A debate has been raging since SDCC.: is What If...#10 the first appearance of Thor, Goddess of Thunder? It's not, and here's why.
San Diego Comic-Con wrapped up on Sunday, and the fallout from Marvel's announcements changed the comic collector's status quo. The major news was that Natalie Portman will reprise her role as Jane Foster, and she will ascend the ranks to become the Thunder Goddess, which I predicted a couple months ago in "The New Direction of the MCU?"
That sent collectors into a feeding frenzy for Lady Thor's first appearance. The problem is that, according to the CGC census data, a first appearance hasn't been officially recognized, which leaves room for debate as to which issue is her true debut. Luckily, CBCS has us covered, and the company notates that Thor: God of Thunder #25 as her first cameo appearance and Thor #1 as the second cameo. By default, that leaves Thor #2 as the Goddess of Thunder's first full appearance. Since Thor #1 is her first cover appearance and when we see her lift the hammer, it's why that issue is the most popular among collectors, which you can read more about in "Dawn of the Thunder Goddess."
It all comes down to continuity, which is the thread that intertwines decades of storytelling together. The 1978 What If...? Jane Foster and the Jane Foster as she appears in 2014 are essentially different characters, but one is canon, and the other is not. They are, then, both first appearances, but God of Thunder #25, Thor #1, and Thor #2 are part of the debut of the canonical Goddess of Thunder, which is assumed to be the basis for Thor: Love and Thunder. What If...#10 is the noncanonical first full appearance of Jane Foster as Thor. If they were the same character, then the latter would be the undisputed first appearance.
WHAT ABOUT WHAT IF?
Many collectors argue What If...? #10 is the first appearance of Lady Thor because it marked the first time Jane Foster inherited the powers of Thor. While it's a fun story and a great addition to your collection, it's not - and was never intended to be - canon. As the title "What If...Jane Foster had found the hammer of Thor?" suggests, it didn't actually happen, but instead paints a portrait around the "what if" question. Although it's still Jane Foster under the helmet, this is a different version of the character who calls herself "Thordis," which makes this issue the first appearance of Thordis.
Think of it another way. What If...? #31, "What If...Wolverine had killed the Hulk?," isn't the actual death of the Hulk, neither is What If...? #50 the death of Wolverine. Why not? That's because What If...? was a title established to re-imagine Marvel history with premises that never took place in the regular continuity and aren't considered canon.
THE HARLEY QUINN DILEMMA
What about other characters who debuted outside continuity? Does this mean that Harley Quinn's first canonical appearance in Batman: Harley Quinn #1 should be considered her true first appearance? After all, she was created for a cartoon series, and she originally debuted in the noncanonical The Batman Adventures #12.
The difference is that Harley Quinn is, for all intents and purposes, the same character in both versions. Think of Angela. She crossed from Image Comics to Marvel, but she's essentially the same character, making her true first appearance Spawn #9. Thordis and Jason Aaron's Thor, Goddess of Thunder, are not the same character, and that makes all the difference.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Will this settle the argument once and for all? Of course not, but the CBCS label notes do make for compelling evidence. Still, if you want to complete the full Thunder Goddess collection, adding What If...? #10 is a key you need, even if it's not her first appearance.
