A plea to Marvel
Those of you who pay attention to this sort of thing will know that this fall, Thor’s hammer Mjolner will be taken up by a woman, who will also take on the name of Thor. Moreover, Steve Rogers is putting down the shield and Sam Wilson, recently introduced to the world at large as Falcon in the 2nd Captain America movie, will be taking it up. Wilson ( Read more... )
(Actually, at the time, Steve willed his shield to Stephen Colbert, who received it in an on-air ceremony and has since had it hanging on the wall of his set. But that's not 616 continuity.)
You're right that permanently passing on the mantle is a rare thing. It has happened before, but not often. (Barry Allen was killed off in Crisis, and his former sidekick Wally West became The Flash and kept that title for years.)
I think the question of what happens to Cap depends on what they decide to do in the movies. Sam is contracted for the next 9 or so films, is it? They could well decide to kill Steve off in the movies and have Sam take over. That would make the change in the comics stick. On the other hand, if it doesn't happen, then Steve will make his triumphant return when the next Cap movie comes out.
Whatever the case, Falcon has been around for a few decades now, but always as a secondary character at best. He's been Cap's sidekick and then partner my whole life, but I'd barely heard of him, either. So the upshot here is that a Black character will be getting more attention and prominence, and I think that will stick for a while even if Steve comes back.
Meantime, Ms. Marvel is now a Muslim girl (while Carol has adventures in space as Captain Marvel), She-Hulk has her own series again, etc. Marvel is, slowly, moving towards a more diversified lineup, and that's a good thing.
Oh, and if you look up "Mjolnir (Marvel Comics)" you'll see that many people have wielded the hammer over the years, including Storm and (in an alternate timeline) Rogue. It'll be interesting to see who gets it this time. I'd bet on Sif or Valkyrie, but it could really be just about anyone (though she does appear to be White). Perhaps even a new character who will go on to have her own title and identity even after Thor reclaims his hammer (in time for the next movie).
Reply
They've made it clear it's not a new character, but I'm kind of hoping it'll be someone who is kind of going to use being Thor as a test for herself and then, yeah, move into being a character of her own. Since I don't think they're going to take the hammer away from him forever. :) Fingers crossed!
Reply
Leave a comment