Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have a questionable track record when it comes to helping out Marvel Comics’ X-Men, but Thor has always been the one member of the Avengers whom the mutants can actually count on. On more than one occasion, the God of Thunder has been there for Marvel’s most uncanny heroes during their darkest moments. And as an Asgardian, he doesn’t need a bureaucracy to give him permission.
Unlike many of his fellow Avengers, Thor is functionally immortal and possesses a long-lived perspective as something of an outsider even among Marvel’s superhuman community. As an otherworldly being, it makes total sense for Thor not hardly differentiate between the mutants and their fellow humans and see only the opportunity to help those in need. And unlike his human teammates who are so often subjected to the whims of an all-too frequently anti-mutant government structure, Thor pays little attention to the laws of man, preferring instead to aid those who need his help when presented with the opportunity to do so.
One of Thor’s earliest instances involving himself in the affairs of the X-Men comes during the iconic Mutant Massacre crossover by Chris Claremont, Walt Simonson, and a host of other legendary creators. As the Morlocks and X-Men alike are being mutilated in the tunnels beneath Manhattan, Thor is the only Avenger to involve himself directly in the onslaught. Coming to blows with the Marauders in The Mighty Thor #373-374 by Simonson and Sal Buscema, it is the Odinson who rescues a crucified Angel from his murderous captors and returns him to his mutant teammates. Considered outlaws at the time, Cyclops speaks on behalf of his fellow members of X-Factor, telling Thor that they aren’t the criminals everyone believes them to be, to which the thunder god replies, “I learned long ago not to judge a book by its cover…or a man by what the newspapers say about him.” He then gives the deceased Morlocks a Viking funeral to honor the dead and remove a health hazard to the citizens of Manhattan.
Thor’s trend of generosity towards the X-Men would continue in events like Onslaught and X-Men: Second Coming by Matt Fraction, Mike Carey, and more, during which the Odinson nearly exerts himself to death attempting to destroy a sealed dome trapping the X-Men and the residents of San Francisco. In the pages of Uncanny Avengers by Rick Remender and Daniel Acuña, Thor is the only Avenger to side with Wolverine and his fellow X-Men when lines are drawn over how to handle the Apocalypse Twins. Now, Thor is fighting alongside the X-Men once more during the events of A.X.E.: Judgment Day by Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti, but as an immortal, his perspective on the mutants is probably still quite different from that of his fellow Avengers.
More than once, Thor is the Avenger that has come to the X-Men’s aid when they needed him. As the one Avenger present for the Mutant Massacre, he saw firsthand the trials faced by Marvel Comics’ mutant community. The Avengers and the X-Men may not always get along, but Thor apparently didn’t get the memo. The Odinson may not be at the top of the mutants’ speed dial, but he’s been there to help them on more than one occasion thanks to his outsider perspective and general love for the Earth itself. And when the chips are down the Avengers’ Thor will be there to help Marvel Comics’ X-Men if they really need it.