The move may have sparked a firestorm, drawing antisocial comments from those who perceived an injustice to the warrior's legacy, but Marvel's decision to make Thor a female character is proving good for business.
About half a year after rebooting the Thor comic book series, sales prove consumers are buying what Marvel is selling and support the diversity among the lineup of superheroes. Jason Aaron and Russel Dauterman's female Thor has enjoyed 30 percent more comic book sales over the first four months than the male version did it in his last four months.
The first four issues of the rebooted Thor sold 20,000 copies, 30 percent more than than the last four of the male version in 2012, according to ComiChron. The Thor God of Thunder series had been ranking in the mid 30s on the charts, and even down into the 40s, but the female version of the warrior held the 11th spot in February 2015.
The Reasoning and the Rancor
The comic book industry's demographics have changed dramatically since the 1930s, evolving to entertain a much broader audience than it served in its early days.
Super heroes, those people with tragic past and superhuman abilities, have long encouraged readers to dream and overcome their own circumstances. But while both genders and all races have had super heroes that look like them, the lineup has of Marvel and DC's characters hasn't matched the makeup of their audiences.
With Thor being rebooted as a heroine, Marvel creates a new character that's more likely to resonate with females. Instead of trying to develop and promote an entirely new female superhero to diversify its lineup, Marvel has added a new variable to an old formula.
Based on Norse mythology, the super hero Thor Odinson is a male character and changing his gender upsets cannon. The introduction of the female Thor brings with her several difficult questions: how does Marvel reconcile her place in its universe? What happens when the male Thor is revived?
It's still unclear what's been driving the sales of the rebooted Thor comic books. It could be that the heroine has brought in new fans or the sales boost could merely indicate that Aaron and Dauterman have created a truly compelling character.
