Chris Hemsworth's Thor looks at the camera with Loki and Heimdall behind him
By
Nicolas Ayala
Published 23 minutes ago
Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows.
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The MCU can't end without bringing back Thor's original identity. Thor bridges the grandeur of real-world Norse mythology and the serialized, character-driven history of Marvel Comics. From his earliest appearances in the 1960s, Thor established himself as a Marvel powerhouse and fan-favorite. Decades of stories have expanded his world into one of Marvel’s richest mythologies.
In the MCU, Chris Hemsworth's Thor has evolved into the most extensively developed member of the original Avengers. He's the only founding Avenger with four solo films, each exploring distinct phases of his personal growth. The MCU has adapted almost every major element of Thor's comic book background, except one major character.
The MCU Should Adapt Donald Blake Properly If It Reboots Thor
The MCU Is Missing An Important Piece Of Thor Lore
Thor looks at his reflection and sees Donald Blake
Thor’s earliest comics portrayed him as a dual being, torn between his divine nature as the mighty God of Thunder and his humble human vessel, Dr. Donald Blake. For decades, Donald Blake grounded Thor’s mythic power with genuine human vulnerability. The humble doctor gave readers a mortal perspective through which to understand Thor's divinity. Eventually, Marvel phased Blake out to focus on Thor as a full-time Asgardian deity.
In the MCU, Donald Blake only exists as a quick gag. In Kenneth Branagh's Thor, Chris Hemsworth's hero poses as a regular human with a fake ID that reads "Donald Blake M.D.". Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has never needed a mortal disguise, so the franchise moved quickly toward cosmic epics that had no room for Thor’s human half.
This omission erases a powerful storytelling pillar that teaches Thor humility by forcing him to walk the world as a physically fragile man, on equal footing with those he vows to protect. If Marvel reboots Thor after Avengers: Secret Wars, Marvel Studios has an opportunity to fully reintroduce Donald Blake as an integral dramatic device. A reboot could restore Thor’s original duality, where Donald Blake isn’t just a disguise but a genuine counterpart with limitations that highlight Thor’s human qualities.
Retroactively inserting Donald Blake into the MCU’s new continuity would also allow Marvel to modernize the concept. Blake could function as a reincarnated identity, a magically created mortal avatar, or a forgotten past life restored by multiversal restructuring. Any of these options would enrich Thor’s story from a brand-new perspective in live-action.
Donald Blake Is More Than Just Thor's Human Alter Ego
Donald Blake Has Become A Thor Antagonist
A cursed Donald Blake walks across falling pages of other Thor heroes
Donald Blake isn't just Thor's Midgardian identity. In Donny Cates and Nic Klein’s Thor run, it's revealed that Donald Blake spent years trapped in a false idyllic dimension created by Odin after Thor abandoned his double life. The illusion eventually deteriorated, driving Blake into complete psychological collapse. Feeling abandoned and betrayed, Donald Blake returned filled with rage. Stripped of compassion and empowered by dark magical knowledge, he seeks revenge on Thor.
After escaping the dimension Odin once trapped him in, Blake hunts down Thor's loved ones and challenges the God of Thunder directly. Wielding formidable mystical power and intimate knowledge of Thor’s weaknesses, Blake traps Thor in his former illusion in order to force the hero to acknowledge the pain his forgotten alter ego endured. Their battle ends only when Thor rebinds Blake in a new, carefully constructed prison, tortured by Loki. Naturally, his punishment further cements Donald Blake as Thor's enemy.
The MCU has exhausted many of Thor's most iconic villains, including Loki, Hela, and Surtur. It also wasted Gorr the God Butcher and negated the possibility of his return. Introducing Donald Blake as a tragic, resentful mirror of Thor would add a completely new kind of villain with a rich comic book history. Their battle wouldn’t be the typical “god vs. monster” conflict but a deeply personal battle between Thor and his human counterpart.
Blake’s villainous arc would feel fresh, though it would also demand long-term setup. The MCU would have to build Donald Blake as Thor's go-to disguise and a second character all of his own. Then, after Thor has gradually left his secret identity behind, Donald Blake should arrive on Earth with a vengeance. When Donald Blake finally confronts Thor, the emotional impact would be massive, and Blake could become one of the most terrifying MCU antagonists to date.
Donald Blake Can Help The Next Live-Action Thor Stand Apart From Chris Hemsworth
There's No Clearer Way To Reboot Thor Than Through Donald Blake
Chris Hemsworth's Thor holds a drink in his hand while showing off his muscles in Love and Thunder
A proper adaptation of Donald Blake would instantly give a new live-action Thor a completely different foundation from Chris Hemsworth’s version. Hemsworth’s Thor has always been a larger-than-life, divine figure who learns humility through various battles across the cosmos. Donald Blake instead forces Thor’s power to become a burden rather than a birthright since Blake’s very existence restrains the god to a human body.
Donald Blake would also allow a new actor to reinterpret Thor without competing with Hemsworth’s iconic take. Instead of trying to replicate the same musclebound warrior archetype, a Donald Blake-centric reboot could frame Thor as an evolving identity crisis with two lives, two histories, and two clashing natures. It’s the cleanest way for Marvel Studios to refresh the God of Thunder visually and narratively.
Thor
Created By
Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby
First Appearance
Journey into Mystery
Alias
Thor Odinson, Eric Masterson, Kevin Masterson, Beta Ray Bill, Thordis, Throg, Red Norvell, Jane Foster
Alliance
Avengers, Warriors Three, Thor Corps, God Squad
Race
Asgardian, Human
Franchise
Marvel
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Thor
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