Marvel’s Thor Will Now Be a Woman

Marvel Comics is introducing an all-new, female God of Thunder, it was announced Tuesday. The distaff Thor was unveiled on Tuesday’s ABC daytime series The View, with the co-hosts debuting artwork of a blond woman with a silver outfit carrying the superhero’s signature hammer.

The classic male hero is no longer able to wield the mighty hammer, so a female hero will emerge, worthy of the name “Thor,” Marvel explained in a press release.

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“She created herself. She was saved by Thor and she came down to Earth, followed him, and made herself look like Thor, and now she’s taking over,” View co-host Jenny McCarthy explained after moderator Whoopi Goldberg introduced the superhero.

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The new hero’s identity when she’s not Thor is being kept under wraps, but Goldberg said that she knows who the superhero really is. “When she puts that hammer down, she turns out to be the person that works here on this show as the moderator. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is Whoopi Goldberg,” Goldberg joked of the female Thor’s alter ego.

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But when she carries the hammer, she is indeed Thor, according to the hammer’s inscription, which needs a slight rewrite.

“The inscription on Thor’s hammer reads ‘Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.’ Well it’s time to update that inscription,” Marvel editor Wil Moss said in a statement. “The new Thor continues Marvel’s proud tradition of strong female characters like Captain Marvel, Storm, Black Widow and more. And this new Thor isn’t a temporary female substitute — she’s now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!”

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The female Thor will be the star of her own eponymous comic book series beginning in October. The new Thor books will be written by Jason Aaron, with art from Russell Dauterman.

Thor is the eighth Marvel title to feature a lead female protagonist.