Marvel's ever famous superhero Thor, the God of Thunder, is one of the most recognizable fictional characters in today's media. His incredible strength, powerful abilities, and adventurous journeys across Asgard and the other eight realms make him such an enjoyable hero to keep up with.
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The Thor the mass media knows and loves is actually very different than the real Thor that was created as a part of the fantastical Norse Mythology. From changes in his attitude to his appearance to his abilities, Thor is a very different guy in the myths he was based on. There are some notable similarities too which justify the number of changes in his Marvel character.
Anyone can easily identify the God of Thunder by his iconic long, blonde locks. However, he actually doesn't have blonde hair at all in Norse Mythology.
Old artworks, stories, and texts of Thor depict him having flaming red hair and a red beard. Jack Kirby, one of the creators of Marvel's Thor comic, even originally drew Thor with red hair in an early sketch before the final blonde version of the Norse god was chosen. The mighty Thor would look great either way, no matter the hair color.
Thor is a multi-faceted character in both Marvel and the Norse depiction of him. He closely follows his father's orders and has charged bravely into battle at any chance he can take. He has done many awful deeds that could be seen as downright evil to many, including causing a massive nuclear explosion in China in the comics and killing giants just because he doesn't like them in Norse Mythology.
He also spends a great deal of effort saving people and fights to protect Asgard in both versions.
In Norse Mythology, it is prophesied that all of the gods will die fighting in a battle — Ragnarok. During this unavoidable end of the Asgard and the Gods, Thor will be killed by Jormungandr, a gigantic serpent with unmatchable strength.
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However, in the Marvel comics, Thor faces Jormungandr and wins, breaking all of the snake's bones in the process. In the MCU, Thor: Ragnarok depicts the end of Asgard but it doesn't kill off all the gods as the Norse myth states.
In both the old legends and the Marvel universe, there are nine realms that are interconnected by the cosmic nexus Yggdrasi. The nine realms consist of Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Muspelheim, Alfheim, Nidavellir, Niflheim, Svartalfheim, and Vanaheim.
Though the MCU doesn't show all of the nine realms, it shows a great deal of the world of Asgard, along with Jotunheim. Jotunheim was featured in Thor and Thor: The Dark World where the Frost Giants reside and Loki was revealed to be originally from.
In the Marvel comics and movies, Thor goes on many adventures and takes on plenty of foes beside his trusty Warriors Three, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg. In the original stories of Thor, however, these three fearless warriors actually don't exist. Thor frequently fights alongside other Asgardians, including his two powerful sons, but he has no dependable sidekicks that are always at his side like the Warriors Three are in the Marvel universe.
Thor was told to be very strong and insanely powerful, but with that came the exchange of being very intelligent. He solves conflict with his fists and follows every order of his father, Odin, without question.
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In the Marvel universe, Thor is typically portrayed the same way. He isn't very smart, speaks his hilarious lines without stopping to think first, and is never the one to properly strategize for the Avengers. As the MCU movies carried on, Thor's goofiness and low intelligence are more accurately matched to Mythological Thor's.
One of Thor's major themes is that the son of Odin has the ability to wield Mjölnir due to him being worthy of the power of Thor. He struggles with feelings of not being good enough to rule his people in the comics and the movies, but in actual Norse Mythology, anyone could wield the hammer if they were strong enough. Which none were, since Mjölnir is impossibly heavy.
Thor has to wear support items named Jarngreipr and the Megingjord, which are iron gloves and a belt of strength, in order to wield his mighty weapon.
Mythological Thor was feared by most, including other gods who knew of his impeccable power. He could control lighting, thunder, and the power of storms, being the son of the mighty Odin. Thor in the Marvel universe is just as tough, wielding the power of lighting and being able to smash his enemies with his awe-inspiring force. He's easily the strongest Avenger in the MCU and comics, matching the strength of the Thor from Norse myths.
In the Marvel universe, Thor is able to soar through the skies with the power of Mjölnir. However, this isn't the case in the old myths. Thor's hammer doesn't grant him the ability to fly, only a chariot drawn by goats does! Toothgnasher and Toothgrinde are the two goats that give Thor his speedy air transportation.
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They are repeatedly eaten and revived by Thor, giving him endless sustenance on his journeys. The powerful, mythical goats are featured in the old Marvel comics, having debuted back in 1976, but they have not once made an appearance in the popular MCU.
In times of old, using a proper knife and spoon and table manners wasn't as widely expected as it is today. The Thor from the myths depicts him as a tough, brawn, savage man who likely doesn't spend too much time worrying about which fork to use first. He feels no shame in personally killing and eating his own goats over and over again.
In the Marvel universe, Thor has to spend a bit of time getting used to modern Earth and its new-age manners. He can drink hard, eat messily, and cause a ruckus without feeling it odd at all.