Hank McCoy (Before the Fur)

Of all the Avengers, Thor is the one I think I’m looking most forward to seeing in action when the ‘big one’ finally breaks out on screen. I can’t get enough of the idea that we get more Loki--possibly my favorite Marvel villain--wrecking havoc in midgard no less.

I’ve been wondering, actually. Do you think the other franchises will keep getting standalone movies following this thing?

We know Iron Man 3 has always been intended (I remember reading now confirmed rumors about the Mandarin being saved for a 3rd film) and it looks like Thor 2 is confirmed as well (which I think will be EXTREMELY worthwhile!). I was really moved by Cap (great movie) but I still can’t get over just how NUTS they went with the conceptual design and the setting and all that stuff when Thor hit the screen. And I mean that’s what that movie really needed, I think, to work. It had to be larger than life with rainbow bridges across the stars and Frost Giants and all that jazz because the comic IS so much larger than life (and weird).

So…other stuff I’d love to see in a Thor movie??

The Enchantress. Actually, I’m a little surprised she wasn’t included in the first film (although there were plenty of Asgardian characters that made the cut, so I’m hardly complaining). Amora always seemed, to me, one of the best ‘known’ characters in the Thor universe and really, it’s a great part for a woman to play!

I think Amora would be a good candidate for a second Thor film. Of course, the rub comes in with exactly HOW to portray her. I think, depending on which writer is helming a Thor comic at any given time, she comes across in one of three ways:

A. Amora is a heartless %$#@ who doesn’t care about anyone or anything other than herself. Her attempts to seduce Thor are just that- attempts to seduce him so that she can ultimately destroy him. This is what she does and who she is. She’s fun to look at but men who get involved with her always end up her slave in one way or another (save Loki, her equal in the art of deception).

B. Amora is used to using men and others to protect her and help her get what she wants, but she isn’t really that bad deep down. In fact, Thor has a sort of sympathetic spot for her because maybe he sees something about her that other people don’t--she’s scared. She’s scared to trust other people, to make herself vulnerable.

So she and Thor have this kind of James Bond-girl romance thing going on. Where yes, she’s evil, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t actually LOVE Thor. And in truth, in the same way that she tempts men to do evil Thor tempts Amora to do good, at times. It’s a strange and complicated relationship, although it’s the most ‘classic’ portrayal of it, I think.

C. Amora isn’t evil she’s just utilitarian. In many ways she’s Thor’s equal and would make a good match for him. And Amora is actually loyal to Odin and Asgard, in her own way. It’s just that she and Thor don’t see eye to eye on how to do things. The Enchantress does whatever it takes to get the job done and doesn’t see the point of all this posturing about morality. In this case, the Enchantess ends up more of a reformed-villain-turned-ally for Thor...they just tend to clash.

Hela: Another great part for a woman to play. Hela is by FAR the strangest ‘God’ in the Thor mythology. I don’t even know where to begin trying to understand the weird metaphysical aspect of ‘death’ for the Asgardians. In some ways Hela is just a natural part of the order of the universe and I’ve even seen it implied that she is just one aspect of the Marvel comics entity ‘Death” (also frequently portrayed as woman).

But there’s no denying that Hela has a ravenous appetite FOR death. She’s portrayed as sort of a promising sweet release to those who suffer but is constantly surrounded by zombified asgardian warriors who we are left to assume are in tortured agony. This makes Hela’s motives sort of alien and bizarre. On the one hand, Hela is a sort of benevolent mother whose realm all Asgardians (save the most heroic, claimed by the Valkyries) must one day enter.

On the other, joining with ‘death’ appears to make you her salve and she is not above recalling you to do her bidding--in horrific ways--if need be. It’s scary and weird and would make a great &*%$ing movie.

Two of the Asgardian worlds--Hel and Nifflheim--are under Hela’s rule. Even Odin is a little afraid of her (although he’s the one who appointed her her position at the dawn of time or whatever).

Kurse is the sort of ‘Darth Vader’ of the Thor universe. I’d love to see Kurse in a movie if only because he’s frickin’ scary lookin’. A former Dark Elf obsessed with proving himself Thor’s better, ‘Algrim the Strong’ ended up brutally scarred in a fight with Thor after he fell into some nasty lava. Only his enchanted armor saved his life.

Later, through a series of bewildering events related to Secret Wars II (best left for a different discussion), Kurse’s body is sort of bonded with the armor, making him a big walking, clanking, metallic monstrosity. He’s mindlessly hellbent on destroying Odin’s son. It would be a great fight.

Surtur is another and is a strange counterpart to the Frost Giants. The Fire Demons are kind of extra-terrestrial invaders even by Asgardian standards. And they’re even bigger and nastier. Surtur--the biggest and nastiest of the bunch--goes way back with Odin and has got all sorts of apocalyptic like stuff going on, including a big-@%$ magical sword called Twilight that might bring about Ragnorok. This would be pretty epic.

I don’t think I really need to explain much more here, do I?