Thor (Earth-21399)

"I'm gonna make this simple for you, Jaekelsson. Since no mortal weapon can put you back in Hel, where you belong... how about I have Mjolnir do the honors?"

- Thor Leaping from the tales of Norse mythology, Thor the Thunderer is the warrior god of the sky, the son of Odin and the protector of mankind. A friend and ally of the human race, he stands in defense of Midgard against threats from all over the Nine Realms, among them his treacherous half-brother, Loki.

Early Life
Thor was born in Asgard to its king, Odin the Allfather, and his wife Frigga, a goddess of the earth. He was conceived in a ritual meant to bless Odin's firstborn with the strength of the Earth and the power of the Sky, thus making him the most powerful Aesir. All throughout Thor's childhood, he was tutored by Odin in the Aesir ways of war.

The Aesir-Vanir War
Thor was an young adult by the time the war between the Aesir and the Vanir had finally ended. Unfortunately, Vanaheim was rendered practically inhospitable thanks to the machinations of the Jotnar, so many Vanir were forced to seek refuge in Asgard. Against the wishes of his father, however, Thor sneaked off to Vanaheim to aid the evacuation effort.

It was there in Vanaheim that Thor met Sif, a Vanir warrior maiden, while taking down a horde of forest trolls. The two fell in love and were later married in Asgard.

The Gifts of the Gods
To be added...

Birth of the Destroyer
One day, Thor returned from Asgard for a drink after a day spent killing lindworms in Finland. When he entered Valhalla, however, he was outraged to find a Jotun barbarian roughhousing the guests and running his mouth about how he would destroy Asgard, kill Odin and take Sif and Freya to be his concubines. Thor lifted his hammer to strike, but Odin stopped him at the last minute and told him the whole story:

While wandering around Jotunheim, disguised and in search of news, the Allfather chanced upon the Jotun, a chieftain known as Hrungnir the Brawler. Hrungnir was the strongest giant of all the Jotnar, and commanded the mightiest army in all of Jotunheim. The two exchanged pleasantries for a bit, but when Hrungnir started showing off his masterful horse-breeders, Odin staked his head on a wager that his own horse was faster than anything in Hrungnir's stables.

Hrungnir felt insulted by this proposition, but wasn't one to turn away from a challenge. He accepted the wager and rode his prized, gold-maned warhorse, Gullfaxi, who had been bred to run like no other. Even still, Gullfaxi couldn't compete with the might of Sleipnir and soon found himself racing through the gates of Asgard. Odin, having won the race, was in good spirits afterwards and decided to invite the tired giant to drink with him in Valhalla.

Hrungnir, however, didn't share the Allfather's cheer. Even after Odin congratulated the Brawler on his performance in the race, the giant was bellicose; his pride shattered by his loss. He quickly got himself drunk, spurred on by the cheering of the gods he despised. In his intoxication, Hrungnir first boasted that he would drink all of Asgard's wine and mead, but then went too far and became violent with the other guests. It was at that moment when Thor showed up.

Thor took Odin at his word and lowered his hammer, politely asking Hrungnir to leave. But Hrungnir would have none of it, and in his intoxication challenged the Thunderer to a duel, to take place in Jotunheim – to the winner, the spoils of Asgard. Thor happily accepted the challenge, but Hrungnir's tribe panicked upon hearing the news. Even after sobering up, Hrungnir was convinced that he would emerge victorious. Knowing he had little chance of standing up to Thor, Hrungnir's wife commissioned two dwarves named Fjalar and Galar to build a golem to fight in Hrungnir's place.

When the duel finally commenced, the completed golem ambushed Thor and their battle shook the earth. Eventually, however, Odin realized that Hrungnir had cheated, and deactivated the nigh-indestructible golem with the Runeforce, after which the duel properly commenced. Thor easily won, caving Hrungnir's skull in with Mjolnir.

The golem, now known among the Aesir as the Destroyer, was subsequently locked up in Odin's vault.

End of an Era
To be added...

Trivia

 * This version of Thor more closely resembles his mythological counterpart in a few key ways:
 * Unlike most versions of the character, who are blonde and either clean-shaven or have a light stubble, this Thor is a redhead with a full beard.
 * Unlike most versions of the character, who are stuck in elaborate love triangles between Jane Foster, Amora and Sif, this version of Thor is married to Sif and reserves his affections just for her - at least, unless she gives him a pass.
 * This version of Thor cannot use Mjolnir to fly. Instead, he must ride his chariot drawn by flying goats.
 * Thor was never much of a music aficionado during his days in Asgard. Since arriving on Midgard, however, Thor has become a devout metalhead - his favorite bands are Amon Amarth, In Flames, The Black Dahlia Murder and Cattle Decapitation. He plans to buy a guitar and amplifier for Bragi once he returns to Asgard.
 * Thor dismisses the prophecy of Ragnarok as a myth - this coming from a common stereotype the Aesir hold for humans that they are terrible at predicting the future. Odin, however, knows better.
 * Thor once joked that he also named his genitals after his hammer. Mjolnir literally means "crusher".

Author's Note
This one is very much a work in progress.