Warning! This article includes spoilers for Avenger #56 and Jane Foster and the Mighty Thor #1!
When it really matters most, Thor is stronger at heart than Thor Odinson could ever hope to be. Measuring their respective physical strengths is different challenge entirely, especially since they have yet to fight each other while both wielding Mjolnir. However, when it comes to knowledge of one's self and emotional strength, Jane will always have the Odinson beat.
Jane Foster's tenure as the Mighty Thor was so iconic that it's being adapted into the MCU this summer. At the same time, current series from Marvel like Avengers and Jane Foster and the Mighty Thor tease her potential to take up the eponymous role once more. Part of the reason behind these decisions can be attributed to one of the areas where she exceeds the qualities of the original Thor: the strength of her character.
The strength of Jane Foster's heart is constantly on display during her time as Thor and directly contrasts with Thor Odinson's interior weaknesses. From the outset of her super heroics, Jane's heart is tested by the choice to battle cancer or be Thor and she is willing to sacrifice her life for what is right. Her emotional core surfaces again as she displays a relationship with Mjolnir unlike any other Thor has had. And finally, at the time of writing this, in both Jason Aaron and David Curiel's Avengers as well as the first issue of Torunn Grønbekk, Michael Dowling, Jesus Aburtov, and VC's Joe Sabino's Jane Foster and the Mighty Thor #1 Jane refutes the temptation to take the hammer back from the Odinson once more.
In this arena, Odinson cannot compare to Jane Foster's Thor. Even without the hammer, being a hero does not require the same personal sacrifice for the Odinson that being Thor demanded of Jane. He abuses alcohol and even costs Jane as Thor, accusing her of stealing what he was then unworthy of. Of course, it is understandable that the Odinson has a weaker sense of self when his identity has been tied to the hammer for centuries, where Jane is already a fully formed person with a heart full of comion before she even touches Mjolnir.
If Jane Foster's Thor and Thor Odinson were ever able to battle hammer to hammer, in the words of Stan Lee, "the person who'd win in a fight is the person that the scriptwriter wants to win!" But when looking at the strength of a character's heart and how they understand themselves, the superior Thor soars above her competitors. There must always be a Thor, but Jane Foster is the one with the strongest heart.
Jane Foster and the Mighty Thor #1 is now available from Marvel Comics.
