In the Marvel Universe, Thor is in a class of superhero all his own. But despite the god of thunder’s long and epic history as a hero, a warrior, a king, and a demigod, his history of costumes and redesigns is nowhere near as brilliant. Mjolnir may stay the same, but these re-imagined wardrobes, reboots, and re-skins turned out to be Thor’s most ridiculous costumes of all time.
The God of Thunder Went Full Gold & Silver To Serve The High Evolutionary
While the MCU made the High Evolutionary a villain, the version of the genetic meddler in Marvel Comics enjoyed a far larger, more varied legacy across the Marvel cosmos. That included the introduction of Godpack, one of a handful of superteams Thor has joined in his comic book career. And after deciding to align himself with the similarly god-level members of the group, Thor unveiled a brand new design on the final page of Thor #475.
Abandoning his signature Asgardian armor (or at least clothing) Thor instead modeled his uniform after the more cosmically-based Godpack. Half professional wrestler, half Masters of the Universe, the gold and silver, minimalist armor was as baffling to readers as it was to Jane Foster when she first laid eyes on it in the subsequent issue.
4
Thor Claims Odin’s Role (And His Costume)
The Helmet of Asgard’s King Remains A Swing-and-Miss
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and that was proven in Thor #44, but not the way the creators intended. In a brilliantly constructed issue, Dan Jurgens and Stuart Immonen portray the burial rites of Odin, and Thor’s grief, mourning, and eventual acceptance of his new role by the issue’s end. And in an issue without any dialogue or on-page text, the build-up to Thor’s physical putting-on of his new duties was entirely visual. Including his new helmet.
The final pages reveal Thor’s entire new costume, merging his previous looks with thos of Odin, for an overall design that would be kept for the near future. But the same can’t be said of the headgear Thor donned. Instead of his winged helm, or the more angular, metallic variant worn by Odin previously, the new version apparently seeks to combine them… but ends up closer to Galactus than anything Asgardian. It may not be the worst thing Thor has worn, but it is definitely one of the weirdest.
3
Thor’s Missing Costume is Absolute Madness
This Wild Design Came Out of Nowhere, And Has Never Been Explained
While artist Mike Deodato didn’t intend for this design to be adapted into comic books, the dramatic costume change is notable for more than its shocking, ‘hair metal’ makeover. Without any explanation or fanfare, this new version of Thor’s costume made its debut in Thor #502, the final issue of his original series leaving readers more confused than they were disappointed.
The costume wasn’t an entirely unwelcome change, since Thor had previously been reduced to pants and boots in his series beforehand. But even if the costume had potential, the fact that it never appeared in another Thor issue made it a baffling anomaly. Thor’s most extreme 1990s redesign did appear in the crossover DC vs. Marvel Comics, which means Captain Marvel was one of the few other heroes who actually got to witness Thor’s black-leather-and-strap aesthetic before the Heroes Reborn banished it from all memory.
2
Thor Embraces Godhood in “Heroes Reborn”
The Marvel Pocket Universe Gave Thor A Radical Redesign
If we’re calling out questionable relaunches or redesigns, then Thor isn’t the only offender to be called out from Marvel’s infamous Heroes Reborn universe. A far cry from the questionable ‘extreme’ design that shocked and confused fans before Thor’s series ended above, it’s hard to completely dismiss the idea behind Thor’s redesign for the pocket universe launched as Marvel’s Heroes Reborn. Broadly, making a decision to turn from superhero to the mythical viking origins of Thor with a golden, fur-capped outfit, and a mythically-sized winged helmet.
The shocking design ideas of Thor: Love and Thunder might make this costume seem palatable by comparison, but Heroes Reborn was at least trying comething new, and not just remixing the existing design ideas at large. While the relaunch would ultimately be a failure in the grand scheme, the true legacy of Heroes Reborn is far more influential. Unfortunately (or thankfully) the same can’t be said for this more dramatic wardrobe from Thor Odinson.
1
Thor’s Armor as “Lord of Asgard” is A Unique Experiment
The Strange One-off Armor & Helmet Are A Dramatic Change of Style
Dan Jurgens and Joe Bennett’s run on Thor has plenty of fans, and comic readers of the early 2000s all remember Thor’s asension to the role and title of Lord of Asgard. His mission brought some trouble in the form of human beings converting to a new faith worshipping Thor, but it also delivered one of the most surprising and enigmatic redesigns, as well. And fans got their first look at the strange, full-body, full-helmed, runic armor in Thor #60.
This armor (often mislabled as the armor of Rune King Thor, the most powerful incarnation of Thor) is only briefly seen in use by the Lord Thor, before it is washed away as part of a mystical exposition drop on the god of thunder. Returning to his main costume at the time by the end of the issue, this Joe Bennett design remains one of the least-explored, but undeniably intruiguing armor suits Thor has ever revealed.
- First Appearance
-
Journey into Mystery
- Alias
-
Thor Odinson, Eric Masterson, Kevin Masterson, Beta Ray Bill, Thordis, Throg, Red Norvell, Jane Foster
- Alliance
-
Avengers, Warriors Three, Thor Corps, God Squad
- Race
-
Asgardian, Human
- Franchise
-
Marvel
