He is the Norse God of Thunder, master of the storm and lightning, heir to the throne of legendary Asgard. Summoning the enchanted Uru hammer Mjolnir, EMS technician Jake Olson stands transformed into the mightiest warrior of mythology: Thor!

Real name: Jake Olson / Thor
Occupation: EMS technician / God of Thunder
Group affiliation: Avengers
Base of operations: Asgard; Avengers Mansion, New York City
First appearance: Journey Into Mystery #83 (1962)

Height: 5'10" as Olson, 6'6" as Thor
Weight: 150 lbs. as Olson, 640 lbs. as Thor
Eye color: Blue
Hair color: Blond

Powers: As the son of Odin, Thor's strength, endurance and resistance to injury are greater than the vast majority of his superhuman race.

Weapons: The enchanted hammer Mjolnir, made of mystic Uru metal, is nearly indestructible. The mallet derives the remainder of its powers from Odin's six enchantments: No living being, unless worthy, may lift it; it always returns to the exact spot from which it was thrown; it channels Thor's ability to control the elements of storm and project mystical energy; it allows its wielder to open transdimensional portals; it enables Thor to transform himself into human form; and it grants its user the power of flight.

History: Descended from Norse gods and raised in the hallowed halls of Asgard, Thor nearly precipitated a war by violating a truce with his family's ancient enemy: the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, one of the nine worlds of the Asgardian cosmology. Odin, Thor's father, banished the young God of Thunder to Earth without his memory to teach him a lesson in humility.

After a decade as a mere mortal, the feeble Dr. Donald Blake was drawn to Norway. There, he encountered a race of warmongering aliens. Seeking cover in a cave, Blake discovered a mysterious wooden cane. Actually the enchanted hammer Mjolnir, it transformed him once more into the mighty Thor. After expelling the alien threat, the Thunder God took his place among the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Thor is forever torn between his divine home, Asgard, and the troubled lands of his adopted world, Earth.

While fulfilling Odin's lesson in humility, Thor developed an appreciation for mortals and the planet Earth. Eventually, he learned Don Blake had not existed prior to his appropriation of that form: Odin merely had remade Thor as a mortal. In light of this revelation, Thor established a new identity: Sigurd Jarlson. To effect this guise, he pulled back his hair, wore glasses and dressed like a normal human. During a battle with the villain Mongoose, Thor's friend Eric Masterson was gravely injured. As a gift to his son, Odin merged Masterson with the Thunder God in a similar manner to the creation of Don Blake. In this case, however, Masterson and Thor were two separate beings.

Thor's adopted brother -- Loki, Norse God of Mischief and Evil, diminutive scion of Laufey, king of the Frost Giants -- has been a constant thorn in the Thunder God's side. Motivated by his jealousy of his foster brother and a desire to seize Odin's throne, Loki strayed from his honored place. Now, this prince of Asgard will stop at nothing to destroy Thor and all he holds dear. In one of his many depraved schemes, Loki tricked Thor into "killing" him, thereby breaking Asgardian law. Thor was to be banished, but asked that Masterson be spared his fate. Retaining the abilities of Thor, Masterson was left to become Earth's guardian.

Thor soon reclaimed his power, but nearly was killed in battle with the metallic menace known as the Destroyer. Merged with EMS technician Jake Olson, Thor once again took to living a double life. To sully the reputation of Thor's human identity, Loki raised the real Jake Olson from the dead. However, Thor defeated Loki's puppet in the guise of his alter ego. This failure led Loki to believe the only way to best his foster brother was to possess Olson's body. But before Loki could kill Thor, Odin imprisoned his essence in human form.