Thor Love and Thunder is the latest cinematic entry to the Thor franchise and MCU Phase 4. This movie is adapted from the Marvel comics, but there are many key differences between it and the comic books.
The major comic book that the movie is adapted from is ‘The Saga of the God Butcher’ (Thor: God of Thunder #1-11, 2013-2014). This comic book by Jason Aaron and drawn by Esad Ribic, with beautiful colors by Dean White and Joe Sabino, features an encounter between Thor Odinson and Gorr.
The film may have also borrowed from other comic books like ‘Goddess of Thunder (Thor #1-5, 2014), ‘Then Its on Us’ (Guardians of the Galaxy #1-6, 2020), ‘The Death of the Mighty Thor’ (Mighty Thor #700-706, 2018), ‘Asgardians of the Galaxy’ (#1-10, 2018) ‘Thunderstrike’ (the 1990s) and ‘Jane Foster: Valkyrie’ (2019).
The movie has received mixed reactions from critics and audiences; however, it has been pulling great numbers at the box office. As of July 20, 2022, the movie earned $505.1M within its first 11 days of theatrical release. Here are some main differences between the movie and the adapted comic books.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder.
How Different is Gorr in the Movie and the Comic Books?
Back Story
In the comics, Gorr is a character who used to worship his pantheon of gods religiously. However, the Jason Aaron storyline depicted him being exiled from his people for losing faith in the gods over time. He was also almost killed by his people for abandoning the gods.
In his exile, he came across a pair of gods who were fighting against each other. There, he saw that they could bleed and knew they would possibly die. One was wielding the Necrosword and the one that didn’t have it begged for help.
Gorr picked up the sword and gained a cosmic consciousness which sparked an unquenchable vendetta against the gods. He vowed to kill all gods after successfully slaying the two who had crashed into his planet.
The movie’s opening scene features Gorr carrying his daughter in a desert. He lays her behind some rocks for shade and lies down to provide more shade for her. At this time, Gorr is praying to the gods to provide rain and bring healing to his people.
Unfortunately, his prayers are unanswered, and his daughter dies. The Necrosword calls out to him and leads him to an oasis. He drinks water, washes his face in it, and sees a collection of fruits on the ground. There he begins eating the fruits only to be ridiculed by a leader god from his pantheon.
The god mocks him, and Gorr renounces him; this angers the god, who almost chokes Gorr to death. But the Necrosward responds, Gorr grasps it and slays the sun god. He starts his campaign of killing the other gods from that moment.
Appearance
In the comics, Gorr has a scary alien look with tentacles, no nose, and long sharp nails that look like paws. This depiction was made by artist Esad Ribic who also made him look far more animal than in the movie.
The movie featured Gorr in a more human-like form. This form was preferable to demystify him from other famous characters already appearing in other franchises. It also played a part in the rating of the movie for audiences, and getting the best performance from legendary actor Christian Bale.
The All Black/ Necrosword
The All Black in the comics belonged to Knull, the God of Symbiotes. This sword, famously known as the ‘Necrosword,’ was formed similarly to the other symbiotes by Knull. Its mystical abilities allowed its wielders to manipulate it in any shape.
This does not happen in the movie due to copyright issues. The symbiotes, like Venom, as part of Spider-Man’s canon, are licensed to Sony at the moment, not Disney. This prevented Marvel Studios from using the original form of the sword. So instead, Gorr wields a sword that takes a normal form in the movies.
The Shadows
When Gorr attacked Asgard in the comics, he used animal-like alien sidekicks. These beasts were symbiotes and were originally called the Black Berserkers. However, in the movie, Gorr used beasts forming from shadows hence the name ‘Shadows.’
God Bomb
Gorr’s master plan in the movie and the comics differ greatly. In the comics, he seeks out the God of Bombs, forcing him to develop a God Bomb. This device could kill all pantheons of Gods in existence. The device also went through a stretch of threatening gods in the past and future timelines.
In the movie, his key quest is finding Eternity and making a wish that all Gods die. He tries to find all ways to achieve this, including stealing StormBreaker from Thor.
Quest for Eternity
The MCU has been adding cosmic-powered Gods and beings largely. Since the release of Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, fans have experienced glimpses of beings like Celestials, The Living Tribunal and The Watcher. Now we meet Eternity.
Eternity in the marvel comics is Infinity’s brother. Eternity is the physical incarnation of Time, while Infinity represents Space. Eternity has the power to control what is there, while Infinity has the power to manipulate what can be. These two beings are among the most powerful cosmic powers in the Marvel Universe.
In the comics, Eternity has appeared to humans, but only when the universe is in grave danger. Unlike in the movie, he also does not give any rewards to those who could have the power to seek him.
In the movie, he meditated in another reality that was depicted similarly to the soul world of Avengers: Infinity War. However, this new realm was like a shallow blue ocean; Eternity meditated when Gorr prayed for a wish. He granted Gorr his wish by raising his daughter with a new name, ‘Love.’
Love/Gorr’s or Eternity’s Daughter
Gorr’s daughter in the comic books died and was not resurrected through a wish granted by Eternity. She also had a much different story as she is the one who prayed to Thor for rain in the comics.
Thor heard her from afar and came in to save her people. He struck his anvil and brought heavy rains. However, he decided to investigate the cause of the famine only to find out that Gorr had murdered fellow gods.
In the movie, Thor Odinson adopts Love which never happened in the comics. However, after being resurrected by Eternity in the movie, Love comes back as a super-powered being which is depicted by her ability to use StormBreaker.
In Avengers Infinity War, Thor explained to the Guardians of the Galaxy that they could not wield a ‘Thanos Killing Kind of Weapon’ as their bodies lack the needed power. He was referring to Storm Breaker when talking in that scene. However, in his new movie, Love can be seen wielding ‘the King’s Weapon’ in the mid-credit scene.
How Different Is Thor Odinson in the Movie From the Comic Books?
Thor had many interesting differences in the movie and the comic books that the movie may have been adapted from.
Timeline for His Crash With Gorr
In the comic books, Thor fought Gorr in three different timelines. One of the variants was the All-Father Thor, and the other was Prime Thor, and a Youthful Thor. However, in the movie, Thor Odinson matched against Gorr only in his current ‘Rune King Thor’ form. He has not yet achieved that title, but it may be on the way, considering how great his growth rate is.
The Unworthy Thor Saga
In the comics, Thor lost his worthiness of the Mjölnir, which made it call out to Jane Foster, who replaced him as the Mighty Thor. He lost his worthiness after a spat with Nick Fury led to him hearing words that ‘Gorr was right.’
This phrase made Thor lose confidence and could not match Odin All Father’s worthiness spell on the Mjölnir. In the movie, Thor does not lose his worthiness (that happened in the first film), but he had already lost his hammer following the events of Thor: Ragnarok.
In Thor: Ragnarok, Odin All Father’s days come to an end after spending exile time on Earth that was instigated by his adopted son Loki. Thor was not around when Loki usurped the crown of Asgard as he was in space looking for infinity stones following the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
He did not find any of the stones but decided to stop Ragnarok from happening, where he went to fight Surtur only to get information that Odin was not on Asgard. So he goes to Asgard and forces Loki to tell him where their father is.
They both visited Midgard only to find that Odin was not there. Doctor Strange opened a portal to Tornsberg, Norway, where Odin was. The All-Father told them of Hela, who was trapped in Hel realm. Immediately after Odin goes to Valhalla, Hela appears and crushes Mjölnir.
Team-ups
Thor’s team-ups against Gorr the God butcher in the comics were very different from what was depicted in the movie. In the comics, he teamed up with two more variants of himself from different timelines. He also teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy.
In the movie, Thor did not team up with his variants or the Guardians against Gorr. He instead tried building a new roster of heroes to make up ‘the greatest team of all time,’ as he convincingly said. He visited Omnipotence City only to be turned down by Zeus.
Instead his team formed with Korg, King Valkyrie (who became king of Asgard during Avengers: Endgame), and Jane Foster/Mighty Thor. He also teamed up with the children of Asgard that Gorr took hostage.
Having inherited the Odin Force, Thor is technically Asgard’s current All-Father. He used this mystical power to bestow the power of Zeus and Thor to the children of Asgard to help fight against the Shadow beasts.
Space Sharks
In the comics, Thor encountered very dangerous creatures, Space Sharks! No, you did not read that wrong. These beings are cosmic and are always swimming and hunting across space. He unleashed his wrath against them for his survival as he investigated the damages done by Gorr.
In the movie, Thor Odinson and Mighty Thor are standing on the deck of their ship when they hear beautiful sounds from space. They look around to see beautiful space dolphins swimming in the same direction as their ship but from a distance.
How His Encounters With Gorr Begin
In the comics, a young girl in a desert calls on the God of Thunder to bring rain to help their plants regrow. Thor hears from planets away and comes to the rescue. He strikes his anvil and brings down rain showers.
He investigates why the lands had become barren all of a sudden. He discovered the pantheon of gods that looked after those people who had been murdered. There, he starts his fight against Gorr.
In the movie, Thor meditates under a tree during one of their space travels with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, went to seek his help to stop an ongoing war. He rides on Storm Breaker and lands on the battleground. He fights against the attackers and defeats them single-handedly.
He then starts investigating only to discover that Gorr had murdered the pantheon of gods in that world. The attackers also wanted to take over the holy grounds where these gods were worshiped.
Mighty Thor in the Movie vs. In the Comics
Her Worthiness
In the comic books, Jane Foster becomes Mighty Thor after holding Mjölnir and being deemed worthy of the powers of Thor. The hammer had a spell from Odin’s All-father “Whosoever holds this hammer, if they are worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.”
This spell is also in the MCU. Odin cast it on the hammer during the events of Thor 1, where he banished Thor for his arrogance. In the movie, Jane realizes she has cancer and is on stage four. During a moment of heartache and desperation, Mjölnir calls out to her. She travels to its monument, and the pieces begin remodeling themselves into a reborn hammer.
Her Fate
In the movies, Mighty Thor was also suffering from cancer; every time she donned the mantle of Thor, her powers weakened her life force. That made her weaker over time. She then dies and goes to Valhalla. However, She refuses to stay in Valhalla and is resurrected by Odin All-Father.
In the movie, Jane Foster died similarly to the comics. The continuous use of her powers drained her life force. During the climax of the movie, Mjölnir calls out to her warning that her love, Thor Odinson, was overpowered by Gorr. She picked the hammer and used the last of her powers to destroy the All Black.
Also, though she earned her place in Valhalla, she only met Heimdall, so Odin did not resurrect her.
Jane Foster: Valkyrie
In the comic books, after death as the Mighty Thor, Jane Foster earns her place in Valhalla. However, she rejects that life, and Odin resurrects her. He transforms her into one of the mightiest protectors of Asgard, a Valkyrie.
Though she dies and earns a place in Valhalla in Thor’s latest entry, Jane Foster does not meet Odin. Unfortunately, that means she is yet to become a Valkyrie, if that will even happen.
Other Notable Differences Between the Movie and the Comic Books
Valhalla
In the comics, Valhalla is the resting place for those who died in battle while fighting for Asgard. Therefore it is a land of resting for the protectors of Asgard. People fight, die, and are resurrected in the evening for a great feast led in the halls by the true king of Asgard, Odin Borson/All-Father.
In the movie, when Jane visits Valhalla, she is welcomed by Heimdall, who explains it as the ‘Land of the Gods.’ Not much is shown about the mystery place.
The All Black
The All Black in the comics is a weapon of unfathomable power that rivals strong weapons like Mjölnir. It is a symbiote and can be formed into any shape by its wielder. It also survived the Gorr vs. Thor saga.
In the MCU, All Black takes the shape of a normal sword and looks almost like Valkyrie’s DragonFang. It also was destroyed by the Mighty Thor.
Omnipotence City
In the comics, the Omnipotence City is a secret place where all Gods of the universe convene. It is also a place where these gods party. The movie retconned this as Zeus asked for the next venue of an upcoming orgy.
However, the main difference between the movie and the comics is that when Thor goes to the city looking for help against Gorr, he meets a deserted city in the comics. However, in the movie, the city is filled to the brim.
The Infinity Saga Effects
The events of Gorr vs. Thor follow the Infinity Saga in the MCU. That means Thor is not at his strongest, as are the Asgardians. These effects affect the outcomes of Thor’s campaign in many ways, as Thor is still finding his role in the universe when the attack happens.
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This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Featured Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics.
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