When Thor first walked into the screen with his luscious blonde hair, broad shoulders and a body that seemed like a dream, he established himself as the most good-looking Marvel superhero, and we had no complaints. He was powerful, beautiful and most of all, he was WORTHY! In the first movie itself, we could sense that he was quite narcissistic and arrogant about that. His arrogance led him to losing his powers and having to fight to get it back. And our dream-boy superhero did it, and gained his right to being worthy again. 

It was like he can make no mistakes, and no one could beat him. 

But he did! He made mistakes and he was beaten. He lost his parents, his brother, his home and let his people down. Even lost one of his eyes. To add to that, he had failed to kill Thanos by not going for the head! Our superhero did not seem so super anymore. He, himself,  did not feel super anymore. 

After the big loss at the infinity war, we see him turn into a video-game playing, beer-drinking, overeating couch potato, who clearly has not dealt with his problems. His dreamy body was covered with a big ball of belly fat and he was not the mighty Thor anymore. For the first time, we saw a magnificent superhero be vulnerable and depressed. He was broken down, back to back. He did not get time to deal with the grief and he did not have anyone to tell him it is okay. So he fell down, slipped and could not get back up.

He even killed Thanos, he went for the head, but he could not get himself back. Without his undefeatable powers, majestic body and confident demeanor, was he still WORTHY? 

Well, he was! And he still is. How, you may ask! 

When Thor’s hammer came flying to him even when he was at his lowest, he was the happiest he had been in a long time. He looked hopeful, as though he got his confidence back. But was it just because of that hammer? – It might not have been. His father Odin defined the idea of who is worthy to be able to lift the hammer. And the fact that the hammer came flying to him, despite not being the best-looking self he used to be, and despite being depressed and eating and drinking away his feelings, despite being defeated multiple times, meant that no matter what, his father still thought of him to be worthy. It was the validation that somebody still believes in him. It was the validation that his father still believed in him. And that instilled his belief in himself!

Related: The Khaleesi of Mental Problems – Daenerys Targaryean

To think that your worth is determined by your weight, your looks, your powers or your mental state is absolutely wrong. You determine your worth! And just because you are depressed and you are struggling does not mean you are not worthy. 

Thor was a superhero, a GOD, and he still went through the absolute worst and he needed help to get back. He needed his friends. He needed his father to tell him. Endgame Thor portrayed eating disorder, depression, alcohol dependence and post-traumatic stress disorder, and yet he fought through it. He was still the GOD he used to be before all of that. We are just humans. We struggle, we fall down. But that does not mean we are not fixable. Things can always be fixed. We can always get better. We just have to keep believing in ourselves. I promise you, YOU ARE WORTHY – worthy of love, worthy of happiness and worthy of the best life. Just hold on, and don’t be afraid to ask for help! 

Just because you have a mental illness does not mean you are not worthy. You are, and you will always be worthy!

Pratiksha Rajopadhyaya