Avengers: Doomsday Spotlights, Part 25 — Thor

Thor is arguably one of the most recognizable and iconic characters in all of fiction, long before Chris Hemsworth brought life to the character. But it’s thanks to his stunning portrayal of Asgard’s prince that Thor was brought further into the spotlight. In 2011, we saw Thor as an overly eager and ambitious warrior who wanted to be king, then being banished by his own father to learn humility, and finally sacrificing his own chance at happiness to save the Frost Giants he once hated. From there, we’ve seen him grow in humility and strength, fighting for both Earth and Asgard, but at the tragic cost of his own family and eventually Asgard itself. Thor would finally reach a breaking point after failing to stop Thanos from obliterating half of all life in the universe, but even that wouldn’t keep Thor down forever, as he rejoined the fight to undo Thanos’s damage and kill him once and for all. And now, after finally leaving his lonely, carefree lifestyle and raising the daughter of his enemy, Thor comes back—completely shaken and horrified—to warn everyone of Doom’s arrival. 

Origins

One of the best parts of the early 2000s era of MCU movies is how comic-book accurate they are, and the first Thor movie is no exception. In the comics, Thor is also the son of Odin, the King and All-Father of Asgard, the realm of the Norse gods. However, Thor’s biological mother is Gaea, the mother goddess and spirit of Earth, and Frigga is actually Thor’s stepmother (but being Gaea’s son will prove very important to Thor’s feats later). 

Regardless, Thor’s story would play somewhat similarly to his MCU debut. Despite his brash and bone-headed nature, which led him into a foolish fight with Apocalypse in his youth (almost starting a war between Asgard and the Celestials), Thor eventually proved himself worthy of lifting the mighty hammer Mjolnir and taking his place as the God of Thunder. Shortly afterwards, Thor ventured to Earth to answer the prayers of his Viking followers, but soon abandoned them after they attacked a Christian monastery and killed several of their members. While this foreshadowed his heroic nature, his foolhardy one soon returned after a series of misadventures: battling Loki in the Old West, being manipulated by Nazis in World War II, and the one that broke the camel’s back—violating a peace treaty between Asgard and the Frost Giants on the suspicion that they violated it first. Therefore, just like in the movie, Odin decided to banish Thor to Earth to teach him humility. Unlike the movie, though, Thor didn’t retain his memories or identity. Instead, he lost all his memories of Asgard and his former identity, becoming the frail physician Donald Blake. After spending years observing and interacting with humans, learning compassion and humility, Odin finally decided that Thor had redeemed himself. Therefore, he subtly influenced events by having Blake take a vacation in Norway, where he would have a frightening encounter with the alien Kroans. Desperate to escape, Blake hid in a nearby cave and found a gnarled, old stick. Thinking he could replace his old cane and use this one to get away, he picked it up and struck it against a rock, which turned out to be a disguised Mjolnir. After the hammer transformed back into its true form, Thor regained his powers and memories, managing to fend off the Kroans and escape successfully. Later on, when Loki manipulated the Hulk to cause a train wreck to cause a fight between Hulk and Thor, Thor teamed up with Ant-Man, Wasp, and Iron Man to stop him. But after stopping the true threat and learning of the Hulk’s innocence, the heroes united to form the Avengers, with Thor as one of its founding members. 

At this point, I would normally say that the rest is history, but this isn’t where Thor’s story ends. Instead, it would continue in a new chapter involving the true Ragnarok. Unlike Thor’s third solo film, Ragnarok isn’t simply the destruction of Asgard; it’s the endless cycle of death and rebirth of all Asgardians. But to Thor’s horror, he discovered there was a way darker truth to it: the endless cycle of Ragnarok was created by a group of evil godlike entities known as Those Who Sit Above in Shadow, all because they wanted to feed off the energies of each cataclysm and also for their own amusement. Furious and hoping to end his people’s torment, Thor confronted the evil entities and destroyed their source of control: the Loom of Fate, a tapestry into which the fate of all Asgardians was woven. After this, Thor came back after his presumed death, but things still didn’t get any easier for the prince of thunder. At one point, Gorr the God-Butcher and even Nick Fury convinced Thor he was no longer worthy of Mjolnir during the events of “Original Sin,” so the role of Thor was passed on to Thor’s mortal love: Jane Foster. However, just like in the “Love and Thunder” film, Jane revealed that she had cancer, which worsened every time she transformed into her Thor form. Sadly, this caveat would claim her life after she sacrificed herself to stop an ancient monster (Mangog) from destroying Asgard, using her last moments to reinspire Thor to believe in himself again and take up Mjolnir. Thankfully, though, Odin would keep her from dying as her bravery and heroism finally won him over. Regardless, Thor took Jane’s words to heart and ascended to the throne of Asgard ever since, but still took time to help his mortal friends protect Earth. 

Powers, Abilities, and Weaknesses

Born an Asgardian, Thor is naturally as powerful as the Norse myths portray him. For instance, Thor possesses insane levels of strength, durability, and even enhanced speed and reflexes. But just what exactly defines “insane levels of strength?” Well, to put that kind of physicality in perspective, Thor has been known to trade blows with beings like the Thing, Hulk, Juggernaut, Hercules, and even Thanos. And no matter what kind of punishment such opponents can dish out, Thor can take it because he is durable enough to tank explosions, burning up on re-entry, and powerful cosmic/magical attacks. Finally, while he’s not on the level of actual speedsters, Thor’s reflexes are still noteworthy. Even when fighting beings with overwhelming speed or cosmic-levels of power, Thor can quickly respond to such attacks in real-time, whereas other heroes would’ve had a more difficult time doing so. Finally, arguably one of Thor’s most useful abilities is his longevity, courtesy of the Golden Apples of Iduun (which other Asgardians also periodically consume). They don’t make him truly immortal or unkillable, but they do drastically slow his aging and preserve his youth and strength. This especially comes in handy because Thor has fought in countless wars and battles for thousands of years, giving him battlefield experience that few others can match. 

But of course, one does not pass as the “God of Thunder” based on these traits alone. For many years, Thor lived up to that title thanks to his most trusted and signature weapon, the magical Uru hammer Mjolnir. Forged by the mighty dwarf smiths Eitri and Brokk, the hammer also contains the God Tempest, an elder god who is essentially a living cosmic storm but was imprisoned in a block of Uru by Odin himself. Not only does this allow Thor to learn how to control and channel his powers, but it also allows other people worthy enough to bypass Odin’s enchantment and lift it to gain Thor’s lightning. But as if that weren’t enough, the hammer can also grant its user Thor’s longevity, which explains how Jane was able to survive for so long despite her cancer. Finally, unlike the MCU counterpart, Mjolnir can also create and open interdimensional portals, essentially serving as a kind of Bifrost. However, make no mistake: Thor definitely doesn’t need his hammer to reach untold levels of power. Being born to Gaea herself, Thor already has the natural ability to control the weather and summon his own lightning without Mjolnir’s assistance. Also, thanks to being Odin’s son, he has a strong connection to an immense source of magical and cosmic power known as the Odinforce (later known as the Thorforce when he becomes All-Father). Passed down from All-Father to All-Father, this incredible power can enhance Thor’s natural and mystical/cosmic abilities, grant him insane power boosts, unleash powerful cosmic blasts, manipulate reality or life forces (to a degree depending on the story), and countless other possibilities. 

However, despite Thor’s near-limitless power, he’s only a god in title. This doesn’t mean he’s weak or anything, but like any other living being, he has limits and can succumb to them if pushed far enough. For instance, Thor has been known to consistently struggle against anyone whose magical powers can surpass his natural strengths and defenses. Opponents like Loki, Hela, and Enchantress have fooled Thor with illusions, cursed him, or restrained him in powerful spells that not even he can break. Also, fighting insanely powerful cosmic beings like Galactus, Dormammu, or the Beyonder is challenging at best and impossible at worst, because their power often overwhelms Thor’s own power. So, if Thor isn’t careful, prepared, or at least has some backup, he can—and will—die in a fight against such beings. Also, if Thor ever becomes unable to lift his hammer (like in the previous “Original Sin” example), it doesn’t make him weaker or unable to generate lightning, but it does take away many of his extra privileges. Without Mjolnir, he can’t make portals, enhance his own powers, or, at the very least, have a strong offense/defense that the hammer provides. Finally, like the other characters in this series, one of Thor’s greatest weaknesses has always been himself. After all, his pride nearly or completely started wars with the Frost Giants and Celestials, not to mention landing him in many dangerous situations. Also, while having attachments to loved ones and Asgard or Earth aren’t liabilities, Thor’s enemies can and have used them to their advantage and manipulate Thor into a state of vulnerability (just like any supervillain in the history of comics). Thor is incredibly powerful and a cosmic being in his own right, but caveats like this only prove that not every being like him is invincible. 

Greatest Feats

Regardless, Thor will always rise to meet the challenge, no matter how intense or deadly it is. Even when facing one of the strongest heroes in all of Marvel, Thor pushes himself beyond what his limits will allow. In this particular case, we’re going to wind the clock back to 1973, when Thor got into an intense fight with the Incredible Hulk. Up to this point, Loki and Dormammu were manipulating two superhero teams, the Avengers and the Defenders, to fight each other while collecting pieces of a powerful artifact known as the Evil Eye (but of course, they didn’t know it would soon be for the villains’ sinister purposes). Since Thor and Hulk were on opposite sides (Avengers and Defenders, respectively), it was immediately on sight when they encountered each other in Los Angeles. Soon, the brawl escalated into one of the greatest knockdown, knuckle-dragging fights in comics, with two physical embodiments of raw power and strength beating the absolute crap out of each other. Eventually, though, the two grabbed each other and pushed against each other. But even then, neither of them managed to make their opponent budge an inch. After being stuck in a stalemate for about an hour, Thor and Hulk’s teams finally realized the truth and intervened before a winner could be declared. However, even though Thor didn’t technically win the fight, not a lot of people can stake a claim like this. Ben Grimm once knocked out the Hulk, but it was a mind-controlled version of him, and his rocky arm completely shattered upon impact. Tony Stark made a huge suit specifically to combat the Hulk, but even advanced tech like that suit has its limits. But Thor? That thunder god stood his ground against a being with literally unlimited strength for a whole hour! Even surviving an encounter with the Hulk is extremely noteworthy, but actually managing to trade blows with him is something else entirely. 

But what’s more impressive than reaching a standstill with the Hulk? How about fighting a creature the size of Earth? Such an encounter once took place in Thor #327, all the way back in 1966. A fellow Asgardian named Tyr led a revolution against Odin, aiming to overthrow the Golden Realm and rule it himself. With the aid of Loki, he did exactly that, which prompted Odin and whoever remained down to Earth. However, Tyr wasn’t done with them yet, so he and his forces (except Loki, because he switched sides) followed the fleeing gods and continued the war on Earth. In a drastic move, Tyr freed a huge and ancient creature known as the Midgard Serpent—or Jörmungandr—from his imprisonment under the ocean. As the giant snake literally coiled itself around the very planet, Thor rushed back to Asgard to find and recruit a giant named Hamir the Fisherman. With his boat sailing them into space, Thor wrapped the enormous fishing line around a live ox, and the Serpent latched on like a fish on a hook. However, there was still the issue of getting the giant snake awake from Earth before it could crush the world, to which Hamir seriously doubted that even Thor could do. As the comic shows, Thor did not take kindly to this and proceeded to prove Hamir wrong by demonstrating one of the greatest feats of strength ever seen: pulling the Serpent away with all the strength he could muster! Afterwards, “Thor and his foe then fight to a standstill when the Serpent decides it would be easier to just vomit up the golden apples it had swallowed and go home” (marvelheroeslibrary.com). Again, Thor might not have completely vanquished his foe. However, he still did something just as extraordinary: he not only towed a creature of incalculable weight and (essentially) beat it into submission. 

Yet even this isn’t Thor’s greatest triumph. Somehow, there’s still one thing Thor has done that blows fighting the Hulk and lifting a planet-sized snake completely out of the water, and this would occur in Thor #388 in 1966. In this story, a distant planet known as Pangoria was about to face judgment at the hands of the Celestials, insanely old yet powerful cosmic beings who have destroyed or experimented on countless civilizations in the name of evolution. And, deeming Pangoria’s corrupt civilization a sign that they were unworthy to continue, Arishem the Judge sent Exitar the Executioner to carry out their sentence. Unwilling to let these people die, Thor traveled to the world and —despite the suicidal idea of fighting a Celestial— faced Exitar alone. Despite the odds, and with Mjolnir’s help, Thor managed to break through Exitar’s cosmically fortified helmet and literally enter his head. Once inside, Thor fought his way through countless antibodies and giant robots until he finally reached Exitar’s brain. By this point, “his battle armor is damaged beyond repair” and he was heavily injured, but the thunder god had one last trick up his sleeve (marvelheroeslibrary.com). Knowing that, even with Mjolnir, he couldn’t hope to penetrate the glowing blue dome, he wrapped his Belt of Strength (Megingjörð) around Mjolnir. Then, in an attack famously known as the God Blast, fired a massive energy beam that cracked the dome, sending a reverberating shock throughout the cosmic entity and actually stunning him. Unfortunately, the attack also destroyed Mjolnir and Thor was now vulnerable, but that’s when the Celestials finally revealed what was actually going on. Instead of destroying the whole civilization, Exitar actually planned to get rid of only their pirate overlords and give the rest of the people a second chance to do better. Despite the misunderstanding, Exitar restored Mjolnir but allowed Thor to go, no doubt wiser than when he first charged in. Anyway, this section isn’t meant to list three accounts of Thor failing to defeat his enemies, but the very fact that he actually managed to seriously affect one of the most powerful beings in Marvel is a huge accomplishment. Extremely few others can even claim they bested one (like Knull, who beheaded one once), so for Thor to channel all his energy and stagger said being only showcases his insane might and power. 

Conclusion

Personally, I’m glad I got to write about Thor this week because I never really thought much about the character. But thankfully, I’m reminded of his amazing character journey: a god prince who thinks very highly of himself, forced to learn humility and become a true, selfless hero. And the best part is that he doesn’t become extremely powerful out of pride, but because he has to reach those insane levels to save the day. Chris Hemsworth did a fantastic job bringing that same journey to life in the MCU; even during Thor’s lower or funnier moments (and in the case of “Love and Thunder,” downright terrible), Hemsworth still makes us empathize with a man who lost everything but now has a chance at a better life. That is why Thor is the perfect way to introduce the threat of Doom: with the combination of knowing everything Thor has been through, mixed with Hemsworth’s stunning, heartfelt acting, it rightfully scares us when we hear our favorite Asgardian scared for his life at the very mention of Doom. And if Doom can stop Stormbreaker (a weapon that not even the Infinity Gauntlet could stop) with only two fingers, then I don’t know how Thor could match him even with proper backup.