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Will Alter-Ego Donald Blake Be In THOR Or Not??
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
In today’s Variety:
"Thor," scripted by Mark Protosevich, Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller, centers on a partly disabled med student who discovers his Norse god alter ego, the hammer-swinging Thor.
In the Marvel funnybooks, a partly disabled med student named Donald Blake is Thor’s alter-ego.
Variety’s assertion contradicted some of what we’ve heard, so we contacted a 100% tested and solid source, someone intimately familiar with the movie Kenneth Branagh is making, and he or she tells AICN Donald Blake is definitely NOT in the movie.
Stay tuned.
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C'mon...
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I rule.
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Third.
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Like horrendous. They literally run over him? Loki kills Odin? What the fuck? That better not be true.
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i hope the little fidget cinema slaying portman is driving a smart car, to really push it over the edge into shitland.
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So they're really straying far from the comics and the mythology? But they're using/ not using Donald Blake?
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I knew he was nuts, but heck...
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...that came up with this one?
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about Loki killing Odin?
If true the premise of The Avengers movie sounds awesome. -
Stellan confirmed his involvment in a swedish interview a couple of weeks ago: http://www.svd.se/kulturnoje/nyheter/artikel_3602263.svd (it says that they refused to give him the script before signing, he refused to sign, they send him the script, he signed).
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Granted, the Donald Blake element is classic to the comics, but the series as a whole has rarely used that story-element.
It's also possible that Loki throws Thor to earth as a wimpy partly disabled man. (After all, why keep Thor in some form that will allow him to just come back and smite you?) Being run over by the Jeep (or whatever) might be what cripples him in human form, too. -
If they are looking for a "real world" type villain, whatever that means in a world filled with flying armored suits and green monsters.
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"Loki? No thanks." I hope this comes off well. I love what they are doing so far.
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Loki (of giant decent) was actually Odins adopted brother in the mythology. Well kind of anyway.
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I always felt he was just tagged in because every other Superhero had a secret identity. Looks at the way the Iron-Man film went, there's no secret there with his alterego. Blade is Blade as Thor is Thor. Thor as Thor is complete enough.
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Best combo film ever!!
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My Swedish is not what it should be. Does the article mention anything about Stellan's role in "Thor"?
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Nov 25, 2009 1:26:10 PM CST
Why would you kill off Anthony Hopkins right at the beginning?
by manifestchaos
ffs. I want some "quid pro quo."
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And well put!
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If the people who were making this movie actually enjoyed the comics, we would not be getting information like this, this close to filming. I'm sure it's probably accurate, and I'm now certain that this is not going to be a movie that will resonate with fans of the comic book character. Too bad, really. Iron Man resonated like a gong being struck next to the ear.
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I thought that was the whole point about him coming to earth. To become human and humble.
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...for the Avengers' flick.
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But with hammers.
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presupposes an intro to Hank Pym. Have there been any rumors about that (Ant-Man movie talk aside)?
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Nov 25, 2009 1:40:27 PM CST
Also, do they even use Donald Blake in the comics anymore?
by rev_skarekroe
Didn't they sort of decide at some point that Thor doesn't really need a secret identity?
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Is that in development? I'd love a really hard-R scary Doc Strange flick. Prolly never happen. They will pull a Constantine on it and make it more like Harry Potter meets Spider-Man.
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They've posted every other piece of casting news, however small, but managed to skip this one. I guess they want to avoid controversy.
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Being run over by a girl and her binge drinking dad is about as awful as you can get. Not to mention the director is just as terrible as Harlin or Bay, just more full of himself. This is going to be dreadful. Why do Marvel characters in movies always have to befriend neighbors and kids and nerds n shit?
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Nov 25, 2009 1:52:40 PM CST
If This Plot Synopsis Is True, I Shall KILL YOU ALL
by christian_bale_trashed_my_lights
Please give me your addresses and aend me a cheque to cover travel expenses. Oh and include your telephone number too in case I get lost on my way to your house.
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It was mentioned in the article with whatsherface's casting. Nora.
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Black Norse gods, scenesters, crap Loki casting, no watch. Enjoy your shitfest, Branagh worshippers. You never even gave a shit about THOR in the first place.
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JMS brought him back.
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Send me the address too if you need any backup.
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Nope, sorry, it doesn't. But I do know that Stellan has filmed a couple of Norwegian films thru the years (the original Insomnia ie) so he could definitely pull off some norweigian lines if needed to.
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I think this video sums up my feelings about this news.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcMQVCSdk-M -
You don't worry about pipe smoking.
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and u cant kill odin ffs. and if u could (u cant) the universe would end.
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Branagh has the toughest job in show business if you ask me. The concept seems impossible to materialize on the silver-screen. I wish im all the luck in the world though.
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over the Protosevich script that was going around a few months ago...that thing was fucking awful, embarrassing, derivative shit.
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From what I have heard.
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Great job, guys. You just fucked up Thor.
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Nov 25, 2009 2:31:01 PM CST
A Black Norse God isn't out of the realm of possibility.
by ganymede3001
Lets be real. Imagine during an earthly encounter a Norse God encountered the Labron James of African Warriors. A dude so bad ass he would rather ascend him to the heavens of Asagard to serve as one of his guardians instead of rendering an unsavory judgement against him?
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Really hope this isn't what happens in the movie. I'm disappointed. You cannot kill Odin. Why is that so hard for hack writers to get?
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...me. That colorful spandex and shiny metal look goes against everything that's cool about Norse mythology. I never could quite get over that hurdle.
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he said he couldnt see thor in iron man's world, but this sounds more like they want to put iron man in thor's world.. which truthfully, might not be so bad.. a little crazy, but shit, it would be nice for them to take a chance.. i mean, after seeing robert downey jr. in iron man's world for 2 movies, talking him completely out of his element might be pretty cool. Plus Favreau is correct, he might not be the perfect guy to direct a movie like that.
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"I'm now certain that this is not going to be a movie that will resonate with fans of the comic book character. Too bad, really. Iron Man resonated like a gong being struck next to the ear. "
1) There are, what, twelve fans of Thor? The money here doesn't really lie in appeasing them.
2) Similarly, Iron Man had few fans before his film. Going for this "core" fanbase (I don't mean comic readers; I mean the actual fans of specific characters) is hardly the path to success. They just need to stick with what appeals to a wide audience, without taking a total crap on what's worked for a character in the past, and run with it. -
Have everyone think Thor is insane the whole movie. Then in the final scene reveal Loki has been pulling the strings of the government undercover as a human and leading an invasion into Earth. Thor reveals his true powers and leads the Avengers into battle. This way most of the movie is based in reality (Iron Mans more real based world)
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Whatever happened to the "13th Warrior" aesthetic this film was originally going to embody? I want to know what THE FUCK happened to that? Who's bright fucking idea was remaking the godawful Masters of the Universe movie and slapping the THOR name on it?
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...there are far more Norse mythology fans out there than THOR comic fans. I for one am hoping for more of a Kenneth Branagh dirtied up and mythologized Thor combined with some superhero elements.
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I disagree. Studios who typically spend most of their time appeasing a "wider audience," use place development executives in charge of anything creative. I'd rather a filmmaker like Branaugh (Dead Again) have his creative prowess with the material, but it's obvious the respect for the original character is not there. It's more of a "this is my opinion of how Thor should have been created in the first place." As opposed to simply adapting the character as created. I don't like it when they take the easy way out. I like it when these bitches work hard for my money. Like they did when they put together the Iron Man script.
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After Thor is cast down he can't get his powers back until he retrieves Mjolnir. Which is of course not easy to retrieve. The entire movie could be a quest to find the hammer and the hurdles Loki makes him jump though to get it.
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Thor should be a God among men, and remain a god.
The alternate ego thing never worked for me anyhow, and this sounds like it could be good.
LOTR world starts spilling into the real world.
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with this no alter-ego bullshit, which is half the fucking story of Thor and just about every other superhero and then killing off the best actor in the movie early on is always a great idea. Didn't they see Executive Decision starring Steven Segal!
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In this pagan version, the divine Father is killed and the son of god is cast out of heaven. That being said, the movie sounds like shit.
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You people need to get laid.
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Nov 25, 2009 3:42:10 PM CST
Chain, that was the gist of Prostevich's original script.
by ganymede3001
Sounds like they had it right the first time.
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why do people find a source material and decide its a great idea for a movie ..... then CHANGE FROM THE SOURCE MATERIAL THEY ORIGINALY DECIDED WOULD MAKE A GOOD MOVIE?!
why not get tim burton to direct the avengers movie so he can put nipples on everyone and cast totally imossible actors to play the parts. im seeing paul giamante as captain america with nipples and a part time job selling shoes. instead of a shield he carries a light saber and his suit resembles the flag of brazil, his home. -
the comics were always cooler when thor got to be thor all the time.
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... thing sounds just like the Thor vs. Hulk animated release from last year.
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Maybe I'm letting my personal feelings towards the character cloud my judgement, but I can't see how sticking too close to the Thor comic book elements is really the wise way to go here. This is coming from a big Marvel guy, who has always thought Thor was a bit goofy fit. Like Mr. Poo says, stick with the Norse stuff predominantly and graft a few Marvel elements where it works, and you've got a film (presumably this is exactly what they hired Kenneth Branagh, of all people, to do). Start adding - Jesus - Beta Ray Bill, and your movie gets laughed off the screen.
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Not that others can't point this out, but Loki using Banner is from the first Avengers issue.
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We already have the Hulk, skinny/unable bodied professor/doctor turning into a crazy powerful guy.
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I like it, what's not to like? Oden can always come back. These few lines gave me some sort of old school action adventure feel. Doc Skarsgård and Padmé McFly. "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits his hammer... you're gonna see some serious shit."
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Nov 25, 2009 6:24:05 PM CST
Loki poessessing Hulk was just done in the recent "Hulk vs." DVD
by wampa_droppings
testing the waters?
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I agree, and they should have Billy Cruddup play Strange.
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Blake is back in the Comics, The Premise for the Avengers movie is pretty much the EXACT same premise as the VERY FIRST Avengers comics so it makes sense, in the comics, Loki IS Thors Adopted Brother, and anyone who doesn't like JMS's run on Thor are complete morons, getting rid of the Shakespearean talk already makes it INFINITELY better than most other Thor stories, plus its very touching and he FINALLY doesn't wear his underwear over his pants.
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it could work. He doesn't have to look like Thor at all, it's a diguise.
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with comic book material - I'm pretty stoked to see this. Good cast, decent writers and Marvel (plus daddy Disney) place their trust in him. It's got a lot of good things going for it.
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Don't you think Adam Baldwin has the look for Dr Strange (not too sure about the acting chops though)
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Yeah. This sounds fine to me. Never understood the need for Don Blake -- just drop Thor into our world (perhaps losing a few memories, or simply trying to convince everyone that he's not psycho-crazy), you already have quite an interesting twisty narrative in itself. Drop cinematic versions of Thor and Iron Man and Banner/Hulk together (where Nick Fury and perhaps Stark do indeed think Thor is just nuts, but with a BIIIG hammer), and you might just have something EXTRAORDINARY. Really looking forward to seeing what Branagh does with this.
To me, the x-factor here (no pun intended) is the presentation/integration of CAPTAIN AMERICA, *not* THOR. -
That sux
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Donald Blake?? Easily the least known alter ego of any major hero.
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Nov 25, 2009 8:39:47 PM CST
It would be pretty obvious pretty quick that Thor wasn't crazy
by zombieheathledger
I mean if they go by the old Marvel Universe handbook, the guy can lift/press 100 tons, fly and command lightning, hardly the something any old nutjob can do.
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I like that he is coming down as Thor and not Blake. They are making him more like Ultimate Thor. Think about it, if you have read Ultimates 1 & 2 everyone thought that Thor was just some diluted man with a power vest and hammer that gave him his powers. It wasn't til 3/4 Ultimates 2 that everyone found out that he was the true Norse God and that Loki was playing his tricks which led to an amazing fight between Earth and Asgard. If they keep up with this, it is going to be awesome. Any one who hasn't read these stories need to. They are easily the best books ever written by Marvel! I can't wait for Ultimate Thor!!! Now if they Make Captain America as his Ultimate version as well it will make for the best Marvel movies bar none!
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Who asked for it to be removed? So it was true?
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...he screwed up I Am Legend already, so, why not, let him fuck up more stuff we wanna see.
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..it's not like they watered him down fer chrissake...
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...what exactly did the inviso-text say?
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basicly it said:
The movie starts of in Asgard with all the gods. At some point Loki will either Kill Odin or put him into a coma like sleep and have Thor blamed for it. Thor will then be cast down to Earth where no one will believe he is the Norse god Thor, just some guy claiming to be a god. They also told about a five page fight between Loki and his army and Thor and his warriors.
Also they said that Loki would be a main villan in the Avengers movie and it would involve the Hulk.
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i always hated donald duck... black... whatever... kinda like that kid from the first Hellboy...
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The only thing good about Ultimate Thor is when they gave him his regular hammer back and the massive beard.
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Harry said the original script written by Mark Protosevich was the best script he has ever read for a super hero movie, there has been some changes so i am not sure how it is now, but have faith man:P
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...when A V A T A R is fucking our eyeballs in 21 days?
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He is Thor's adopted brother. In mythology, Odin slays his father, a giant, then finds his normal sized child. Because he is the son of a king, even if he was an enemy giant he is still a king, by costume Odin must adopt him because he is of royal blood. That was in mythology. So Loki being Odin's adopted son and Thor's foster brother is pretty close to some of the old myths.
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Not saying he is necessary - far from it - but I could see making him work. Think of Thor as Jesus (yeah, another Jesus metaphor in a comic book movie), before he found out he was the son of god he was just a humble carpenter. Well Thor would live the life of a humble, crippled doctor before he discovers he is the son of Odin trapped in mortal form. It could work for one movie, having Donald Blake questioning his sanity just like Jesus did in Last Temptation of Christ when he discovers he is the son of God.
After that story line, though, ditch the Blake character. Served his purpose. -
And it worked for me! I loved the whole Ultimate Thor arc in UA. That was brilliant! If they stick to that story, I'd be very happy. Thor's going to be a tough job and a tough sell to non-comics moviegoers, but I hope they can pull it off, I really do! And thanks to all for the info on Loki, I'm not that familiar with the Norse mythology. (or the original Thor comics for that matter!)
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mark millar's ultimate thor...loved that. but than loeb went all ass on that shitty 3rd volume...fucked the whole universe up. the first two arcs for the ultimates were the best thing in comics in years...that is what the movies should be based on...word.
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cue months and months of talkbackers slagging this movie off.
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that dude also did the norse god some justice!!!
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Isn't Odin supposed to die in Ragnarok with everyone else? In fact aren't they all supposed to live until Ragnarok?
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of Kat Dennings' jubblies.
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Otherwise how will they do the modern day stuff? I cant picture Thor wandering around the streets without drawing some attention to himself.
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Check out Ultimates if you are interested in how Thor would interact with humans without an alter ego. He could simply be a god cast down to earth. I kinda like it better that way..without the stick and all.
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You'd get an opening weekend double what the Hamlet guy is probably gonna get.
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You know, some of the same complaints we heard before Iron Man are duplicated here.
FFS Chill and see what's produced.
You can have Black, Green or Indigo Norse Gods.
You can include or Exclude an Alter-Ego.
You can kill off Odin
As long as the final product is good all changes will be forgiven -
Which is why they should limit his appearance in Avengers to a cameo. There are tons of Avenger villians they could use instead.
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This will be one hell of an interesting movie, I like that they are now taking risks instead of staying safe on these films, with a period set Captain America on the way, it is really exciting time for comic book adaptations.
We might end up getting some really original never seen before stuff, and that is a million times more exciting than another Raimi ruined Spiderman! -
because Favreau kept the movie extremely close to the source material and took in an unprecedented amount of fanboy input. The Dark Knight was another story. Fanboys were worried about the Joker's new look. So yeah, you can win over fanboys with superb execution.
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good thing, sticking to it like glue can really limit what you do in the film, so yeah if they want to change it, why not?
It might be difficult without an alter ego, just because that is the way these superhero movies, the alter ego is the audiences viewpoint in many ways.
But hey, this one is quite a long way off, it has an exciting cast and director, should be a good one. But I am going into it with no expectations of any kind, best way really. -
A god can choose any appearance he wanted. They could change skin color the way people change sneakers. Why wouldn't they?
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A god banished to Earth is compelling enough without the Donald Blake soap opera bullshit.
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This is very beautiful and very hopeful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc
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Never read any before, and wouldnt mind having some knowledge going into this movie?
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Thor: Ages of thunder. It's how I hope the movie will portray Asgard and the gods. JMS' Thor 1 & 2 are also excellent.
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Avoid JMS's take. He has Thor wearing mirrorball longjohns, as if Thor needs armor.
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Where is Balder the Brave?
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Nov 26, 2009 7:50:39 AM CST
Actually he kills people, rapes their women, enslaves their youn
by burnhollywood
...And steals their shit. He also kills whales and chows down on blubber like it's going out of style.
THOR's an old-school Norseman, you bet. -
My man THOR twists his woman's scarf around his wang and fights with his balls hanging free in the breeze.
Can't wait for THAT action figure. -
...Hungry for his woman's precious inner folds. He ate half the mattress before he realized she was out and about in the market place.
That's THOR. Ask for him by name. -
...and enslaves...but when he's done and tired from all the killing, raping, and enslaving he settles down and marries a nice local girl. He often tries his hand at farming or trading with his native Scandinavia.You will find little blond THOR's all over the world...even in Sicily.
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Fucking amazing series.
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sent you a new email on fb dude
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and that cane turned into Mjolnir
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I foresee an Asgard of bark and twig huts
And they'll go the FF route and write him like the ultimate thor -
Walt Simonson's run was great, but so is JMS's its a different style for sure but just as good, and armor looks better than Underwear over pants, hes a Norse god for cryin out loud. Best take on the costume though would be from the Matt Fraction one shots.
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needs ultron, leader, loki team up
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Yeah I like the Simonson stuff too, but can never really see past (!) the underwear thingie. Oh and the Thor 1602 costume is quite cool.
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wow..thanks for that...i bought the album instantly!
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heh heh heh
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I bet he sure was "thor" all right..
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Jesus Christ or Buddha?
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No, the real question is WTF is Don Blake doing listening in on the Teen Brigade's Ham Radio frequency? Fricking perv.
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on Don Blake and you've got everyone's favourite head of a law firm. Ha ha! Head. Ha ha! Firm.
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I want to love what I'm hearing I really do. Good cast interesting, director but... I'm a Thor nut and agree Walt Simonson's run was 'effing epic and there's been much fun before and after but I can't shake the feeling we may get a bastardised version of the Ultimate Thor which is (for me at least) like getting Quicky Marts Own Cola over Coke.
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"Directed by Kenneth Branagh"
For anyone who doubts me, check out anything he's directed since Henry V. Check out "Frankenstein" which was an ode to his bare chest. Check out the self indulgent crap that was the "Sleuth" remake. -
Pym>Ultron>Vision. Follow me here...The Vision has the potential to be an awesome franchise for Disney. Start with Wonder Man, Pym(Ant Man)and The Wasp. It is already in the works with Pixar I believe. Not for nuthin but, no one gives a cunt suck about these characters. Let Disney do an epic CG adventure with these characters with the end result being the creation of Ultron. NOW, move over to a live action movie featuring Vision and Scarlet Witch. Being a "synthezoid" would create all kinds of identity and relationship issues and (if your familiar) the family and loss stuff could result in a really dark and interesting plot. The best part....this character is mostly unknown so like Blade you could take the character in any direction without much public outcry. Get to work you mouse fucking dipshits.
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HOLY SHIT!! Put up a HUGE scan from the comic, and an ad, and some tiny blurb that mentions NOTHING. Fantastic!
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It used to mention SOMETHING, but was changed. Fantastic!
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Brannagh is using Thor to jumpstart his career in Hollywood again and will be fucking up this movie sooo bad.
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I really hope we are all wrong and this movie blows our minds to tiny particles.
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Nov 27, 2009 1:59:37 PM CST
GOOOOOOD. Than again I likes Ultimate THOR so there you go.
by the green gargantua
Haters eat dick.
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Hasn't posted an article about Jeremy Renner possibly playing Hawkeye yet. Figured I would give you guys a heads up. I think that is pretty good casting if it works out.
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Ultimate Thor is the best choice for an Avengers movie if this is how we're first meeting him and you don't want to dick around too much with him because you're really focusing on Captain America and Iron Man. But if you're going to make a Thor-centric movie, especially one with a plot around Thor being sent to Earth to learn humility, why would you build your plot around a guy who *thinks* he's Thor and has to deal with everybody thinking he's delusional until ta da, oh it's actually Thor. YOUR MOVIE IS CALLED "THOR," THE AUDIENCE WILL ALREADY KNOW THAT HE'S THOR. Donald Blake is not essential, but he's a much better choice and a nice, simple way to introduce the character to his own movie. Asgard weird? Godly stuff confusing. Guess what, your main character thinks so too. As he becomes accustomed, so do you. Donald Blake is a great vehicle to bring the audience into THOR - a relatable main-character to bridge the gap between our world and the movie world. And maybe there's a bridge between the versions - Don Blake isn't a doctor but a Greenpeace hippie, or you use the same actor to play both roles and make Blake a little less "humble" - but it's probably the best choice for a superhero Thor movie.
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Wikipedia. Seriously, with the lack of alternate information, they just rewrote the first line of the fictional biography section as being the movie's premise.
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All the other Avengers fit into a "real world". Thor doesn't. I always thought it was a mistake in Ultimates to reveal that he was really Thor. Much more believable as a nut-job with a hi-tech vest. And Fury just didn't care because he got him to do what he wanted him to do. Favreau is right.
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Elin Woods would be good for the part because I hear she swings a mean 9 iron (just ask Tiger).
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naturally he'd want to fit in with his superhero peers. Granted, the Kirby version could be tweaked somewhat, but it is iconic and should be referenced. The new version puts some sort of weird asymmetrical jacket on him, along with the unnecessary, silly looking armor. At the very least make the armor look like something the Norse would use, like mail, lammelar, or cuir bouilli.
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This movie does not look that good anymore. Great cast but hope the script comes out well.
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..make thor wear shiny leg-armor too? and give him a huge beard? and turn him into a frog? awesome...
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