THE WORTHY: Which Woman Will be Thor?

When Marvel announced it had plans to pass the mantle of Thor on to a female character, a number of questions immediately bubbled to the surface. Fans wondered how the original Thor would lose his powers, what would happen to him and, most importantly, who was this mystery woman who was considered worthy enough to lift Mjolnir?

Since the announcement, writer Jason Aaron has remained tight-lipped on the new Thor's identity, other than to hint that it's a character with whom readers are already familiar -- according to Marvel EIC Axel Alonso, it's actually "one of the many women in Thor's life that will become the new Thor." Problem is, the world of Thor is populated by a number of great female characters, so that hint is more like a tease, or, if you're CBR, a challenge to unwrap the mystery.

In the pages of "Thor: God of Thunder," Aaron introduced a number of strong women to the character's mythos, while also including classic characters from the thunder god's past, so who could this new Thor be? Before the mystery lady does the nigh-impossible, we take a look at the most likely candidates.

Jane Foster

Thor's great mortal love, Jane Foster, has not been a major part of Aaron's run, but her time in the title resulted in one of the writer's most well-crafted and poignant moments of the series. In a quiet issue that showed the god's love for his adopted planet Earth, Thor was reunited with Jane, and it was revealed that she was suffering from breast cancer. Aaron deftly depicted her quiet bravery as Jane told Thor her fight with cancer was hers and hers alone, that she would battle the disease on her own terms.

Thor is allies with a number of women who pick up sword and shield to combat all kinds of physical threats, but when you look at Jane's history as a selfless and charitable physician, and her quiet dignity and strength in the face of a deadly disease, you have a great candidate for someone worthy to hold the power of Thor.

Thor's Granddaughters

In the "Godbomb" story arc, Aaron introduced the future granddaughters of King Thor: Atli, Ellisiv and Frigg Wodendottir. Each one is every inch the warrior their grandfather is, and all could be worthy to lift the hammer of their immortal grandsire. Will the new series employ a bit of time travel leading to Atli, Ellisiv or Frigg to find Mjolnir in the present? The familial bond to the Uru hammer would certainly aid any one of the three in lifting the mighty weapon. Or perhaps, all three granddaughters could form the new Thor, a la Firestorm. Whatever the case, Aaron introduced the three scions of Thor for a reason; maybe that reason was to have a warrior of the bloodline of Odin be the next Thor.

Valkyrie

She has yet to make an appearance in Aaron's Thor, but the Avenger known as Valkyrie could certainly be worthy to carry the hammer. Though not a player in "God of Thunder," Valkyrie has been in the spotlight the past couple of years, playing a major role in "Fear Itself" and as a marquee member of the cult favorite "Fearless Defenders." It kind of looks like it could be Valkyrie under the new Thor's helmet, and with the character having gone incognito since her last series was canceled, perhaps Marvel has been keeping her on the sidelines to heighten the surprise when she's unveiled as the new god of thunder. OK, it's a long shot, but Valkyrie is more than worthy of a return to the spotlight, and what can be brighter than being the new Thor?

Sif

Thanks to Jaimie Alexander's turn as the character in in both "Thor" films and on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Sif is now one of Marvel's most visible female heroes. Other than the most recent story arc, Aaron has not done much with Sif, and perhaps that was to save her for the moment when she lifts the hammer and becomes Thor. Sif has always been portrayed as one of Asgard's most noble warriors, a defender of freedom and justice in all the Nine Realms. Her worthiness is not in question, but would Sif give up her own well earned identity and notoriety to become Thor? Many fans have fallen in love with the Sif thanks to the films -- is becoming Thor the way to get the character more face time during the era of the character's greatest level of popularity?

Frigga

In "Thor: The Dark World," Frigga sacrificed herself to save Jane Foster from Malekith and Kurse, exhibiting exactly the kind of nobility that lies within the wife of Odin and mother of Thor. Frigga is alive and well in the comics, ruling Asgard as part of the All Mother along with her fellow goddesses Gaea and Idunn. Since Odin and Thor have both wielded the power of Mjolnir, it 's only be right that the lady mother and current co-ruler of the Golden Realm join the rest of her family as a hammer wielder. Maybe this mystery lady uses the name Thor to honor her fallen son. Or perhaps the name will be a gift from the former Thunder God to the most important woman in his life -- his mother.

Agent Roz Solomon

Of course, the smart money is on neophyte S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Roz Solomon to be the one to raise the hammer. Fresh out of the academy, Solomon specializes in environmental crimes and has recently become romantically linked to Thor. She bravely fought side by side with the Thunder God against Roxxon CEO Dario Agger, and no matter how intense the battle got, she never wavered. A heroic soul who quickly earned the respect of Thor, her heroic spirit would certainly make her an intriguing candidate to be the lady beneath the winged helmet.

BONUS: Roz was named after the wife of Jack Kirby, Rosalind "Roz" Goldstein. Wouldn't it be suiting that the namesake of the wife of "The King" would one day step into the role of a hero he created?