A Classic Piece of Thor’s Marvel Costume Was Tragically Underused, Fans Complain
Marvel fans love comic books and movies for many reasons–the gripping stories of good versus evil, the exciting action of heroes fighting villains, and cliffhangers that keep us coming back for more.
Another big draw is the incredible artwork, including the sets and costume designs. Many of the heroes go through several costumes during their time in the both the comics and the movies.
Thor’s costumes change constantly, but there is one iconic element that was almost always a part of the comics. That element is missing from the MCU, and fans aren’t too happy about it.
The many costumes of Thor
Thor’s wardrobe has gone through quite a few changes throughout the comics and films. It all started with Thor’s first comic book appearance. The classic Thor costume, designed by Jack Kirby in the 1960s, boasted bright, primary colors–red, blue, and yellow–along with black trim to make it all stand out. The winged helmet sitting atop Thor’s flowing golden locks is an iconic part of the original costume.
In Thor (1966) #433, that iconic helmet got a bit of an upgrade. When Eric Masterson became the new “human” Thor, he stuck fairly closely to the traditional costume, minus the brighter blue tones. However, he extended the helmet into a mask that covered his eyes and nose.
Thor (1966) #502 had what many agree is his strangest costume yet. Not only are his locks really flowing (the guy seriously looks like he should be in a shampoo ad), he is rocking a crop top, a giant red belt, and super strappy gloves.
When Odin died and Thor took his place as ruler, he had a noticeable costume change. The God of Thunder upgraded to blue chain mail, fur fringe around the neck of his cape, and an extravagant golden helmet. His costume underwent another drastic change in Thor (2007) #1, when brighter colors were replaced by a muted silver and his helmet more closely resembled the original.
Bringing the costumes to the big screen
Just as Thor’s costumes went through many changes in the comics, they also went through a few changes in the MCU. In 2011, Chris Hemsworth brought Thor to life on the big screen. Thor’s first costume in the MCU wasn’t quite as bright as the original in the comics, but it had a similar design featuring a red cape and the chest circles. The biggest difference besides the muted colors was the addition of sleeves.
In 2012, Thor sports the same costume for much of The Avengers. However, we see him in something slightly different when he’s behind the scenes at S.H.I.E.L.D.–a sleeveless tunic covered with a silver metal design. 2013’s Thor: The Dark World uses pretty much the same costume, except for the addition of an awesome brown cloak.
In 2015, Thor’s Age of Ultron costume most closely resembles Kirby’s design. It has the classic red cape and sleeveless design. 2017 featured Thor’s gladiator look in Ragnarok, while 2018 found him starting Infinity War with a black suit, red cape, and a killer eye patch (though he loses the eye patch when he gets his eye back later in the film).
An iconic part of Thor’s costume is missing from the MCU
Although Thor’s costumes in the films have been really cool, they’ve also been missing one key element–his winged helmet. Fans caught a glimpse of the helmet early on in the first Thor film, during his coronation. That’s the last time he wears it, and many fans are puzzling over the absence of such an iconic piece of his costume.
A Reddit thread discusses fans’ disappointment over the missing helmet. One Redditor says “I remember how he is wearing this helmet at his coronation and then the Frost Giants interrupt everything and that was the last of it. I liked it, does anyone else wish he had it in at least one other movie?” Some fans noticed a similar helmet, but not the same one, in Ragnarok “Closest was when he wore a different helmet in the arena fight in Ragnarok.“
Rumor has it that the helmet was ditched because it was uncomfortable to wear and posed an injury risk to Hemsworth and his co-stars. “Hemsworth and other actors were injured due to the helmet either falling off or hitting them so, studio deemed safety first.”
Although this seems like a suitable explanation, other fans noticed that Loki wore his helmet quite a bit during the films. “What bugs me about that is that Loki rocks the helmet in all of his action scenes in The Avengers and most in the Thor movies. I think Hemsworth should try harder.” They feel that maybe Hemsworth simply didn’t like the helmet, and gave up too quickly.
