After years watching the Odinson rise to become King of Asgard, fans are about to begin a new age of Thor in January 2020, and the transformation coming to the God of Thunder looks to be the biggest one in years. Will his next epic be as unexpected as his makeover?
Those even casually following Jason Aaron's Thor series and associated books know that it's been a years-long story, testing the god of thunder, and ultimately forging him into becoming the mighty King Thor in War of the Realms. But with that epic saga finally coming to an end, the duty of continuing Thor's story in the Marvel Universe falls to writer Donny Cates and artist Nic Klein. The creative team is embracing the fact that there's no way to follow Aaron's epic but to start one of their own, and nothing makes that clearer than Thor's complete visual re-design. Already guaranteed to be the Avenger's most dramatic in years.
Part of that impact is, again, due to Jason Aaron's transformation of Thor Odinson into King Thor taking years, not months. Losing an arm here, losing an eye there, losing his hair before anything else. And while almost every single part of the hero's appearance is going to change when Thor #1 arrives in January, there is more to his makeover than just marketing. As the preview for Thor #1 has shown, Thor starts out as the bearded king fans currently know. Evidently, something in the story demands his dramatic transformation, now able to be enjoyed by fans on the covers of both Thor #1 and Thor #2 from artists Olivier Coipel and Inhyuk Lee, respectively, below:
It's too early to tell if Thor looking more youthful as well as clean-shaven is a feature of the art, as opposed to the story, but the changes are obviously symbolzing more than just Thor's need for a new, dark costume. The rune for Thurisaz is now emblazoned across Thor's body, giving a new purpose to his previous circular badges. What does it mean? Well, the rune symbolizes fortitude, strength, defense, and protection, in addition to representing Thor himself. From the descriptions of the new threat he will be facing, Thor may need all the help he can get. And given Donny Cates's experience changing the lore of Venom, it's possible 'The Black Winter' could be related. But until the series officially begins in January, fans can read through the official credits and plot synopsis for Thor #1 and Thor #2 below.
- THOR #1
- Release Date: January 1st, 2020
- Written by: Donny Cates
- Art by: Nic Klein
- Cover Art by: Olivier Coipel
- A BRAND-NEW, SUPERSTAR CREATIVE TEAM TAKES THE KING OF ASGARD TO NEW REALMS OF GLORY! The prince is now a king. All Asgard lies before Thor, the God of Thunder. And after many months of war, the Ten Realms are finally at peace. But the skies above the Realm Eternal are never clear for long. The Black Winter is coming. And the God of the Storm will be powerless before it.
- THOR #2
- Release Date: January 29th, 2020
- Written by: Donny Cates
- Art by: Nic Klein
- Cover by: Olivier Coipel
- Variant Cover by: Inhyuk Lee
- THE BLACK WINTER AND THE DEVOURER KING! Before him lies the Black Winter; behind, a trail of death wrought by his own hand. The God of Thunder hurtles through the cosmos, searching for the power to save Asgard and all existence. But no power in the heavens can save a god — a king — from his bloody duty.
Thor #1 arrives to start the new year on January 1st, 2020, at your local comic book shop.