Welcome to Disney's Magic of Storytelling podcast, brought to you by Wake Med Children's, because inside every child is a story waiting to be told.
Our storyteller is ABC 11 news anchor Steve Daniels.
Thor, the Asgardian prince.
Thor was once the most powerful being in the magical realm of Asgard.
The only way to reach this world was by a bridge called the Bifrost, controlled by the all-seeing guardian Heimdall.
Even though Asgard and the people who lived there were well protected, they faced endless threats from those who envied their wealth and power.
Thor was one of the land's great protectors.
Thor was born the son of Odin, lord of the Asgardians, making Thor a prince.
He and his brother Loki, the adopted son of Odin, lived in a grand palace.
As children, Thor and Loki each wanted to prove their worth to their father.
Eventually, Loki grew jealous of Thor because he was the favorite son.
The throne was by Thor's right.
To determine when Thor would be ready to rule, Odin had a special hammer made.
It was forged from a mystical metal taken from the heart of a dying star.
The hammer was named Mjolnir.
It held great power, but only someone who proved to be worthy could lift the hammer Mjolnir.
With every great achievement, Thor attempted once more to pick up Mjolnir.
Just when it seemed like he would never be able to raise the hammer one day, Thor grasped Mjolnir and raised it high up into the air.
Thor had proven himself worthy of his weapon, and he used it well.
Odin wanted Thor to be a great warrior, and he had become one.
More important, Odin knew Thor had earned every Asgardian's respect.
But Odin also knew that Thor had begun to let the power go to his head.
Odin was not happy.
Thor was cursed to live on Earth as a mere mortal.
Odin made his son believe that he was a medical student with an injured leg named Don Blake.
As Don, Thor learned to study hard, and in the end, he earned his medical degree.
He allowed others to help him with his injuries.
In doing so, he learned to truly love humanity.
Then, one day on vacation in Norway, Don discovered a strange walking stick inside a cave.
When he struck the stick against the ground, it magically transformed.
It was Mjolnir in disguise.
Just like the walking stick, Don changed too.
He turned back into Thor.
Odin was pleased.
His son had learned humility.
He had become human in spirit.
But still, now and forever, he was Thor.
As he fought supervillains all over the world, Thor's presence attracted the attention of his brother Loki, the trickster god of Asgard.
Loki had just the plan for defeating his pesky older brother.
On Earth, Loki coerced the Incredible Hulk into fits of rage in order to draw Thor into battle.
But Thor realized what was happening and soon made friends of Hulk and the other Avengers.
When Thor realized that the Hulk had been manipulated by Loki, he knew he was going to need some help.
With the assistance of Iron Man Hulk, Ant-Man and Wasp, the heroes defeated Loki and forced him to confess his crimes.
Thor knew he needed to continue to protect the people of Earth and Asgard from evil, but he could not do it alone.
So he partnered with the Avengers to tackle threats both earthly and otherwise.
One important battle pitted the heroes against Finn Fang Foom, an ancient dragon who was set free and vowed to wreak havoc on New York City.
The Avengers, along with Elsa, Bloodstone and Valkyrie, managed to get the dragon back to where he belonged.
It was a hard-won victory, for Earth's mightiest heroes.
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