Hot off the news that Archie will be shot dead (finally!) thwarting an assassination attempt on his gun-control crusading gay senator friend (oh, sorry, SPOILER ALERT!), Marvel comics has announced that Thor’s mighty hammer will be going to a lady. I really can’t manage more than a shrug. It saddens me that Marvel seems to be in the re-imagining its comics business rather than the comics business. But that shipped sailed a long time ago and it may be necessary to save the dying industry. Besides, technically, according to the storyline originally created by Marvel, there’s no reason Thor can’t be female. I mean yes, the official inscription on Mjolnir has an evil gendered pronoun (“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.”) But that was written back in the day when women could be included in that “he.” I mean if Beta Ray Bill can be Thor, why can’t a human female?
Of course, going by Norse mythology this is all nonsense on stilts. But Marvel has abandoned any pretense of fidelity to that a long time ago as well.