Thor and Loki’s MCU family tree keeps growing as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s take on Norse mythology is explored in new movies and shows.
The MCU has slowly revealed a large chunk of Thor‘s family tree throughout the years. Marvel Studios has followed Thor since the moment his failed coronation led him to become closer to Midgard than he was to Asgard. As a result, Loki also distanced himself from Asgard to become a villain, and later, a redeemed hero. With Asgard gone after the events of Thor: Ragnarok, the introduction of more Asgardian gods in future MCU movies and shows is less likely, but that doesn’t mean Thor’s extended family doesn’t exist somewhere out there in the MCU.
Thor’s MCU family is directly taken from Norse mythology, which doesn’t focus exclusively on Thor’s closest relatives. Just like the Greek Olympians, the Norse gods include a wide variety of deities, each with their own extensive history. Figures like Tyr, Mimir, and Andrboda left their own mark on the Norse myth, and many of original Norse gods’ relationships are quite different from the ones shown in the MCU. Although the MCU takes a different approach to Norse mythology, five generations of Thor’s family tree have been explored: from Thor’s great-grandfather to Thor’s daughter.
Buri – Great-Grandfather
Thor’s earliest known relative in the MCU is Buri, Odin’s grandfather. The only time Buri is alluded to is in 2011’s Thor, when Odin exiles Thor to Earth in the name of his father and grandfather. However, the name “Buri” is never explicitly mentioned on screen. While its canon status is questionable, the Thor: The Dark World Prelude comic book tie-in does feature Thor namedropping Buri as he gives a speech to the Asgardian army. Buri is one of the earliest known gods in Norse mythology, so his history isn’t well known. However, his role as the ancestor of the main Norse gods makes him a key figure.
Bor – Grandfather
Thor: The Dark World visits one of the earliest points in the MCU’s chronological history with a flashback to Bor’s battle against the Dark Elves 5000 years before Malekith’s return. As Odin recounts, Bor leads the Asgardian army in the battle, attempting to stop Malekith from using the Aether during the Convergence of the Nine Realms. Bor succeeds with the help of the Bifrost and hid the Aether, and Asgard thrives for the rest of Bor’s reign. Like his father Buri, Bor’s history in Norse mythology isn’t too detailed. However, Bor is known for fathering Odin, Vili, and Ve, who paved the way for dozens of famous deities.
Immediate Family
Odin – Father
Odin’s time as King of Asgard might be the most important for the kingdom. Odin conquers the Nine Realms with the help of his daughter Hela, but soon realizes that their brutality can end up catching up to them if they don’t stop. Odin then banishes Hela and starts a peaceful era for Asgard. Centuries later, Odin defeats the Ice Giants and adopts Loki, losing an eye in the process. And more than a thousand years later, Odin expels Thor for his arrogance, gets impersonated by Loki, and spends his last days in Norway. Odin’s death frees Hela, but it also awakens Thor’s inner power.
In Norse mythology, Odin is the leader of the Aesir, gods of war and order. He is the wisest of the Norse gods, having obtained secret knowledge after sacrificing his eye to Mimir’s well and hanging himself from the Yggdrasil tree for nine days and nine nights. Odin does banish Hel by himself in the original myths. However, he dies after Fenrir swallows him, and it’s Odin’s son Vidarr who kills the giant wolf in revenge. Odin’s two ravens Huginn and Munnin, as well as his eight-legged horse Sleipnir, are accurately portrayed in the MCU.
Frigga – Mother
Frigga makes her MCU debut alongside the Asgardian royal family in 2011’s Thor, but her most important appearance comes in Thor: The Dark World, where she opposes the Dark Elves after they invade Asgard. Frigga hides the Aether, protects Jane Foster, and outsmarts Malekith, buying Thor enough time to arrive and fight the villain. Frigga’s knowledge of magic and witchcraft allows her to understand that Thor comes from the future in Avengers: Endgame, and Odin’s preference for Thor during Loki’s childhood motivates Frigga to teach sorcery to the God of Mischief, which is why Loki possesses a wide variety of magic powers that Thor lacks.
In Norse mythology, Frigga is the Queen of the goddesses and the patron goddess of marriage. Unlike the MCU, the Norse version of Frigga isn’t Thor’s mother. Instead, Frigga gives birth to Balder, while Odin’s relationship with Jord results in Thor’s birth. In the original version of Ragnarök, Frigga does everything she can to protect Balder, but Loki ultimately outsmarts her and kills her beloved son, kicking off a chain reaction that results in the end of the Norse world.
Loki – Step-Brother
Odin’s victory over Loki’s real father, the Ice Giant Laufey, puts Loki’s extensive MCU history in motion. Odin adopts Loki after Laufey abandons him, Frigga teaches him sorcery, and Odin’s preference for Thor instills deep feelings of envy and resentment in Loki, which motivate all his evil deeds afterward. Loki changes affiliations multiple times and dies a hero at the hands of Thanos, but his story takes a drastic turn when a multiversal Loki variant exits his timeline and faces the unexpected responsibility of protecting the time-space continuum to stop it from collapsing and destroying the multiverse.
Loki is one of the most important characters in all of Norse mythology. Born to the Ice Giant Fárbauti and the giantess Laufey, the trickster god betrays his fellow gods countless times. The Norse Loki is a gender-fluid shapeshifter, notable for fathering Hel and giving birth to Odin’s horse Sleipnir. Unlike the MCU, it’s Loki who causes Ragnarök after killing Balder and giving birth to the wolf Fenrir and the snake Jörmungandr. Thor also owes Mjölnir’s creation to Loki in the original myths, where Loki cuts off Sif’s hair as a prank and crafts some items for her and Thor to apologize.
Hela – Sister
Thor: Ragnarok reveals the missing history of Odin’s rule. Long before Thor is born, Odin’s real firstborn child, Hela, wields Mjolnir as she fights alongside Odin in Asgard’s conquest of the Nine Realms. Odin doesn’t want their violent methods to consume them, and Hela’s unstoppable thirst for power leads Odin to imprison her and erase her from Asgard’s history. Although Hela comes close to escaping after killing the Valkyries, she only manages to escape after Odin’s death. In the MCU, Hela unleashes Ragnarok upon Asgard with the help of Surtur, but the Fire Demon apparently kills her while he destroys the kingdom.
Hela’s origin in Norse mythology is quite different. The Goddess of Death Hel is daughter to Loki and the giantess Angrboda, and unlike her MCU counterpart, she’s the voluntary ruler of Helheim. She guards the souls of the people who don’t die in battle, as opposed to the souls of the warriors, which are rewarded with Valhalla. Instead of causing Ragnarök, the original Hel only appears after Loki kills Balder, bringing an army of the dead from Helheim aboard a ship made of corpse fingernails to fight the Aesir.
Balder The Brave – Brother/Half-Brother
The MCU’s first nod to Thor’s brother Balder only comes in Loki season 2 episode 3, where Loki and Mobius find a statue dedicated to Balder at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Surprisingly, Loki isn’t too surprised to see Balder acknowledged in Midgard, but he reluctantly mentions that nobody knows him. Although Marvel has tried to introduce Balder four times in the past, the character has been cut from every movie. Since Balder the Brave has appeared in multiple Thor-related stories since his comic book debut in 1962, his MCU introduction is long-overdue.
Balder the Brave plays a central role in Norse mythology given that his death is destined to bring Ragnarök upon the world. The most noble and benevolent of the Aesir, Balder is immune to every weapon and poison. However, Loki eventually takes advantage of Balder’s only weakness to pull the biggest prank on the gods. Tricking Balder’s blind brother Hod into shooting Balder with mistletoe, Loki kills Balder and kicks off the cataclysmic events of Ragnarök. Curiously, Balder is Odin and Frigga’s only child in the Norse myths, unlike Thor.
Love – Daughter
Love, played by Chris Hemsworth’s real-life daughter India Rose, is an original character with no Norse or MCU counterpart. Love is Gorr’s daughter, whose death of starvation motivates Gorr to begin a quest to kill all gods in the universe. While Gorr fails to enact his plan, he manages to reach Eternity and plead for his daughter’s resurrection. Feeling compassion for the villain, Thor adopts Love and trains her. In Norse mythology, Thor has two sons: two with the giantess Járnsaxa, Modi and Magni, and one daughter with Sif, Thrud. In Marvel Comics, Thor‘s only known daughter is Torunn, better known for fighting Ultron in Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow.
