Thor
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Jaime Alexander, Kat Denning’s, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgard, Rev Stevenson, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Clark Gregg, Colm Feore, Rene Russo, Dakota Goyo, Ted Allpress
As the son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), King of the Norse gods, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Odin’s firstborn son, and the God of Thunder, will soon inherit the throne of Asgard from his aging father. However, on the day that Thor is to be crowned, Thor reacts with brutality and foolish pride when the gods' enemies, the Frost Giants, enter the palace, in violation of their treaty, to steal back the source of their power. As punishment, Odin banishes Thor to Earth. While Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's brother, plots mischief in Asgard, Thor, now stripped of his powers, must find a way to reclaim both his crown and his power as he faces his trickster brother to prevent a catastrophic war.
One of the greatest themes in Thor is the worthiness of becoming a good king. Thor’s worthiness is symbolized in Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, and how this noble weapon is used to illustrate Thor’s journey towards becoming a king worthy of his father’s crown.
When we first meet Thor, he is an arrogant, hot-tempered, and impulsive man-child, who is not yet ready to wield the power and responsibility that comes with being Asgard’s king. When Thor is at his coronation, he is already wielding the mighty hammer, Mjolnir, but he is not yet worthy of wielding Mjolnir in this moment. King Odin tells Thor “Thor…Odinson…my firstborn…my heir. So long entrusted with the mighty hammer, Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star. Its power has no equal…as a weapon to destroy…or as a tool to build. ‘Tis a fit companion for a king.” But while his hammer is a worthy companion for a king, Thor cannot wield Mjolnir until he is worthy of it.
When Thor is banished from his would-be kingdom of Asgard, for defying his father rule, and singlehandedly igniting a war between the realms, his father leaves Thor with one, small ember of hope when Odin tells Mjolnir, “Whosoever wields this hammer, should he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Although he strips Thor of his power, Odin secretly sends Mjolnir to Earth, foretelling that Thor may only reclaim his power when he proves himself worthy. Odin’s purpose here was not to expel his son from Asgard forever, but rather, to teach his son a lesson in humility and honor and how to be a good king, so that his son would be a worthy successor to Odin’s throne. The symbol for Thor’s worthiness is shown in the Celtic Triquetra symbol that appears on Mjolnir when Odin speaks to the hammer.
When Thor discovers Mjolnir in the desert, he attempts to wield it, but without his power, Thor is unworthy, and cannot lift the hammer. His failure to claim Mjolnir shatters any hope Thor has of being able to return to Asgard and being reunited with his father and finally defeated, Thor is forced to accept that he must remain on Earth alone. This is symbolized in the moment when Thor sees the Celtic symbol, which is engraved on Mjolnir, vanish from the hammer’s side.
Thor proves that he is worthy of being Asgard’s true and rightful king when he relinquishes his arrogance and stubborn pride and finds humility- both as his father’s son and heir and as a brother to Loki. As he waits for death, Thor tells Loki “Brother, however I have wronged you, whatever I have done that has led you to do this, I am sorry. But these people are innocent, taking their lives will gain you nothing. So, take mine, and end this.” When Thor finally proves that he is worthy of possessing his god-like powers again, the Celtic symbol reappears on Mjolnir and Thor’s noble weapon is restored to him. Thor’s willingness to sacrifice his connection with Jane to save the Frost Giants from being extinguished by Loki is the catalyst which allows Odin to wake from his eternal slumber and proves Thor worthy of being his father’s heir.
As the younger of the two brothers, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) grew up in the shadow of his favored brother, Thor. While his adopted father, Odin, saved Loki from certain death when Loki was just a baby, and adopts Loki as his own son, Loki never felt the same paternal bond with Odin that Odin shared with his older son. When Thor is banished, Loki seizes this opportunity to finally rise to power and claim what was so long denied to him: recognition of his worth, as Odin’s second son. While claiming the throne of Asgard granted Loki a sense of power, being king was not his true purpose. His actions are motivated by his jealousy and insecurity of being the less favored son, and his manipulative scheme to become Asgard’s king was, in truth, a son’s cry to his estranged father, to recognize Loki as Thor’s equal and Odin’s true son. Loki thought that by saving Odin’s life and destroying their enemy, Frost Giants, he would finally prove his worth, as a son, in Odin’s eyes. His assumed failure to prove himself a worthy son and win his father’s love is what shatters Loki.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Jaime Alexander, Kat Denning’s, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgard, Rev Stevenson, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Clark Gregg, Colm Feore, Rene Russo, Dakota Goyo, Ted Allpress
As the son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), King of the Norse gods, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Odin’s firstborn son, and the God of Thunder, will soon inherit the throne of Asgard from his aging father. However, on the day that Thor is to be crowned, Thor reacts with brutality and foolish pride when the gods' enemies, the Frost Giants, enter the palace, in violation of their treaty, to steal back the source of their power. As punishment, Odin banishes Thor to Earth. While Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's brother, plots mischief in Asgard, Thor, now stripped of his powers, must find a way to reclaim both his crown and his power as he faces his trickster brother to prevent a catastrophic war.
One of the greatest themes in Thor is the worthiness of becoming a good king. Thor’s worthiness is symbolized in Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, and how this noble weapon is used to illustrate Thor’s journey towards becoming a king worthy of his father’s crown.
When we first meet Thor, he is an arrogant, hot-tempered, and impulsive man-child, who is not yet ready to wield the power and responsibility that comes with being Asgard’s king. When Thor is at his coronation, he is already wielding the mighty hammer, Mjolnir, but he is not yet worthy of wielding Mjolnir in this moment. King Odin tells Thor “Thor…Odinson…my firstborn…my heir. So long entrusted with the mighty hammer, Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star. Its power has no equal…as a weapon to destroy…or as a tool to build. ‘Tis a fit companion for a king.” But while his hammer is a worthy companion for a king, Thor cannot wield Mjolnir until he is worthy of it.
When Thor is banished from his would-be kingdom of Asgard, for defying his father rule, and singlehandedly igniting a war between the realms, his father leaves Thor with one, small ember of hope when Odin tells Mjolnir, “Whosoever wields this hammer, should he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Although he strips Thor of his power, Odin secretly sends Mjolnir to Earth, foretelling that Thor may only reclaim his power when he proves himself worthy. Odin’s purpose here was not to expel his son from Asgard forever, but rather, to teach his son a lesson in humility and honor and how to be a good king, so that his son would be a worthy successor to Odin’s throne. The symbol for Thor’s worthiness is shown in the Celtic Triquetra symbol that appears on Mjolnir when Odin speaks to the hammer.
When Thor discovers Mjolnir in the desert, he attempts to wield it, but without his power, Thor is unworthy, and cannot lift the hammer. His failure to claim Mjolnir shatters any hope Thor has of being able to return to Asgard and being reunited with his father and finally defeated, Thor is forced to accept that he must remain on Earth alone. This is symbolized in the moment when Thor sees the Celtic symbol, which is engraved on Mjolnir, vanish from the hammer’s side.
Thor proves that he is worthy of being Asgard’s true and rightful king when he relinquishes his arrogance and stubborn pride and finds humility- both as his father’s son and heir and as a brother to Loki. As he waits for death, Thor tells Loki “Brother, however I have wronged you, whatever I have done that has led you to do this, I am sorry. But these people are innocent, taking their lives will gain you nothing. So, take mine, and end this.” When Thor finally proves that he is worthy of possessing his god-like powers again, the Celtic symbol reappears on Mjolnir and Thor’s noble weapon is restored to him. Thor’s willingness to sacrifice his connection with Jane to save the Frost Giants from being extinguished by Loki is the catalyst which allows Odin to wake from his eternal slumber and proves Thor worthy of being his father’s heir.
As the younger of the two brothers, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) grew up in the shadow of his favored brother, Thor. While his adopted father, Odin, saved Loki from certain death when Loki was just a baby, and adopts Loki as his own son, Loki never felt the same paternal bond with Odin that Odin shared with his older son. When Thor is banished, Loki seizes this opportunity to finally rise to power and claim what was so long denied to him: recognition of his worth, as Odin’s second son. While claiming the throne of Asgard granted Loki a sense of power, being king was not his true purpose. His actions are motivated by his jealousy and insecurity of being the less favored son, and his manipulative scheme to become Asgard’s king was, in truth, a son’s cry to his estranged father, to recognize Loki as Thor’s equal and Odin’s true son. Loki thought that by saving Odin’s life and destroying their enemy, Frost Giants, he would finally prove his worth, as a son, in Odin’s eyes. His assumed failure to prove himself a worthy son and win his father’s love is what shatters Loki.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.