How does 'Thor' compare to other superpower loss movies?

When you get down to it, the entire superhero genre is built on the idea of someone receiving immense power.  Sometimes the power comes from a freak accident like Peter Parker's spider bite.  Sometimes a hero chooses to take on the power, like when Steve Rogers signed up for Project: Rebirth and became Captain America.  Other times the person is born with their power or it develops naturally, like Clark Kent or any of the X-Men.  Thor falls into the latter category.

The natural storytelling follow up to gaining power is losing it.  It happens in nearly every superhero film series.  For some it happens sooner than others.  Thor could and did lose his powers in his first movie because he's had them since birth.  They're barely even a factor because in his home of Asgard he's surrounded by people with pretty similar skill sets.  Even when he is banished to Earth having his powers taken away is just an attempt to level the playing field.  It was a surprisingly unsuccessful attempt coming from the All-Father because an earthbound Thor is still the tallest, strongest, and handsomest guy around.

This is one of the many ways Thor distinguishes itself from the most famous power loss superhero movie, Superman II.  In the 1980 classic Superman willingly gives up his powers for a normal life with Lois Lane.  Having been exceedingly stronger and faster than everyone else his entire life then giving all that away results in a Clark Kent who can't take a punch to save his life.  In his very first de-powered social interaction Clark gets beaten to a pulp by a trucker in a diner.  When Thor went to a diner he was lightly scolded by Natalie Portman for smashing a coffee mug before he left to smash the heads of a highly trained team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents instead.

Let's just say you don't want to be the S.H.I.E.L.D.
agent who messes up G.U.A.R.D. D.U.T.Y.

Superman II was undoubtedly an inspiration for the similarly plotted Spider-Man 2.  In the 2004 Spider-Man sequel Peter Parker's spider-powers fade for reasons that aren't entirely clear.  The only hint is that it is probably psychosomatic.  That means his powers are gone because his head just isn't in the game.  They only come back when Peter's love interest Mary Jane is in danger, forcing him to accept his role as a hero in order to save her.

Impotence metaphor shimpotence shmetaphor

Similarly, Thor needs to show some growth before he can get his powers back.  When Odin banishes Thor he forces him to prove his worth.  Only then could he lift his hammer and return to his full strength.  In the end Thor sacrifices himself to save others, proving that he has grown into his role as heir to the throne of Asgard.

Impotence metaphor and messiah analogy
shimpotence shmetaphor and shmessiah shanalogy

Even superheroes without powers manage to lose whatever they have, but for them it apparently doesn't happen until the third movie.  Within a year of each other Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark both had threequels in which they were stranded in the middle of nowhere without their money, gear, or armor.  The fish then had to work with a local in order to learn the lay of the land and get back in the water.  In 2012's The Dark Knight Rises Bane traps Bruce in an underground prison in a desert.  An older prisoner fixes Bruce's back and tells him how to escape.  In 2013's Iron Man 3 Tony's armor goes haywire, marooning him in Tennessee with malfunctioning tech.  He teams up with a young boy to find out what the villain is up to and where to find him before he just gets in a car and leaves.

Thor's "fish out of water" situation is a little more exaggerated since he is on an entirely different planet than he's used to.  He's without his weapon and his status as prince of Asgard, but fortunately he's backed by a whole team of Earthlings.  The moment he lands on Earth Thor collides with his romantic lead Jane Foster, who is studying the astrophysics that allows the Asgardians to travel between worlds.  She is joined by her mentor Erik Selvig and her intern Darcy.  Together they teach the God of Thunder the ways of man, as well as the value of a calm head and good judgment.

All throughout the history of storytelling protagonists have had to take a step back so they could move forward.  It goes all the way back to Job, who lost everything including the lives of his family, at the hands of Satan.  In the end God rewarded him for his faith and fortitude with more than he ever had before.  That's a pretty dark example compared to Thor's lighthearted romp but that's what you get from the Old Testament.  As the saying goes, you have to go through Hell before you get to Heaven.  In Thor's case Earth is Hell, which is fine.  I'm sure Jane doesn't take that personally at all.

Previously:

Iron Man

The Incredible Hulk

Iron Man 2