Warning! Spoilers ahead for Thor: Lightning & Lament #1
In the Marvel Universe, the Hulk and Thor are usually depicted as friends and sometimes rivals, but the two Avengers are more alike than fans may realize.
Although there are many different Hulks in the Marvel universe, there is nothing quite like the original, who was created when Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb. As a mythological being from the realm of Asgard, Thor had a very different origin. In order to teach his son a lesson, Thor’s father Odin banished him to Earth and caused him to live a life under the human identity of renowned surgeon Donald Blake. In order to transform out of this mortal shell, Dr. Blake had to strike his cane, which became the hammer Mjolnir and turned him back into the God of Thunder.
An adventure during Thor’s early days on Earth that is depicted in Thor: Lightning and Lament #1 by Ralph Macchio and Todd Nauck shows how similar he and Hulk truly are. In this story, Thor has to team up with his fellow Asgardians in order to repel an invading force. During the battle, Thor’s lover Sif is gravely injured. He hands her off to Asgardian medics, but she is suffering from too much blood loss to be saved. So Thor has to transform into his human persona, Donald Blake, to use his surgical skills to save her.
This is an interesting situation as the Hulk is usually the one associated with having two personalities that can both be useful. When fighting a big foe, the Hulk comes in handy for being able to throw a strong punch. But there are times when Bruce Banner’s intelligence and expertise in gamma radiation are needed. In these cases, the Hulk must transform into Bruce in order to utilize the scientist’s strengths. The same could be said for Thor and Donald Blake. Thor is great in a fight but not when treating an injured friend. In that situation, Thor would need to transform into his human form just the same way that Hulk would need to transform into his.
The Donald Blake persona is one that needs to be utilized in comics more. Over the past couple years, Thor has undergone a series of character developments. He became unworthy for a time and Jane Foster took over the mantle of being Thor. But Hulk has just wrapped up a character defining series with The Immortal Hulk. This story rewrote how fans perceived the relationship between Hulk and Bruce Banner. Perhaps it’s time to do the same with a similar series for Thor. Then maybe fans can finally see how the Hulk and Thor are more alike in regards to their human personas.
