Let’s step through the third installment in the Marvel Universe Thor franchise, Thor: Ragnarok. In this movie ***spoilers if you haven’t seen it*** Thor is found “captured” in Surtur’s lair. He’s there because he has been dreaming of Asgard’s doom and at the center is Surtur. So he is taunting him and telling him that he will destroy him so that he can’t destroy his home. So he fights him and takes his crown (big eyebrow). Thor returns to Asgard to discover Loki has banished their father, King Odin to an elderly care facility on earth. They go to find him only to discover that he is dying and upon his death, their estranged sister, who was banished from the kingdom would return. Hela is depicted as an “evil” being, once Odin’s executioner. She was along his side as he conquered the various realms. She was violent, scorn, and if we are being honest, was probably dealing with an absolute ton of childhood trauma. But I digress. Very early on in the movie, in fact, almost immediately upon her arrival, she destroys Thor’s beloved hammer, Mjölnir. With her bare hands, she destroyed one of the most fearsome and powerful weapons in existence, capable of leveling mountains. Needless to say, Thor was a little disoriented with the shock that she was more powerful than he and his hammer. Loki was so startled, he yells for the bi-frost to be open so they can come home. Thor knows that this is a bad idea because she, Hela, gains her strength from Asgard, a place she has been exiled from for what has now been about an eternity in her mind. If you’ve seen it , you know the only one that makes it back to Asgard is Hela.
Of course immediately upon her arrival, she begins to wreak havoc on Asgard. Meanwhile, Thor and Loki land on another planet called Sakaar. Sakaar is defined as a garbage planet surrounded by wormholes that you can escape back into the universe through. Here we discover how bad Thor feels about losing his hammer. He often talked to people about all the things he was able to do with it, what it feels like to have lost it. Loki is trying to convince him to just play along, find favor with the “Grandmaster”, and eventually they could take over another planet and rule there. Thor wants to go home and save his planet, his home. He comes to realize that the scrapper who sold him into becoming a gladiator or “prisoner with a job” was actually an Asgardian Valkyrior, who is sworn to protect the throne of Asgard. He also discover the beloved champion on Sakaar was none other than the incredible “Hulk”. Long story short, they team up and go back to Asgard to save it.
Now why did I just walk through the majority of this movie? Other than being a huge Marvel Universe Fan, I saw so much in Thor’s story line from the very beginning of the trilogy, but it all manifested in this film (Ragnarok) and moving through Avengers: Infinity War, and Endgame. I can truly identify with Thor and his struggles, but I also see myself a but in Hela and Loki. I started this blog intending for it to be about finding and playing on your strengths. I often play the line in the title in my mind when I am at my lowest or feeling discouraged.
“Are you the God of Hammers?” It sounds silly right? Who would want to be the god of hammers? This line came to Thor as Hela was winning the fight. I saw it as the moment he was deciding to give up or keep fighting. She had blinded him in one eye and had him on the rail of balcony. He saw his late father and heard his voice again. He explained to Thor that the hammer was a solution to a problem. Mjölnir was made in order to allow him to control his power during a time when he was too immature to understand the magnitude of his own strength.
Of course we all know what happens next. In true super hero fashion, Thor regains his confidence and manages to learn to yield his power through his own body. He is able to blast lighting at his targets, fly through the air, all without his hammer. If only real life were like that right?
If only we were able to have some visitation from a dead loved one that puts everything in perspective. It would change our lives and we would go on to be empowered and be able to lead the long fulfilling lives that God intended for us all. How do we get there in real life? We fight. We struggle. We keep fighting. We find things that we are good at. We play on our strengths and work on our weaknesses. We fight some more. Eventually we get better, become more content and accept life as it comes.
I’ve discovered lately, that so much of my fight has been against things that I truly didn’t understand. Things that I didn’t accept, want to admit, and that I was just plain oblivious too. Truth is, I can identify with the three Odin kids. Yes, all three of them. I’ll explore that in this series. Plainly, I will share the unpacking of my own family dynamic from my perspective. So much of who we become is rooted in our childhood experiences. I remember much of my childhood quite vividly, and I have loosely been able to pin point how some things still affect me every day. But right now, I think it is necessary that I walk through it more intentionally. My future depends on it.
So as I said, the line is on repeat in my head, “Are you the god of hammers?”. If the answer to that question is, “No.”, which Thor clearly knew. The the next question, or statement to follow was likely, “I am the God of Thunder”. My answer would also be a resounding, “No.” but that only leaves me with another question, “Then what am I the god of?” Asked other ways: “What am I in control of?” “What am I good at?” “What am I good for?” “What good am I?”
All questions I need answers too.
