Marvel's new Thor will be a woman

In a segment on The View this morning, Marvel Comics dropped a bombshell: Thor — the hammer-wielding Asgardian superhero first introduced by the company in 1962 — will be replaced by a woman.

"Thor, the God of Thunder, he messed up. He is no longer worthy to hold that damn hammer of his," said host Whoopi Goldberg. "And for the first time in history that hammer is being held by a woman."

The news won't have any immediate impact on Marvel's big-screen superhero movies, as Chris Hemsworth is already slated to reprise the role of Thor in Avengers: Age of Ultron — but it will be what Marvel promises is a permanent change in the comics.

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"The inscription on Thor's hammer reads 'Whosoever holds this hammer, if HE be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.' Well it's time to update that inscription," explained editor Wil Moss in a statement on Marvel's official website. "The new Thor continues Marvel's proud tradition of strong female characters like Captain Marvel, Storm, Black Widow and more. And this new Thor isn't a temporary female substitute — she's now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!"

Ryan Penagos, the executive editorial director of Marvel, took to Twitter to show off some pictures of the new Thor:

The first issue of the new Thor series will debut in October.