The Adopted New Yorker

Thor has never been as gregarious as the Prince of Power, Hercules, as far as seeking and revelling in public adulation. But from time to time, he has been known to let his hair down in the company of mortals. But where Hercules sought out the nearest pub, Thor's interaction with mortals on a social basis tended to be more grounded--making more of a connection with them. And in such encounters, you began to understand Thor's ties to our planet--ties which, at the time, he didn't fully understand, but felt on a far deeper level than his father, Odin, ever wanted to admit.

In later years, we would be shown another side to Thor--his Asgardian heritage, which he indulged in with far more vigor and revelry--and certainly far less reservation--than he ever revealed in his dealings with mortals. Two very different sides to the Thunder God, yet two sides of the same coin. But since we all know how Asgardians typically drink and brawl, let me share with you those more down-to-Earth encounters that both endeared him to the humans he fiercely protected, as well as endeared them to him. Thor was shown to need both aspects of his heritage in order to be a more complete hero--and a more worthy god. And surely even Odin couldn't help but approve of that.

In this first scene, Thor returns to New York after a short absence--and typically, a crowd surrounds him, full of questions and curiosity about where he's been and what his plans are. Just as he's becoming uncomfortable with all the attention, who arrives to save the day for him? None other than a New York cabbie, who even Thor has a few things to learn from.

New Yorkers are accustomed to pretty much anything. But even they can't help but get a kick out of seeing Thor take a soda break at a downtown malt shop. Of course, they want to shoot the breeze with the big guy:

Not just anyone would pull up next to a Thunder God and challenge him to a race. But this is New York, and people don't stand on ceremony here. Have a look at what happens when a confident youth eggs on Thor in a little friendly competition, but ends up getting just a tad more than he bargained for.

Not all of Thor's encounters with mortals were uplifting, as we see in this scene where a group of dropouts run into Thor and give him a heavy dose of cynicism. Little did they realize the lesson in life they were about to learn from a god.

Nothing like a lightning bolt to give you new perspective on doing something with your life. As for me, I've suddenly got this craving for a chocolate malt.