic, showing that she is determined to do things her own way. Thor begged her to tell him who she is, and the secret will come out eventually, but for now Jane Foster will continue to fight for her own life and the lives of others in secret. Someone so determined and compassionate is unquestionably worthy to wield Mjolnir.
It’s exciting to see an established character from Thor canon granted this role, one who hasn’t had the chance to be a superhero before (except in alternate universes). It seemed like it could have been recent creation Roz Solomon or a completely new character, but Jane has been around as long as Thor has, and sometimes fades into the periphery (or completely out of) his stories. Gaining this power feels well-earned, and makes the decision feel more long-lasting than it would if they’d invented someone new to take the mantle. Jane was always great, and it’s exciting that human virtues – compassion and determination – were what made her a worthy superhero.
