Erik Selvig

"I still don't think you're the god of thunder. But you ought to be!"

- Erik Selvig to Thor

Erik Selvig is an astrophysicist and the teacher of Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis. Dr. Selvig is a Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at Culver University, where his notes on They were confiscated from him by S.H.I.E.L.D., but returned once he was recruited as a professor at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Early life
After having become a professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at Culver University, Selvig looked into Gamma Radiation and meet a victim of a Gamma accident, Bruce Banner. He had also had a friend, where S.H.I.E.L.D. confiscated his documents. He met Jane Foster, and her father at the school.

Finding Thor
Erik Selvig was travelling with Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis, to study thermonuclear astrophysics. While researching in the desert, a sudden mysterious weather event unexpectedly resulted in a powerful vortex before them. As they struggled with the zero-visibility conditions, the van collided with Thor, who stumbled out of the dust. Thor announced himself as an Asgardian God, to the "Mortals", but was injured when Darcy tazered him. They decided to take him to the local hospital shortly after.

Getting Thor out of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The following day, Jane realised that the newcomer might be able to shed some light on the event, Selvig was more skeptical. So began a lengthy disagreement between the two, with Foster theorising about the possibility of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge and Selvig insisting that everything Thor had been saying about gods and other worlds was nothing more than delusional talk based on old myths. However Erik Selvig later befriended Thor, after agreeing to Foster's theory. Selvig was able to secure Thor's release from a temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. compound after Thor had broken into the compound to retrieve Mjolnir. After being saved from the compound, he was later found drinking heavily with Thor at a town bar, inferring Thor to claim that Selvig had "made his ancestors proud".

Thor fights the Destroyer
Thor's evil adopted brother, Loki, is made king of Asgard, and sends the Destroyer after Thor to kill him. Thor's friends, Sif and the Warriors Three come to help him. Thor is wounded by the Destroyer, but his bravery and heroics made him worthy enough to have Mjolnir, which flew to his aid, healing him and putting him in his Asgardian armor. Thor defeats the Destroyer and he, with Sif and the Warriors Three, return to Asgard.

Selvig joins S.H.I.E.L.D.
Later on, Selvig was ordered to the presence of Nick Fury after Thor returned to Asgard. Fury opened a storage case, presenting the Tesseract. When Selvig asked "what is it?", Fury replied that it represented a significant source of power, if only they could find a way to tap it. Selvig accepted the challenge of investigating the object, since his recent encounter with Thor and his studies into thermonuclear astrophysics. Loki, controlling Erik from Thanos' planet, starred with intense interest with the Tesseract, since he had been controlling Selvig throughout the whole conversation.

Controlled by Loki
While researching into the Tesseract at Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., after being recruited by Nick Fury; Selvig found an unusual energy signature coming from the power source. Selvig immediately alerts S.H.I.E.L.D., so that Nick Fury and Maria Hill get to the place at once. While Selvig is explaining to them the situation, his bodyguard, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Barton, Hawkeye; suggests that, since the Tesseract is a multi-dimensional object, perhaps it could be manipulated from the other side: within that very moment, Loki Laufeyson appears. Instantly he kills the majority of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents present, wounds Fury and takes control of Selvig and Barton through mind-control, another ability he posses. Selvig and Barton are commanded to follow, bringing the Tesseract with them.

When Loki's plan is about to be completed, Selvig takes the Tesseract to the highest point of the Stark Tower, and uses it to open a portal to the Chitauri's world after having researched the Cube in Loki's hidden whereabouts. When the Chitauri attack Earth, under Thanos's and Loki's command; Selvig is caught by The Avengers, who attempt to stop the portal however fail, Selvig then reveals to them that the force field surrounding the Cube is unbreakable, and that nothing can be reversed but is knocked out unconscious by the force of the portal opening.

Battle of New York
When he wakes up, Selvig finds himself alone with the Black Widow, who's attempting to close the portal. With Loki's mind-control gone, Selvig tells her that some part of his consciousness was still awake during Loki's mind-control, and that he inserted a flaw in the asgardian's plan: the force field around the Tesseract can be undone with Loki's scepter. After following Selvig's advice, the Black Widow uses the scepter to close the portal, after Iron Man sends a nuclear missile to destroy the Chitauri Mothership after S.H.I.E.L.D sent the missle to destroy the invasion; meanwhile Iron man sending the missile up annihilates the Chitauri's collective consciousness. Later, when Loki is given to Thor Odinson, who will take him back on Asgard to be put on trial for his crimes, Erik Selvig greets his friend, and gives him the Tesseract to be taken back to Asgard since Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. decide it is a to greater force for humans to mess with. Erik Selvig then departs home, It is unknown whether he is still working for S.H.I.E.L.D. since there is no project left.

Friends and Allies

 * Thor
 * Jane Foster - Colleague
 * Darcy Lewis - Assistant and Student
 * Nick Fury - Team director
 * Bruce Banner
 * Henry Pym

Enemies

 * Loki
 * Chitauri

Behind the Scenes

 * Originally, his name was going to be Andrew Ford, but was changed.
 * Skarsgård stated that he was not initially familiar with Thor. As to why he took the part, Skarsgård remarked, I "chose Thor because of director Kenneth Branagh. The script was nice and we got to rehearse and talk to the writers and do some collaborating in the process to make it fit us. So I had a very happy time on it. What I always try to do is immediately do something I just haven't done so I get variation in my life. I've made about 90 films and if I did the same thing over and over again I would be bored by now. I try to pick different films, I go and do those big ones and having done that I can usually afford to go and do some really small obscure films and experiment a little"

Trivia

 * When talking about S.H.I.E.L.D., Selvig tells Jane Foster he once had a friend specialist in Gamma radiation who disappeared after meeting the organization, clearly making a reference to Bruce Banner.
 * When talking about S.H.I.E.L.D., Selvig also tells Jane Foster he would email a collegue who has had dealings with S.H.I.E.L.D. and who might be able to help. The name of this person has not been revealed, however in a deleted scene this collegue was revealed to be Dr. Henry Pym; A.K.A. Ant-Man, however this was cut as Marvel Studios thought it was not the correct time to introduce Ant-Man.
 * The after-credits scene from Thor could just be a foreshadowing telling that he will be controlled by Loki in The Avengers.