Episode Review: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! : Episode 102 : "Thor the Mighty"

Hell yeah! Now this is more like it!

After last episode's low-key introduction to Iron Man, this time around we get a mini-epic full of Shakespearean theatrics and super-heroics, and it's all thanks to The Mighty Thor!

Now in the interest of transparency and full disclosure, I need to reveal I'm a huge fan of Thor and his extended family of Norse gods, the Asgardians. In 2007 Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski started a superlative comic run writing Thor for Marvel, breathing new life into the character and relaunching the canceled comic title. So good it actually encouraged me to go back and read the classic Walt Simonson run on Thor in the 80's, featuring some of his craziest cosmic tales. Perhaps it's also just me, but Thor has to be the perfect comic to read while also listening to some heavy, dynamic progressive rock, perfectly matching all of his psychedelic trips through the Marvel cosmos. It's also easy to say that my love for Thor is reaching fever peak with a live-action Thor feature film coming out this May, that will also have Marvel hoping to lure more than just this fan's money to the cinema. So how does the Norse god of Smacktalk and Smiting fare in Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes?

The episode begins as a colourful band of super-powered thugs known as The Wrecking Crew smash their way into a Stark Industries shipyard along New York Harbour. While fairly laughable in appearence they're actually a good choice for the first threat of a Thor-centric episode, as the Crew are one his more frequent foes in the comics. There's also a nice link back to episode one early on here, with Crew member Thunderball telling us "Stark may have stopped making weapons, but he still makes all kinds of good stuff," continuing to build on the pseudo-Marvel Universe of the cartoon. The 'stuff' in question also happens to be a Gamma Energy Emitter, which I believe could actually be a sly wink to fans from the writers, referencing the Wrecking Crew's first comic appearance that had them tasked with stealing a Gamma Bomb.

Police and SWAT quickly soon arrive and we get to see the Wrecking Crew live up to each of their names, as Bulldozer, Piledriver, the Wrecker and Thunderball demonstrate each of their own unique destructive powers by demolishing absolutely everything in their way. Police Cars are torn apart and thrown around, as are a lot of out-matched police. In one particularly bone-crunching moment, the Wrecker bats away two cops with his enchanted Crowbar, with only one of the officers actually wearing any body armour, ouch. As fairly minor Villains in the comics, the Wrecking Crew actually appear quite formidable in animation.
Two Paramedics respond to the scene on a 'code blue' call, explained to be an emergency services code for 'supervillains', a great example of how the general public has had to adapt to their existance. In a way also similar to the first episode, the chaos serves to show the audience just how big a threat super-powered villains can actually pose, especially when they aren't just limited to robbing banks or tying damsels to train tracks.

Being cartoon villains of course it doesn't last, as Thunderball is slammed by a mighty force sending him backwards into several rows of shipping containers. A very familiar looking hammer floats away, returned into the hands of an equally familiar hero. A classic bolt of lightning strikes behind the mighty Thor as he floats in the sky, forming a striking sillouette, making for a suitably over-the-top entrance and the first taste of many more theatrics yet to come from the episode.

Let the smiting begin!

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes uses the classic Jack Kirby designed costume for Thor, with very few tweaks bar it being a heavily stylised version of the original outfit that Thor has worn since his debut. He has his magical hammer Mjolnir, trademark knee-high boots, flowing red cape, and classic winged helm. It'll be interesting to see if the series winds up adopting the more modern Thor costume currently used in the comics and Thor feature film down the track. I have to mention though, the stylized design used by the cartoon has Thor's massive chest appearing almost five times the size of his head at times, which normally would drive me mad, but it's actually a nice fit for this out-of-this-world character.

Likewise, his first words are equally over-the-top as Thor booms "Move back mortals, Thor the Thunderer will deal with these villains," before flying into the melee. Voice actor Rick D. Wasserman matches Thor's countenance perfectly well, having the right mix of arrogance and sincerity to deliver a mix of the traditional Asgardian 'high speak' of the comics - typically lots of thys, thees and thous - without it coming out completely camp or forced. I can gleefully confirm that we also get to hear Thor shout "Have at thee!" in this episode, the first of many more I hope, so Wasserman and the show's writers have 'Thor-speak' down near perfect.

The battle against the Wrecking Crew is classic Marvel fare, exhibiting the strength of his magical hammer Mjolnir immediately as he smacks Bulldozer flying in one hit, an awesome display of it's power. When rushed by the fists of Piledriver, a seemingly stunned Thor uses the handle of his hammer to surprise and wind the thug on his next attack, showing our hero can also use both tact and cunning to defeat his foes. The Wrecking Crew are a fairly powerful match-up for Thor, and it makes for far more engaging action when his enemies can actually take the hits, and isn't too different from a street-level melee that you might see in the books.

Thor's traditional damsel in distress is introduced here as well, with Jane Foster being one the para-medics endangered by the Crew's rampage, and casting her as a paramedic is also a nice nod to her original profession in the books that initially had her as a nurse to Thor's original alter-ego, Dr Donald Blake. For contrast, the Thor feature film reworks Jane into an Astrophysicist to fit the the story as well. Wasting no time after saving her from the Wrecking Crew, Thor compliments Jane over her fearlessness to save those in need while staring directly into the face of danger. Thor you ol' dawg, you certainly know that the way to a woman's heart is by complimenting her fearlessness!

It's got to be the hammer.

The potential love-birds are interrupted by the sudden magical appearence of Heimdall, guardian of the bifrost bridge which connects Earth to the realm of Asgard, home of the Asgardians. Thor is summoned to defend his home by his father Odin, ruler of Asgard, which means we see an epic upwards pan of the rainbow-coloured bifrost bridge traversing the galaxy, all the way up to the spires of Asgard amongst the clouds.

Screw Mario Kart, the Asgardians had the original Rainbow Road.

The colour palette used for Asgard and all the Asgardians in this sequence, and now to mention it, the majority of the cartoon, is exceptionally bright and varied, and makes for a welcome change from the overly muted first Avengers episode. The animators have done a great job making Asgard appear as gaudy and magnificent as you would expect from an original Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation. Thor and his Asgardian realm were adapted from ancient Norse Mythology during the course of the 60's psychedelic movement after all, so sticking with the technicolour surreal is what makes the absurdity of Thor and his world work for the most part.

Under siege, the denizens of Asgard rally to battle against a horde of Frost Giants led by the trickster god Loki, and we're given the chance to see some fan-favourite Asgardians in action. In particular, it's awesome the show hasn't neglected to include the Warriors Three amongst the defenders, and Volstagg, Fandrall and Hogan are at their ass-kicking finest. Volstagg even gets a cute moment grabbing a snack before jogging off to join the fight. Balder The Brave, another essential Asgardian to the Thor mythos, has a neat moment tackling a Frost Giant head on, scaling the monster's height and stabbing it in the eye. Thor also joins them in spectacular style taking on multiple giants at once, and in another moment smashes out a Frost Giant's front teeth, freeing himself from it's grip. The music also matches the epic siege with a fitting, almost Wagner-esque soundtrack. Thor is beaten, stomped on and then smashed through several walls as Loki soon joins the fray with magical blast of ice.


Now every hero needs a villain, and a great villain ultimately makes for a better hero, so luckily Loki just happens to be one of Marvel's best and most entertaining bad guys they have. The Norse god of mischief appears as if he just jumped off the comic page with his oversized horned helment and classic garish yellow and green costume completely intact. He's also voiced brilliantly by Graham McTavish, reprising the role from the Hulk Vs animated feature - and also happens to be playing a dwarf in the upcoming Hobbit movie adaptation according to imdb.com - sounding like he's having a great time giving the Norse god of mischief just the right amount of cool, calculated madness once again.

As the battle between the sons of Odin ravages Asgard, Thor pleads for his step-brother's understanding, and it's through their battle conversation that we finally get a lot of necessary back-story regarding the Asgardians and the history of their conflict. It's a good way to hide a history lessons worth of exposition by framing it within the action, and it also allows Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes writers to play it safe by only introducing plotting that is essential for the episode to work. It's a pretty fantastic battle of might vs magic and sibling rivalry, that also introduces the right level of classical drama to the cartoon, which I have to say is as quintessentially 'Thor' as it gets.

It's also careful not to step on the toes of the upcoming Thor feature, since the producers of the cartoon apparently did not have early access to the movie's pre-production material. But it's not such a bad thing in this case, as the lack of influence from the Marvel Cinematic Universe means we're getting a version of Thor from the comics almost directly translated into animation. Plus there's still time for the show to integrate any positive influence from the MCU down the track after the Thor feature is released.

Clancy Brown in Highlander.

Veteran actor Clancy Brown provides a cameo as Odin in this episode as well, and the more Clancy the better in anything as far as I'm concerned! Here he provides a commanding presence in a scene set shortly after the siege, as Thor confronts Odin with a defeated Loki in tow. Recently awoken from his 'Odin-sleep' - presumably after taking an Odin-crap but definitely before his Odin-coffee, judging by his crankiness - Odin banishes Loki to the Isle of Silence, a place straight out of nightmares and a also a fitting punishment for the spell-caster.



The rest of the episode focuses on the banished trickster god on his isolated floating prison, as he reflects back on the events that led him to his current predicament. The seperate set-pieces of the episode come together here, and it's revealed that Loki orchestrated Thor's earlier battle with the Wrecking Crew as well as also riling up the Frost Giants into attacking Asgard. The sequence finishes with Loki free from imprisonment thanks to ally Enchantress Amora, with bodyguard the Executioner in tow, playfully teasing the god of mischief when she asks if he missed the sound of his own voice.

"No-one is ready for what comes next," Loki declares, followed by just the right amount of evil laughter, which all in all makes for a fairly well written sequence that pulls the episode into focus as part of a much larger plan. I'm hoping this last bit of foreshadowing pays off in spades, as Loki happens to be the very first threat which united the Avengers team, way back in the first issue of the Avengers comic in 1963.

Anyone else notice that evil people are always so happy?

Sequenced together, Thor The Mighty works just as well as it did when originally split into four seperate micro-episodes, and serves as a great introduction to the Asgardian, high on drama, shakespearen conflict and Kirby-inspired superhero madness. From a fan perspective, it ticks all the right boxes of what makes a great Thor story and the episode is full of winks and nods towards fans without veering off into unnecessary fan service. I honestly did not expect to see so many different Asgardians appear in Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and was pleasantly surprised to get to see so many in action. The show even managed to include Thor's classic wind-up spin of Mjolnir, something he uses to launch himself into the air and an instantly familiar action to anyone who's read the comics. I have to say, seeing the anachronistic craziness of Thor flying about the rooftops of New York is about as classically 'Marvel' as you can possibly get.

Overall, it's a brilliant debut for Thor in the Avengers, and while you'll probably get more enjoyment from the episode with some prior knowledge of the Thor mythos, a viewer who knows nothing of rainbow bridges, magical hammers or horned trickster gods will still have a lot to enjoy from this awesome episode.


Directed by Vinton Heuck and written by Michael Ryan