“Whoever holds this hammer, if she be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.”

Keen-eyed “Thor” fans may have spotted the defining new detail in that statement. No longer does the hero’s iconic hammer inscription define the roll of Thor as male. Instead, the power and title of Thor is being passed to a woman.

Marvel Comics released the highly anticipated first book in a new “Thor” series on Oct. 1. The ending features the male hero suffering a devastating wound and supposed death, leaving an unidentified woman figure to take possession of the hammer, Mjolnir, and the hero’s title.

The change has been expected since July, when host of the ABC series “The View” Whoopi Goldberg announced the upcoming change on the behalf of Marvel.

“Thor – the God of Thunder – he messed up. He is no longer worthy to hold that [expletive] hammer of his,” said Goldberg during the exclusive announcement. “For the first time in history, that hammer is being held by a woman. Thor is a woman.”

The new Thor character has already gotten a mixed response from comic book enthusiasts and casual readers alike, with some praising the diversity, and some criticizing the decision to adapt an already well-known character to gain favor as progressive.

“She’s not showing any cleavage, and she actually looks strong and independent. It’s cool. For us to be able to grow up, have kids, and have our children read these comics instead, it’s empowering,” said Stephanie Colgrove, a senior sociology major.

“I’m not really a comic person, but the change makes it more interesting to me personally. It would make me want to watch a superhero movie if it was about a girl Thor.” -Jennifer Ortiz, sophomore, criminal justice major

“Personally, I don’t care. A woman can be just as strong as a man. But I’ve taken a class, theater for sexuality and ethnicity I think, and we talked about how most heroes in movies are male. There’s rarely any female heroes.” – Ali Xavier Dalvi, junior, economics major

“It’s just so weird, because Thor’s always viewed as a strong man. It’s crazy, and it’s saying that she has the same power as Thor. But I think they should change her title. Her identity is not the same as his, and her story is not the same.”- Rosy Gonzalez, sophomore, criminal justice major

“There’s no reason why she shouldn’t be on the cover, why she’s shouldn’t be Thor. Women can be politicians, mechanics, lawyers. Women can pick up a hammer and be a superhero just the same.” – Grace Casto, junior, psychology major