Everybody wants to be Thor. The God of Thunder has been highly influential since his debut in Marvel Comics back in the '60s, including a nice homage in the '80s movie Adventures In Babysitting, which led to a recent callback to the callback in the comics.
Many versions of Thor exist, not just in the comic books and all the varied alternate realities and futures of Marvel, but in other forms of media as well. Thor is one of the key characters of the MCU, and one of its most stable elements in a period of great change. In any era, in any reality, there is always a worthy version of Thor.
10 The Incredible Hulk Returns
Chris Hemsworth is actually not the first screen version of Thor. Few may remember it now, but Thor made his live-action debut in the 1989 made-for-television movie The Incredible Hulk Returns.
This movie saw Bill Bixby return to his classic role from the '70s TV series about the Hulk, and expanded the Marvel screen universe as well. This Thor wouldn't pass muster by today's standards, but like the Hulk show itself, produced a lot of fond memories for those old enough to remember it. The Hulk series of movies also introduced Daredevil to the screen as well.
9 Thunderstrike
The '90s saw a lot of characters either get replaced (or killed) by new versions. Such was the case with Thunderstrike. The classic Thor merged with Eric Masterson, an architect, and completely jumpstarted his identity.
After the original Thor returned, Eric went on to become Thunderstrike, which also became the name of his mace. This method of breathing new life into existing characters by killing them off and having someone new step in, like with the Death of Superman, didn't age very well.
8 Thor 2099
Marvel tried a few times over the years to kickstart a different branch of their continuity or a new one altogether. One of those was the ill-fated New Universe line and another was the 2099 concept. The 2099 Thor arrived a bit after the initial rollout of the line, set unsurprisingly in the year 2099, where Doctor Doom ruled supreme.
This Thor is Cecil McAdam, a member of the religious order of "Thorites" who worship the original version of Thor. He gets his powers through some genetic manipulation, though the most interesting thing about him might be that Steve Rogers eventually claims Mjolnir from him and becomes Thor.
7 Ultimate Thor
All the heavy hitters of the Marvel Universe got a modern update in the early 2000s when Marvel launched the rebooted off-shoot of Ultimate Comics. Though he looked roughly the same as his Earth-616 counterpart, this version of the God of Thunder was in fact entirely different.
This Thor was the alter-ego of a man named Thorlief Golmen, who realized he was the reincarnated form of the Norse warrior Thor. Mjolnir factored much less for Thorlief than the regular Thor (though still one of the most powerful weapons in the Ultimate Universe), and his ego and hubris were amped up to near cosmic levels.
6 King Thor
King Thor is just one of a few different alternate versions of the eventual ruler of Asgard, but he's by far the most compelling and the most powerful. Old King Thor rules essentially a non-existent kingdom. Asgard is long destroyed and all the gods have perished.
Thor alone survives and as the All-Father in a far future, has become bitter. He's no less a warrior, tracking down and ultimately killing the God-Butcher responsible for the destruction of his people. This version of the character truly shows his power and potential.
5 Classic
In life, the general adage is if it is not broke, don't fix it. That applies in comics, too, though the history of comic books is one constant reinvention. Still, the original version of Thor introduced in the Silver Age remains one of the best versions of the character.
The Asgardian warrior introduced a great sense of nobility and honor into the fledgling Marvel Universe, as well as the mythological pantheon of the Nine Realms. The iconic Jack Kirby version of the character remains a guiding light for not just the comic books today, but movies and television adaptations too.
4 Storm Thor
One of the best things about the mighty Mjolnir is that anyone worthy can lift it. That's a select group of people in the Nine Realms, and one of them isn't really a surprise. Storm is not only an Omega-Level mutant, she's a goddess in her own right. Her inherent nobility and grace made her a natural for the worthiness of the hammer, one of the most powerful cosmic weapons.
Storm Thor debuted in the 2015 Secret Wars event, from an alternate Earth where she was a member of the multi-dimensional Thor Corps, not unlike the Captain Britain Corps tasked with defending the multiverse.
3 Throg
Thor can get pretty serious at times. Gods and legends tend to. But during the legendary run on Thor by writer and artist Walt Simonson in the '80s, things got a little silly. Loki transformed Thor Odinson into a frog, and that was so much fun that later inspired an actual Thor frog, Throg.
Throg was once Puddlegup, a frog who used to be a human man named Simon Walterson (a likely inverse of Walt Simonson). After meeting the real Thor, Puddlegup proved himself worthy and now maintains his own Asgardian power and wields his own hammer, Frogjonir.
2 Jane Foster Thor
One of the absolute best versions of Thor debuted in the last few years. The mystery and ultimate ascendancy of Jane Foster to the mantle of Thor resulted in a dynamic and historic run by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman.
Both Foster and the role of Thor – truly a mantle and a station at this point – were completely revitalized. Jane Foster has since gone on to become the newest Valkyrie in the Marvel Universe, but her popular run as the God of Thunder has inspired the character to show up in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder.
1 Marvel Cinematic Universe
The MCU Thor is likely the most popular version of the character out there, but he's also one of the best. The God of Thunder goes on a real, clear journey in the many films he's appeared in, and will continue to for some time it seems.
Thor also gains a great deal more humor and humanity than some versions of the character in the comics, which have at times in the past leaned pretty hard into his god-like disposition. Chris Hemsworth and the creative team at Marvel Studios have made him an integral part of the MCU franchise.