The MCU’s first phase certainly knew how to make great first impressions. With the exception of The Incredible Hulk, every origin story put to screen catapulted their leads into mega-stardom. Collectively these films also changed the very shape of popular culture in the world with many unable to remember a time when superhero movies didn’t dominate the global box office. This success in turn has led to multiple other studios trying to copy the Marvel formula; many have attempted to create their own “cinematic universe,” but few have succeeded. None have come close to what Marvel has accomplished. One movie still stands out from the pack as the best that the MCU has ever created, and it may not seem like the obvious choice at first glance. That movie is Thor.
Like a bolt of lightning, the original Thor presented a mixture of heroics, mythology, and magic the likes of which had never been seen before. It’s a movie that feels wholly unique within the canon of the MCU and also puts in early work to help build the more magical elements that are now coming front and center in the current phase. In addition to a thrilling adventure, the movie also has a star-studded cast. While this outing for the God of Thunder may not be his most popular or successful at the box office, a reexamination of it will show that it is actually the very best the MCU has to offer.
Starting with the story of the film, Thor does what all of the first MCU movies do best by presenting a compelling character arc for its main hero. Thor is a cocky, self-centered brute from the get-go. If not for Chris Hemsworth’s natural charm, he’d actually be pretty unlikable. However, his attitude eventually leads to him being banished from his kingdom by his father, the king of Asgard, and sent to Earth. It’s here that Thor meets Jane Foster and the two kindle a romance as literally star-crossed lovers. In learning to help and protect humans in a world that is not his own, Thor learns to be noble and rounds out the more bull-headed aspects of his personality. He learns to think like a king and reclaims his weapon, the legendary hammer Mjolnir in time to save Asgard from the traitorous actions of his brother Loki.
The story is especially helped along by the cast of the film. Early Marvel films may have launched stars, but this movie already had a ton of well-known actors as part of its ensemble cast. First, there’s Anthony Hopkins as Thor’s father, the king of Asgard. Viewers almost had to do a double-take at first when seeing this Oscar-winning titan of acting appearing in a movie for a relatively lesser-known character. The movie also stars Natalie Portman of Star Wars fame, who at that point was enjoying acclaim for her role in Black Swan which had debuted just one year prior. The movie additionally served to introduce Tom Hiddleston to a wider audience.
Hiddleston’s performance elevates Loki to legendary status among the pantheon of MCU villains. Loki succeeds as a character and is memorable because he is a conflicted character. He wants to be a part of the family he was raised with but knows deep down that he is ultimately different from his father and brother due to his true birth parents. Loki is not so much evil as he is motivated by self-interest and a propensity for chaos and mischief over law and order. Hiddleston plays the character expertly throughout the subsequent Thor films as well, and it will be a real treat to see him reprise the role in the upcoming Loki television series on Disney+. He also helps lend to the movie’s unique tone as a story that includes magic and Norse mythology.
This tone is where the original Thor earns its spot as the best the MCU has to offer. There’s simply nothing like it. The movie feels like this rich gumbo of superhero movie and fantasy adventure. Part of this is the way the characters from Asgard speak, almost as if they all came out of a Shakespeare play. While Thor: Ragnarok may have won the hearts of Marvel fans, it also borrows heavily from an 80’s aesthetic due to the inclusion of pop-culture elements like Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song,’ which detract from the overall uniqueness of the movie.
The other piece of Thor’s uniqueness is the introduction of magic into the MCU that clues the audience into the idea that there are other forces at work in this universe while also expanding the scope well beyond Earth. Where the original Iron Man sets the feel of the MCU, the original Thor expands the idea of what this universe can become. Thor sits beside Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster one night by the fire and explains that what the people of Earth know as science is the very same as the magic of his realm. It really makes the audience rethink anything they’ve seen in the movies that preceded it while setting up tantalizing possibilities for what lies ahead.
The returns granted to the audience based on the promises of the original Thor are still paying off in many ways. Shows like WandaVision are starting to double down on the magical elements of the MCU. The upcoming Loki is going to grant audiences more time with the god of mischief. They can all trace their roots back to Thor, and fans keep coming back for more. The god of thunder puts it best himself: “I’ll have another.”
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