It was as if DC took dibs at capes and hence the majority of superheroes at Marvel don't wear one. Thor Odinson is one of the rare breeds of Marvel superheroes who wears a quintessential cape. Apart from Thor, only the likes of Doctor Strange and later Vision got capes and the majority of Marvel heroes do not flaunt the typical superhero attire. But this isn't only about capes and Thor.
Born during the Silver Age of Comics, Thor the Asgardian God was first inked in 1962 published comic, Journey Into Mystery. Since then The God of Thunder has upped his styling game. At times he has left us impressed and how and at times his fashion choices have left us puzzled. Taking into account the fact that Thor Odinson belongs to the good-looking lot of Avengers, tracing his fashion evolution through the years is worth it.
10 The Original Thor (1962)
The first-ever Thor to get published was written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber and designed by Jack Kirby. Thor got a blue and a red sleek body-hugging costume with a flying red cape. He also got a winged helmet with, circular designs on the chest that were prominent till his last MCU outing, Avengers: Endgame.
The published version wasn't the first sketch of Thor that Kirby drew. Initially, he had a Viking-inspired costume with a beard in mind for DC but for Marvel, he let go of the Viking version and stuck to the basics. Interestingly around the same time in August of 1962, Spider-Man was also launched with exactly the same color theme.
9 The Mighty Thor (1984)
Walter Simonson's Thor was by far one of the most successful series based on the Asgardian God that was well received by Marvel fans. Though the character did not see any major change in his costume, Thor definitely came across to be bulkier in his appearances. One visible addition was the black knee pads.
In 1984, Walter's Thor was on a mission to save Asgard from Surtur. Before the chaos begins, the God of Thunder must stop Surtur from realizing his plans. This was also the first time the concept of 'the one worthy to lift the Mjolnir' was introduced.
8 Battle Armor (1987)
Shedding his sleeveless, bare arms costume for once, Thor went for gold. He had more gold than the reds and the blues. Head to toe, his battle arm glittered and the costume truly looked like the one God would wear.
He also had an elaborate winged helmet in this one. Of course, it's not only Loki who likes to put on a show but Asgardians including Thor loves going bold and making his presence felt. The gold battle armor 100% speaks the language of Thor.
7 Destroyer Armor (1987)
The Destroyer originally is an Asgardian armor animated by magic. The Destroyer is always shown as the mighty fire-spitting opponent of Thor. In 1987, The Mighty Thor #381 saw the Destroyer once again stand against Thor.
In the series, Thor is assumed dead and the Destroyer tries to absorb his soul into his Armor but the superhero quickly reverses the process and takes over the Destroyer hence donning his Armor eventually. The Thor Destroyer can be seen with his winged helmet, red cape, and golden waist belt.
6 Thor The Viking (1988)
The first-ever live-action Thor was born in 1988. Eric Allan Kramer famously played Thor on the small screen. It was a made-to-television film that was also supposed to be followed by a Thor TV series. That never saw the light of the day. What changed for TV Thor was the drastic makeover he got.
The small-screen appearance drifted more towards that of a Viking. Thor had a washed-out costume with armor and fur on his shoulder. The colors that adorned Thor in his comic appearances seem to have disappeared completely along with his trademark cape.
5 Crop Top Thor (1996)
Thor is by far the most good-looking Marvel superhero there can be. Most of the credit goes to Chris Hemsworth but the Asgardian's graphic version also is worth a look. But as all greats err at least once, the mind behind Thor #502 also made the sartorial sin of dressing up God of Thunder in a crop top!
Yup! You read it right, Mike Deodato Jr. was heavily inspired by the '90s. Crop top, muscles, muscles, and more muscles, leather shoulder pads, and long tresses. While men wearing crop-top started in the 80s when athletes started cropping their football jerseys to show off their chiseled abs, the trend continued in the 90s as well thanks to Will Smith's 6-year stint on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
4 Throg of Thunder (1986)
One of the weirdest transformations of Thor was into a frog known as Throg. The Mighty Thor #364 saw Thor spend time as a frog to help save the real frog of the story, Puddlegulp. Thor's frog transformation on Earth was all thanks to Loki, but Throg turned out to be one of the best characters created in the world of Thor by Marvel.
While Thor eventually returned to his original self, years later it was discovered that Puddlegulp could lift the mini form of Mjolnir he had found. Holding the famous dialogue of Odin true "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor" the amphibian became The Mighty Throg, the Frog of Thunder.
3 Thunder Strike (1993)
If Thor would ever have to go Rock, it has to be his 1993 makeover when he played Thunderstrike in the series. Eric Masterson introduced The Mighty Thor as a normal human being in 1988. Gradually he merged himself with the hypothetical character and Thunderstrike was born.
The helmet was gone, Thor's hair was tied into a ponytail and he had a sleeveless high collared leather vest. The image of Thor was more humanized in this one, the godly look was much more appreciated.
2 Thor Ragnarok (2017)
This MCU film was everything that a fashion designer could imagine for a dream project. From Sakaar's gold attire to Hela's sheeny black leather outfit to even Thor. All had an amazing makeover and the outcome was 10/10. In Ragnarok, Thor comes out of voluntary exile from Asgard and because he has left his beloved hammer at home, he fights with his new weapons.
Starting from his hair, which is now short and crisp, literally. His cape can be seen just clasping on one side rather than royally fluttering behind him. He also gets an eye patch after his sister Hela slashes his face thus making Thor wear an eye socket just like his father King Odin.
1 Thor In Avengers: Endgame (2019)
While ladies always drooled over the well-toned, abs flaunting Chris Hemsworth, the rude shock of watching him in a completely 180-degree shift in terms of appearance took some time to digest. A never-ending belly, unkempt hair, messy facial hair, and little self-esteem were all that he had to offer.
Sulking post-Thanos snapped havoc, Thor did not just give up on life, he gave up on himself. Even when he was motivated enough to assemble with the band of Avengers in the final battle against Thanos, his big belly remained and Thor still fought the way an Asgardian does.