The MCU takes a lot of liberties with the source material that the movies are based on. From the beginning, they’ve never tried to create strict page-to-screen translations. Yes, the characters in the films are from comic books, but they’ve grown beyond their printed boundaries. They’re characters living in the modern world who were originally created in the '50s and '60s. Of course there will be some changes -- some more obvious (and irritable) than others. Thor’s character isn’t the least or the most faithfully adapted character in the MCU. Marvel didn’t completely change his origin story (as they did for Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver) but they did add and subtract some elements of his character to make him more appealing on-screen. Although Thor is an entertaining character in the comics, his Nordic costumes, ridiculous accent, and overly fantastical adventures don’t always make for the easiest transition to film.

The grand mythos surrounding the character gave MCU producers good bones. However, MCU writers and producers still had to do a lot of work to make this version of Odinson someone who could hold their own against popular characters like Iron Man and Hulk. They also had to make Thor’s homeland of Asgard something other than a Medieval Times show on steroids, which we’re sure wasn’t an easy task. CBR is counting down 20 things that the MCU got wrong when it comes to the comic versions of Thor and Asgard. Some of these changes are small, some are huge, and some are in-between. For this list, we pulled from Thor, Thor: Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Infinity War. If you have any suggestions for other changes, feel free to comment!

20 THERE ARE TEN REALMS

Heven

When it comes to Asgardian mythos, the MCU gets a lot right. The films include the Yggdrasill, aka the World Tree, which supports the nine different Realms. These Realms include the frequent MCU settings Midgard, Asgard, and Svartalfheim (home of the Dark Elves). The major difference between the MCU’s Yggdrasill and the comic version of the World Tree is the exclusion of one particular realm: Heven.

Somewhat recently, Marvel added this tenth Realm to Thor comics. Although it looks kind of like “Heaven” don’t get it confused with paradise. Although futuristic and full of winged women, Heven has a bloody past, which is why Odin separated it from the rest of the realms. So far, Heven hasn’t appeared in the MCU.

19 FRIGGA ISN'T THOR'S (REAL) MOM

The Dark World Frigga

Thor has a close bond with his mother in both the comics and in the MCU. She’s frequently a pillar of strength for the Odinson and is one of the few people he can always depend on. While in the comics and on-screen Frigga is most certainly Thor’s mother, in the comics she didn’t technically give birth to him.

Like Loki, Frigga adopted Thor when he was an infant. Her husband, Odin, slept with Jord, one of the Elder Goddesses, an attempt to create an extremely powerful heir -- that resulted in Thor. In the MCU, Frigga is Thor’s birth mother. Including this bit of comics trivia in the MCU wouldn’t have changed much, but it would have taken a lot of unnecessary explaining.

18 UNWORTHY THOR

Unworthy Thor

When Thor arrives on Earth in the first MCU film starring his character, he isn’t able to pick up Mjolnir. Odin’s spell of worthiness found the Odinson lacking. Eventually, he becomes worthy and Mjolnir is his once more. After that, he never loses his worthiness again but in the comics, he does.

In a strange turn of events, the worthiest Asgardian of all suddenly becomes unworthy. Thor loses his ability to wield the powerful Mjolnir, becoming the aptly named “Unworthy Thor”. This dramatically changes the character in a way that we never see in the MCU. Thor may lose his hammer in Thor: Ragnarok, but he doesn’t become unworthy of it. That’s honestly a lot worse.

17 GODS NOT ALIENS

One of the strangest things about the MCU version of Thor is that, originally, in the first film, Thor was not a god. For whatever reason, Marvel made Asgardians aliens instead of a magical race, as they are in the comics. Comic Thor is part of a long line of gods who’ve been around for thousands of years. He’s a god in every sense of the word, so why did Marvel make him an alien in the MCU?

We can’t answer that, however we do have reason to believe Marvel’s begun to regret its decision. In Thor: Ragnarok, numerous characters refer to Hela, Loki, and Thor as gods. At the moment, they’re still technically aliens, but the MCU might be retconning in the future.

16 HELA'S POWERS

Hela's Necrosword

The MCU got a lot of things about Hela wrong, including her powers. In Thor: Raganrok, Hela has the ability to pull an array of fantastical weapons seemingly out of thin air. Cinematically, this makes for some visually stunning scenes. Historically, however, this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Another Thor villain, Gorr the God Butcher, is the only Marvel comic book character with this unique power. Chances are, Marvel added elements from other characters to make her more movie-friendly. Hela, as the Goddess of Death, mostly just uses forms of dark magic in the comics. That wouldn’t look half as cool as giant swords on screen.

15 ODIN'S VAULT

Odin’s Vault plays a key role in the third Thor film, Thor: Ragnarok. The guarded chamber held all of Odin’s most prized and dangerous artifacts that he had collected over the years. Most of the objects Odin collected were thought to have some sort of connection to Ragnarok and the inevitable destruction of Asgard. The vault was Odin’s way of trying to stop the inescapable.

In the comics, there are various vaults, dungeons, and lairs hidden in the depths of Asgard, but nothing is specifically called Odin’s Vault. In the MCU, objects (from the eternal flame to the various Infinity Stones) carry a lot of weight, which might be why Marvel decided to add this Asgardian treasury.

14 WHERE'S THE SERPENT?

According to the comics, the infamous Ragnarok entails more than just the destruction of Asgard. Prophecy states that, on Ragnarok, Thor will end the Midgard Serpent but die as a result of the monster’s venom. Because comics are never simple, this isn’t exactly what happens, but the Midgard Serpent still plays a big role -- a role that we never see on-screen.

The giant sea-serpent Jormungand lives in the oceans of Midgard after Odin banished him from Asgard. He’s practically invulnerable, making him one of Thor’s most powerful foes. For the MCU, the serpent would’ve made Thor: Ragnarok way too complicated. Plus, Jormungand is technically Loki’s son...which would have taken a lot of explaining.

13 HELA ISN'T THOR'S SISTER

Odin and Hela Thor-Ragnarok

For comic fans, Hela’s “tearful” origin story in Thor: Ragnarok is just slightly above complete garbage. Her elaborate tale about pillaging planets alongside Odin sounds legitimate considering her caliber of character, but when you take a look at the comics, the inconsistencies become strikingly clear. The MCU’s Hela “Odinsdottir” doesn’t exist on-page. In the comics, Hela is Loki’s daughter -- not Odin’s.

Odin did give her rule over the dead, but only because he wanted her away from Asgard. Hela hates Thor and wants control over Asgard because she’s evil -- not because they’re siblings. As difficult as this change was for some fans to process, it actually does make sense. In the film, it adds depth to Hela’s character that the comics can’t offer.

12 MJOLNIR

Odin with Mjolnir in the first Thor film

Mjolnir does (basically) the same thing in the MCU and in comics: throw giant blasts of lighting at things. The comic version of this famous hammer begins to differ from its MCU parallel in its origin story. While Mjolnir operates the same on both page and screen, in the MCU the hammer’s power came from a dying star. The dwarves who created the hammer needed immense heat to melt the Uru base. Only a star could supply that kind of power.

In the comics, Mjolnir came from the God Tempest. Odin battled the storm god for weeks before he was able to capture the powerful entity in a block of Uru. This block later became a hammer.

11 THANOS DOESN'T END ANY ASGARDIANS

As disappointing as it is, Thanos doesn’t wipe out half of the Asgardian population in the comics -- at least, not as directly as he does in Avengers: Infinity War. In the film, Thanos uses the Infinity Stones he’s collected to take out half of the refugee Asgardians in a bid to create “perfect balance” in the universe.

In the comics, Thanos doesn’t have anything to do with the destruction of Asgard or the end of its people. Comic Thanos has done a lot of damage to other realms, but Asgard is (surprisingly) usually spared. Instead, Asgardians face other threats that we don’t get to see on-screen. Most recently, Asgard and its people fell to the “God Killer” known as Mangog.

10 MAGIC NOT SCIENCE

The Bifrost from Thor

If Thor is an alien, what fuels his powers, and what makes Asgard so much more developed when compared to Midgard? In the first two Thor movies, the answer is simple: science. Like something out of a sci-fi novel, the MCU Asgardians are an advanced race, centuries ahead of humans when it comes to knowledge and invention.

In their medieval garb, they don’t always look the most advanced, but trust us: they are. Much of MCU Asgardian society is built upon scientific developments that sometimes resemble what humans think of as magic. Many of their inventions, like the Bifrost Bridge, go beyond current human understanding.

9 MUCH YOUNGER THOR

Thor and Odin MCU

If you pick up a modern Thor comic, you won’t see the MCU’s version of Thor. You won’t see an inexperienced alien who only just discovered the wonders (and failures) of Midgard. You’ll see an older Odinson who’s more than familiar with Earth. The Thor in comics is considerably older than the Thor of the MCU.

In Avengers: Infinity War, we found out that MCU Thor is over one thousand years old... which sounds pretty old. But, when compared with comic Thor, who was wielding Mjolnir in Ancient Egypt, that number doesn’t sound quite as impressive. Comic Thor is also capable of being revived at the end of every Ragnarok cycle, which means his various origin stories are endless.

8 THOR HAS AN ALTER EGO

Thor Donald Blake Name Tag

Technically, MCU Thor does have an alter ego. In a few scenes, we see that on Earth, Thor goes by “Donald Blake”. In the comics, however, Thor’s alter ego is significantly more developed. Like in the MCU, Odin sends comic Thor to Earth in an effort to teach him humility.

However, unlike in the films, Odin doesn’t just send Thor to Earth sans hammer. He also strips the god of his memories and gives him the new identity of Donald Blake, a crippled medical student. After ten years, Odin eventually returned Thor’s memories and powers. Thor continued using the name Blake until he joined the Avengers. Nowadays, modern comics rarely mention this less-well-known alter ego.

7 THOR IS MORE POWERFUL

The comic version of Thor is a god. He is arguably the most powerful Avenger, both with and without Mjolnir. The MCU version of Thor is undoubtedly very powerful. He took on the Hulk and probably would’ve won, if it had been a fair fight. In Avengers: Infinity War, he almost defeats Thanos. We’re not trying to say that in the films Thor isn’t a formidable opponent, we’re just saying that in the comics he’s a lot more formidable.

So, how do we know this? In the comics, Thor has had some seriously OP moments. He pushed over Galactus and knocked out the Phoenix Force. MCU Thor is powerful, but we’re positive comic Thor could take him any day of the week.

6 JANE FOSTER ISN'T A SCIENTIST

Jane Foster Thor The Dark World

In Thor, the first film starring Odinson, Jane Foster appears as an intelligent astrophysicist studying astrological anomalies. She comes into contact with Thor after Odin sent him to Midgard using the Bifrost’s wormhole tech. Compared to the comics, Thor screenwriters only tweaked her character, changing her from a doctor (or a nurse) to a scientist.

This slight change is understandable when considering the absence of Thor Donald Blake persona. Blake was a doctor who met Jane at work. In the MCU, there (most likely) wasn’t enough time to fully create the Donald Blake character, but they still needed Jane and Thor to meet. Making advanced Asgardian technology the main connection between Thor and Jane works really well.

5 ASGARD MOVES TO EARTH

Asgard on Earth

In Thor: Ragnarok, Odin calls Asgard a people, not a place. In the comics and in the films, this seems to be true. Like in the MCU, the comic version of Asgard is not an eternal place. Since its first appearance, Asgard has moved and changed numerous times over the decades. It’s been torn down, renamed, and rebuilt more times than most comic fans care to admit.

In the MCU, Asgard becomes a space-craft full of refugees, but in the comics Asgard becomes a place outside of Broxton, Oklahoma. Thor physically moved the capital city of Asgard to Earth in an effort to keep it safe. Of course, it didn’t last, but for a little while Asgard was part of Midgard.

4 THOR'S MANY SIBLINGS

Angela Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy

Thor’s latest cinematic installment, Thor: Ragnarok, revealed a surprising addition to the Odinson’s family: Hela. Unlike Loki, who’s Thor’s adopted brother, MCU Hela is Thor’s full brother. Strangely enough, in the comics, Thor doesn’t have any siblings who are his full siblings, though he does have eight half-siblings.

Most of Thor’s siblings aren’t super well-known (aside from Loki of course), but Thor’s paternal half-sibling Aldrif Odinsdottir, aka Angela, is starting to become a more common character in Marvel comics. She was Odin and Frigga’s firstborn (like Hela in the MCU) but angels from Heven took her years before Thor was born.

3 HELA CAN'T DESTROY MJOLNIR

Hela

The most dramatic and scary scene in Thor: Ragnarok is when Hela, effortlessly obliterates Mjolnir -- before that scene, the stakes aren’t that high. The film isn’t serious. But after Hela destroys the one thing that supposedly makes Thor the powerful Avenger, everything gets that much scarier.

This scene is really powerful and does a great job showcasing Hela’s power. The thing is, in the comics, this never happens. Others have destroyed (or cracked) Mjolnir, but Hela certainly hasn’t. The MCU version of Hela is much more powerful than the comics version. To put it into perspective, Thor’s sister (who most MCU fans probably won’t know) defeated comic Hela and stole her title within just a few issues.

2 THOR LOSES AN ARM (NOT AN EYE)

Being a superhero often means be willing to make huge sacrifices. Although a powerful god, few characters in the Marvel universe know this more than Thor. In the MCU, Thor’s own sister gouges his eye out and in the comics, Malekith cuts off his arm. Thor losing his eye in Thor: Ragnarok probably had something to do with the end of Odin.

The MCU theoretically needs a “new” Odin, so Thor picks up the role (and the appearance). Why Thor loses an arm in the comics is a little more mysterious. The battle with Malekith comes shortly after Thor becomes unworthy of Mjolnir, so it might have something to do with the tragic fall of his character.

1 JANE FOSTER IS (ALSO) THOR

Jane Foster wields her hammer as the Mighty Thor.

Who do we really, really want to see in the MCU? Jane Foster -- but not scientist Jane Foster. In the comics, Jane proved Odinson isn’t the only one who can claim the title of Thor. When Odinson became unworthy of Mjolnir, Jane picked it up instead and became the Goddess of Thunder. As unexpected as her transformation was, fans immediately latched onto this new Thor.

Jane’s Thor provided a new and more relatable figure for a lot of comic fans, which is why we wouldn’t be surprised to see her on-screen. Jane didn’t appear in Thor: Ragnarok or Avengers: Infinity War so maybe (just maybe) Marvel is planning something big for her MCU character in the future.