Thunderdome
Why Thor Is the Greatest Avenger
“Fortunately, I am mighty.”
Thunderdome is a FanFare series where our writers good-naturedly debate some matter of pop culture and then leave it to the readers to decide. Read each post and vote at the bottom!In a popularity contest, I suspect Thor would finish a distant third to Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. He lacks the former’s stoicism and the latter’s snark. But underneath his random goofiness and occasional brooding lapses, Thor truly is the greatest Avenger.
I see some skeptics in the crowd, so let me break it down for you.
What defines greatness? Is it strength? Leadership? Sacrifice? I’ll avoid going Merriam-Webster on you, but the question is worth asking. By what axis do we measure greatness in the world of superpowered fisticuffs? To mix my pop culture metaphors — Yoda claims that ‘war does not make one great’, but sometimes the only way to respond to a bully is to punch them in the mouth. And it turns out the galaxy is full of bullies.
So let’s start there.
Who packs the biggest punch?
Between a literal god, a guy in a metal suit, and a roided out antique, this is hardly a fair question. The only Avenger who comes close to matching Thor in raw strength is the giant green rage monster himself. And I think it’s pretty clear that Thor was on the verge of beating Hulk on Sakaar until the Grandmaster intervened.
Perhaps the best way to take each Avenger’s measure is through the quality of their foes. In the course of his solo films, Thor fights ice giants, alien armies, giant monsters, and the goddess of death. Tony fights a geriatric, a Russian with dental issues, and a handful of glowy people. Steve fights nazis, a red-faced maniac, his long lost bestie, nameless hydra goons, and Tony, his new and then former bestie. I’m smudging some of the details in favor of brevity, but I think you get the picture. Thor’s opponents are more impressive.
I would also remind you that in the midst of fighting Thanos’ army in Infinity War, all the Avengers — including Captain America — stopped literally mid-punch to cheer Thor’s arrival. And what does Bruce Banner, the Hulk’s alter ego, have to say?
You guys are so screwed now!
Both Iron Man and Captain America fought Thanos and lost. Iron Man had the help of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man, and still only got a drop of blood out of Thanos; Cap didn’t even get that much. Thor was the only one who came close to stopping Thanos. And he would’ve if he’d gone for the head.
I hope we can all agree on this one. Thor by a landslide.
Where does he get all those cool toys?
You got to hand it to Captain America — in a world filthy with aliens and gods, he’s out there running around with a frisbee.
That’s the last we will mention Cap in this category.
Stark’s tech is admittedly pretty damn cool. Each successive film saw Tony iterating the tech just a little better than the last time. There were some blips in the road —
As suits go, it’s pretty neat. But Thor has something even better.
Mjolnir is a legendary weapon, one of the most iconic in pop culture, which only a handful of people are worthy of even wielding (sit down Steve, we’re not talking to you right now). Yes, Hela destroys Mjolnir. But as it turns out, the legendary hammer was just a fancy set of training wheels to help Thor harness his true power. Which is sorta like Arthur losing Excalibur and suddenly becoming Merlin. The power was literally inside Thor all along.
Lest we forget, Thor’s new boo Stormbreaker was able to take the full force of all 6 infinity stones on the way to impaling itself in Thanos’ chest. And as cute as it is watching Tony weld away at his workbench, has he ever taken the force of a dying sun on his back in order to craft anything?
I rest my case.
Owner of a lonely heart
The life of a hero is lonely and full of pain.
Tony is betrayed by his mentor. His parents are at least 10 years dead before the first Iron Man movie. His bestie is recast. It’s all pretty traumatic. No wonder he’s a drunk.
Steve’s best friend is captured, and then rescued, and then thought dead, and then found alive but brainwashed, and then saved by the power of Steve’s love and the swole of his biceps. Yes, the whole man out of time business, but Steve seems to acclimate fairly well to modern times.
Steve: Well, things aren’t so bad. Food’s a lot better; we used to boil everything. No polio is good. Internet, so helpful.
And then there’s Thor, whose story rivals the most tragic of tragedies. In the films he loses his father; his mother; his brother, multiple times; his best friend; his backup singers, the Warriors Three; his planet; most of his entire civilization; his eye; and, of course, Mjolnir. Oh and Jane dumped him.
What did those other guys lose again?
Tony has Rhodey and Pepper, and an adopted son in Peter Parker, and that super cute daughter. Steve has Bucky and Sam, and I’m pretty sure Sharon Carter is down to Netflix and chill. When the dust settles, who does Thor have? It’s no wonder he sidles up to the Guardians at the end of Endgame — sweet rabbit and tree are all he’s got left.
This got pretty dark but I think we can all agree that Thor’s life sucked the most. The fact that he’s stronger than ever despite all the trauma is pretty darn remarkable.
That special something
The best heroes are somehow a cut above. They have deep reserves they can call upon in times of trouble, and the mental fortitude to stand tall in the face of adversity. Each of the big three have faced death numerous times and have put their bodies on the line.
Tony always liked the benefits of herodom more than the actual work. Recall how he developed PTSD after flying through a wormhole to deliver the nuke in the first Avengers. And he sorta had to be led blindfold into doing the gauntlet switcheroo in Endgame — if Doctor Strange had told him the cost up-front, Tony would not have done it. Their one chance is predicated upon Tony not knowing the plan until the very end.
Even at the end, Tony is ever the reluctant hero.
In contrast, Steve Rogers is almost suicidal in his need to be the hero. That’s not to knock him — we love him because of it. We aren’t surprised when he borrows Thors hammer — we’ve known he was worthy all along. But it’s telling that at the conclusion of Endgame, Steve elects to retreat back to safe old 1945. He’s had it with modern times and all its bullshit. He just wants a bit of the quiet life. And certainly, he’s earned it.
Endgame kills and retires two-thirds of the big three. Who does that leave?
The god among mortals, naturally. Along with everything else he’s suffered, Thor had to bear the weight of all those untold billions who died because he failed to kill Thanos. For five years. He puts on some weight, but underneath he’s still the Thor of old. Would Mjolnir return to him if otherwise?
After Thanos is dead and gone, only Thor remains. The guy that can be killed only if he dies.
I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty darn great.
What say you?
Based only on the arguments presented (you have read all of them, haven’t you?) and not on personal preference: who wins this bout? Voting closes on July 7 at 11:59 PM.The other entries:
Eric writes about pop culture here at Medium and would definitely pick Thor first in an Avengers fantasy draft. If you’d like to see what else he’s working on, check out his newsletter.