Marvel unveils new female Thor

"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor", reads the inscription on Mjolnir, hammer of everyone's favourite god of thunder. Well, someone at Marvel is going to need some industrial-strength Tipp-ex to get rid of that gender specific reference.

The US comic publisher has announced that the latest iteration of Thor will see the familiar blonde, muscular hero replaced by a blonde, muscular heroine.

The new series, titled THOR, is to be penned by long-time Marvel scribe Jason Aaron. Writing on Marvel's official site, Aaron explained that the new story arch won't see this new female hero run as a side-show to the Son of Odin: "This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve ever seen before."

Revealed earlier today on the ABC talk show The View, Whoopi Goldberg explained that Thor, the God of Thunder, will lose his right to wield Mjolnir and thus lose his status as Thor. Character art released by Marvel shows that an unworthy Thor will make an appearance, alongside the new female Thor.

"The new Thor continues Marvel's proud tradition of strong female characters like Captain Marvel, Storm, Black Widow and more," said Marvel editor Wil Moss. "And this new Thor isn't a temporary female substitute - she's now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!"

Details of when THOR will hit shelves are yet to emerge.

(Images: Marvel)

[Via: Polygon]