Tag: Thor Love and Thunder

Developing social anxiety is not something Thor would expect, but even being the god of (love) and thunder cannot protect against SAD.

One of the most intriguing questions about Thor is what would he be doing after the events of Avengers: End Game. When he fought Thanos, he was completely out of shape and made a complete mess of himself. He then gave up the thrown of Asgard and jumped on a ship with the Guardians of the Galaxy. So now what will he do? Keep fighting of course! That is what he has been doing his whole life. So why stop now, right?!

Thor: Love and Thunder was probably the funniest movie that the MCU has put out thus far. Chris Hemsworth really transformed the Thor character into a hero with the best sense of humor. His comedic brilliance, combined with Taika Waititi’s Korg really made this movie more than just action and CGI. Then throw in guest appearances like Matt Damon reprising his screenplay actor role and the movie really outperforms in any other comedy the MCU has shown.

Thor, God, Thunder, Hammer, Axe, and Social Anxiety

Being Thor comes with a ton of really cool benefits. Lightening flows through your veins, access to mystical weapons, super strength, flight, space travel, and healing abilities are just some bonuses of being the god of thunder. But the one thing it doesn’t save you from is Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). No amount of lightening can prevent SAD and the awful Red Face. So whether you are a god or just a regular human, it would be a good idea to be aware of this major SAD scene below.

Social Anxiety Scene: Anticipation

Movie: Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022

Scene: Thor and friends at Omnipotence City watching Zeus’ performance

Anxiety Provoking Event: Thor is seated with his friends waiting to take center stage to publicly interrupt his hero Zeus, while thousands are looking on.

One of the biggest and most terrifying triggers for someone with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is anticipation of a social event. Particularly an event which will cause all eyes to be on you. In Thor: Love and Thunder, we witnessed a major scene of anticipation when Thor and company visited Omnipotence City. This is a magical, floating city which is home to the gods of the universe, including Thor’s childhood hero, Zeus.

Thor and friends were on a mission to recruit some of the mightiest gods in the universe to form a “god army” to eliminate Gorr, the god butcher. They were in attendance at a magical coliseum-like building when Zeus (the god in charge) started the show. Thor was very excited to see his hero in real life. As he was looking on like an excited child, Jane and Valkyrie tried to egg Thor on to interrupt Zeus and ask him for his help. But the god of Thunder kept stalling as he was in awe of Zeus’ performance. He replied to Val and Jane that he could not interrupt Zeus at this time because his introduction performances are legendary. He told them that he’ll have to wait for the right time.

While performing his introductory show and making an impassioned speech about orgy’s (so weird), Zeus calls out Thor for speaking while he was speaking. He instructs Thor to come to the center of the stage and speak his mind in front of everyone. So, Thor did as he was told to do and made a public plea for help in front of the gods of the universe. This eventually led to a battle between Thor and friends vs Zeus and his weird security guard things.

The Social Anxiety Anticipation Event

Thor knew he had to address Zeus (his hero) in front of the hundreds/thousands of other gods in attendance. Valkyrie, Jane, and Korg were all with him and were pressuring him to start already. Thor decided to keep stalling until the time was right. He kept making excuses about the importance of letting Zeus finish his show and how much he has admired him since childhood. But as Zeus kept performing and speaking, Jane and Val kept putting more and more pressure on Thor to interrupt him and ask already. The anticipation of a major social event, like interrupting Zeus, taking center stage, and publicly speaking out for help, is a major trigger for SAD sufferers.

If Thor had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), then the whole time he was sitting and waiting for this majorly public social event he would need to do would be devastating to him. This social event which would cause so much anxiety is composed of four (4) parts:

1. Interrupting an authority figure
2. Being in the lime light by taking the center state and having all eyes on Thor
3. Speaking in front of everyone and to the authority figure
4. Being watched by his friends (Val and Korg), and more frightening, the woman he loves: Jane

Symptoms of the Social Anxiety Anticipation Event

While sitting and waiting for “the right time” to interrupt Zeus, Thor would be feeling super anxious. He would have butterflies in his stomach, he would be sweating profusely, and would even be blushing in anticipation of what would be happening in the next few moments. His heart would be beating out of his chest a thousand times per minute and would even feel lightheaded and nauseous. His hands would be sweating and noticeably trembling. And since he was sitting next to the woman he loves, Jane, Thor would be making considerable effort to hide his symptoms from her. His mind would be racing with a million thoughts on how he can buffer his symptoms or prevent Jane from noticing them.

So ultimately, Thor would develop the dreaded Red Face symptoms without even being put in a social situation. It’s the anticipation of being in a social situation that would really be devastating to Thor.