REVIEW: 'The Mortal Thor' #1 Tells A New, Human Story
- Sarah Angelo-Haight
- Aug 27
- 5 min read
This review contains spoilers for 'The Mortal Thor' #1.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am exactly the type of fan The Mortal Thor was written for. From the opening moments that set up the new world created by Loki Laufeyson at the end of The Immortal Thor, to the last violent panels where a man with a hammer makes a brutal decision, I was enthralled. Writer Al Ewing absolutely nails the opening of what is the second act of a longer story arc that began in The Immortal Thor, moving from mythological and metaphysical spectacle to quiet humanity in an issue that feels like a breath being held in anticipation.
The Mortal Thor opens with some exposition in the form of a television program that frames this new timeline’s relationship with the gods of Asgard: that is, they don’t truly exist. Beta Ray Bill is described as someone who takes inspiration from the fictional Norse myths, but it is made clear that those myths are nothing more than story. The intentional avoidance of invoking the names of the Norse gods adds a particular weight, the sense that not only do these people no longer exist, but nobody even notices they’re gone.
We are introduced to Sigurd Jarlson: big, blond, and absolutely unaware of who he is or where he came from. It’s not just that Sigurd doesn’t recognize his own identity as a rebooted god, but he doesn’t have a fully formed identity of any kind. He knows his name, he knows he works with a hammer, and he knows he loves New York City. Sigurd is Thor diluted to his most basic elements. He may have no memory, but he’s not unintelligent. He speaks both Norwegian and English and recognizes he is probably suffering from a traumatic brain injury that’s affecting his long-term recall. His life is small compared to where the audience knows he has come from, but that smallness feels safe and comfortable instead of limiting or demeaning.
Sigurd has two people in his life right now: his neighbor Kris, and Lucky, a red-haired street youth whom Sigurd calls sibling and who refers to themself as “a card-carrying creature of myth and magic.” This is clearly the form Loki is taking in this iteration of reality, though whether Loki has also been similarly reset is unclear. At the very least, Lucky is aware there is more to them than what’s apparent, though neither Kris nor Sigurd ask any followup questions. The implication that it was Lucky who ensured Sigurd has a place to live suggests purposeful action from the god of stories, but as of now, Loki’s role is nebulous.
Money concerns lead Sigurd to answer a shady-sounding job posting for a construction site, but when he arrives it becomes apparent that he is being asked to be a scab for Roxxon, expected to cross a picket line in order to break an ongoing labor strike. So many of Thor’s recent arcs have had to do with fighting corporate greed that this moment is a true punch in the gut. Additionally, in a mirror of occasional real-world associations with Norse deities, we learn that the fictional, mythological version of Thor that does exist in this reality has been co-opted by bigots calling themselves the Thunder Gods. There is a real sense of dismay that maybe Sigurd will make a choice Thor never would, out of either desperation or apathy. Fortunately, Sigurd is a good man with a good heart, and he turns away from both the job and the supremacist “enforcers” Roxxon has hired to protect the strike-breakers and punish the protestors. It’s a quietly heroic moment that nonetheless has wide-reaching implications.
The Roxxon suit in charge of the strike-breaking efforts orders the enforcers to send Sigurd a message after the amnesiac god-in-man’s-clothing empowers a group of fellow would-be workers to leave and not cross the picket line. This is where things take a turn: the Roxxon goons corner Sigurd in a dark alley, and claim the lightning storm starting to build in intensity during their attack is “Daddy Thor” giving them the sign to “punish the unrighteous”. Sigurd is forced to act in self-defense, brutally and violently dispatching them with his hammer. It is in this moment, in the storm, with hammer in hand, that Sigurd turns the narrative on its head, now proclaiming the name of Thor, if not yet the actual identity. He has decided his path: there is wickedness in the world, and he wants to be good, to do good, and he is going to take action. While the issue ends without explicitly clarifying if Sigurd has realized his true self or has simply decided to call himself Thor as a kind of mortal vigilante, the message is clear nonetheless: Thor will be punishing the unrighteous.
The Mortal Thor #1 is a phenomenal opening to a new adventure for a character who has been around since the 1960s (mythological origins notwithstanding). It’s a deft reimagining, a reboot that feels weighty with possibility and resonance. Sigurd’s quiet certainty of his own moral code even in the absence of any real knowledge about himself is enough proof of his Thor-ness, even without wielding a magical hammer. In an arc deeply rooted in realism, the question of whether Sigurd will face consequences for the violence with which he dispatched the gang looms large. The joy of The Mortal Thor is that with the story being reset, so are all previous expectations for where the story will ultimately go. We expect Sigurd will, eventually, fully discover and embrace his true identity, but until then the mortal, smaller, heroic acts will likely continue to grow.
Pasqual Ferry and Matt Hollingsworth’s art is an excellent addition to the issue; both Sigurd and Lucky are recognizable, but with just enough variation from how we normally see them as Thor and Loki to make it clear we are being told a different story, now. The world looks lived-in, Sigurd’s apartment building full of peeling wallpaper and stray cats. The fight at the end is savagely violent, the motion within the frames evoking a sense of urgent horror. We’ve seen Thor bash villains’ skulls in with Mjolnir plenty of times. It’s a very different sense when it’s Sigurd, mortal and lost, something he doesn’t understand stirring within him as he fights, and the art gives us, the reader, that understanding instead.
The Mortal Thor is not an epic adventure. It lacks any of the usual trappings of a Thor title. There’s no Asgard, no storms, no magical hammer. There’s no super strength or royalty. It even leans away from the metaphysical explorations the past few runs have embodied. This is a mortal story, a human story. The stakes aren’t galaxy-shattering. This is not the story of a god, not yet. This is the story of a man, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Rating: ★★★★★
About The Mortal Thor #1
Release Date: August 27, 2025
Written by: Al Ewing
Art by: Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth
Cover by: Alex Ross
Page Count: 26
Synopsis: THE LEGEND BEGINS! The Norse Myths tell of Gods who walked the Earth, doing great deeds for the mortals who believed in them. But Asgard isn't real, and never was. The Gods never soared in our skies, never stood with our heroes, never fought for kindness or justice. It was all just a story. Nobody's coming to help us. But somewhere in the city... a man is waking up. A man with a hammer.
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