Thor's History
With Ultron finally defeated, and the world once again saved from its total annihilation, Thor regrouped with all of his fellow Avengers at the Avengers Compound where the newest generation of the Avengers was being trained to protect the planet. While having a friendly debate with Steve Rogers and Tony Stark over how Vision had become worthy enough to pick up Mjølnir while the others could not, Thor decided to leave Earth in the safe hands of the new Avengers.
Still haunted by the visions Wanda Maximoff had shown him, Thor felt it was his duty as a hero between the Nine Realms to better research and understand all the Infinity Stones, realizing that someone was behind the scenes, manipulating events, since four of the six Infinity Stones have been recently involved in major events, recalling how he had witnessed Malekith using the Aether's power recently. Telling Stark and Rogers that he will eventually return, Thor called Heimdall to summon the Bifrost Bridge and returned to Asgard to begin his mission, leaving before Stark complained about how these gateways he created ruined their facility's lawn by burning a lot of it.
Having spent two years following the Battle of Sokovia, searching for the Infinity Stones, Thor had been unsuccessful in finding any. During this time, Thor had begun to have dreams of Asgard up in flames with the Fire Demon Surtur at the center of all the destruction, prompting the God of Thunder to travel to Muspelheim, where he had then allowed himself to be captured by Surtur in his search for an explanation for all of these horrific dreams of Asgard's destruction.
Having recounted his life story to a skeleton who was sharing his cell, Thor was granted an audience with Surtur himself, as Thor was then dropped from his cell and left dangling by a chain before the lord of the Fire Demons. While Thor noted that he thought Odin had killed Surtur half a million years ago, Surtur explained that he could not die until he had destroyed Asgard, to which Thor then explained his dreams of seeing Asgard up in flames at the hands of Surtur.
Surtur explained that these were visions of Ragnarök, promising Thor that once his Crown of Black Fire had then finally been reunited back with the Eternal Flame then he could destroy all of Asgard, although Thor kept interrupting Surtur as his chain spun him around. In trading banter with the Fire Demon over his schemes of destruction and his crown, Thor had also learned from Surtur that Thor's father Odin is no longer on Asgard, confirming his fears that something was wrong.
Once he got Surtur to foolish reveal his own schemes, Thor had then continued mocking him before summoning Mjølnir and easily busted out of his chains, although he struggled to get his timing quite right. While Surtur insisted that Thor had made a terrible mistake in coming into Muspelheim in the first place to challenge him, Thor had still just confidently insisted that he made terrible mistakes constantly, yet they always seemed to work out in his own favor in the long run.
Despite the seemingly overwhelming hordes of the Fire Demons that were sent to destroy him, Thor's Asgardian strength combined with the power of Mjølnir had given him a clear advantage in the ensuing battle. In the ensuing battle, Thor used Mjølnir to destroy Surtur's demons before blocking an attack from the Twilight Sword. Gaining the upper hand, Thor then overpowered Surtur before successfully knocking the crown off his head, finally vanquishing Surtur.
With Surtur now defeated, Thor then strapped the crown to his back, before attempting to summon the Bifrost Bridge, but for an unknown reason, Heimdall did not answer his call for an exit. With more of the Fire Demons attacking him, Thor flew to the surface of Muspelheim and attempted to call Heimdall again, still getting no answer, which left Thor stranded with no way out before a Fire Dragon had attacked him, with Thor using Mjølnir to trap the Dragon momentarily.
With limited time left to make his escape, Thor soon found himself forced to go on the run from the Fire Dragon as well as the remaining hordes of Surtur's Fire Demons. Thor had reclaimed Mjølnir and flew away from the immediate danger of the battle, with the Dragon still chasing him down, however, just before the beast could catch up with him, the Bifrost Bridge had finally opened, taking Thor and the beast's head with it back to the safety of Asgard.[4]
Upon exiting the Bifrost Bridge, Thor slid across the floor at speed due to being pulled from Muspelheim while still flying through the air at considerable speed, being closely followed by the now severed head of the Fire Dragon who had been chasing him. Once arriving there, Thor discovered that Skurge, who had previously fought alongside Thor during the Battle of Vanaheim, had recently been named the new guardian of the Bifrost, with Skurge, complained about Thor scaring away his dates due to the severed dragon head.
While Thor questioned what had happened while he had been gone, Skurge had then explained that Heimdall was currently on a fugitive following his exile from Asgard due to him seemingly being declared a traitor, much to Thor's confusion as he knew Heimdall would never betray Asgard. Wishing to investigate what was going on, Thor then flew straight towards Asgard, much to Skurge's annoyance since he was supposed to be the one to announce Thor's arrival first.
Upon arriving at the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf, Thor notices a gigantic golden statue of Loki outside, and he then came across "Odin" as he watched a play entitled The Tragedy of Loki of Asgard loosely based on the events that took place in the Second Battle of Svartalfheim, as Loki had apparently died heroically in Thor's arms, having given his life to defeat Malekith and Kurse, presenting Loki as the savior and ignoring all his many previous villainous actions throughout Loki's life.
Infuriated, Thor confronted Odin and presented him with the Crown of Black Fire, which Odin mistakenly called the Skull of Surtur. Thor then questioned Odin on why he left the Nine Realms defenseless and instead was gorging himself on grapes and leaving Asgard corrupted and defenseless. Realizing from what Surtur had said to him, that his adopted brother had faked his death again, and had been posing as his father since his apparent death in order to claim the throne.
Seeking to force his brother into revealing his depiction in front of all the onlooking Asgardians, Thor then aggressively took "Odin" in his arms before hurling Mjølnir through the air, threatening to crush his head with it unless he revealed his deception to everyone on Asgard. While the Einherjar watched on, unsure of how to handle the unusual situation, "Odin" tried to insist that Thor was mad and would be executed, but Thor promised to see him in the afterlife, directly addressing "Odin" as his brother.
With no other option, Loki finally gave up the facade in front of all the Asgardians and faced Thor's scorn. As they stood awkwardly across from each other, Skurge finally arrived and announced Thor's arrival, much to Loki's annoyance. Thor then demanded to know where Odin had been for the last four years, pressing Mjølnir against Loki until he admitted Odin was on Earth. Thor and Loki then went to Earth, leaving Volstagg and Fandral in charge of the Bifrost.
Upon arriving back on the Earth, Thor and Loki had soon discovered that Shady Acres Care Home, the retirement house where Loki had previously dropped off Odin in New York City had been demolished. While they were discussing how Loki had survived being killed by Kurse, they were interrupted by women who wanted a picture with Thor, as one woman expressed her sadness that Jane Foster had dumped him, although Thor insisted it was a mutual dumping.
While they were speaking, with Thor jokingly comparing Loki's outfit to that of a witch, they noticed something was happening under their feet, which Loki insisted he had nothing to do with. Before they could react, Loki was suddenly captured by a portal on the floor which then left behind nothing but a business card with an address for the New York Sanctum, which Thor then headed straight to in order to locate his brother and understand what had just happened to Loki.
Upon knocking on the door of the Sanctum, Thor found that he was immediately teleported inside the building where he began looking around. Thor was then eventually met by Doctor Strange who floating down using the Cloak of Levitation and had greeted Thor. Strange then invited Thor to put down Mjølnir, which had been transformed into an umbrella for his time on the Earth, with Strange providing him with a coat stand to place Mjølnir in as Thor obliged him.
Upon being teleported around the Sanctum again, Thor commented on his surprise to learn that the Earth now had wizards, with Strange correcting him that they preferred to use the term of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. While they were speaking, Thor awkwardly broke an artifact before questioning what Strange wanted and why he should care, to which Strange introduced himself properly and invited Thor to have a seat while they then discussed Thor returning to Earth.
Thor and Strange then teleported across the Sanctum and sat down to discuss the situation that had arisen due to Thor returning to the Earth. Strange also used his magic to give Thor a cup of tea and when he explained that he did not drink tea, Strange gave him a beer instead and began comically refilling Thor's beer as he had drunk it, confusing him. Strange then explained that he kept a watch list of the beings he had deemed dangerous, noting that Loki was one.
Thor remarked that he agreed with Loki being put on the list of the dangerous beings before then being questioned as to why he had brought Loki back to New York City. Thor highlights that he and Loki were currently looking for Odin while Strange agreed to help on the condition that they promptly return to Asgard as soon as they found Odin. Strange explained that Odin was currently in Norway and agreed to help then, noting Odin had wished to remain in exile.
As Strange prepared to use his Sling Ring to teleport Thor to Odin's current location, he briefly checked to see if he needed to alter the spell to accommodate for transporting Asgardians, which he soon confirmed he did not, while continuing to teleport Thor across the building repeatedly, much to is considerable annoyance. Strange then used a strand of Thor's hair to locate Odin in Norway, informed Thor, and that he was currently waiting for them both there.
He opens up a portal to Norway and comically reminds Thor not to forget his umbrella, to which Thor responded to by summoning it with his hand, smashing through and breaking objects in the room above, which irritated Strange. Thor then requested for Strange to reunite him with Loki, and Strange obliged by using his Sling Ring to open a portal, releasing Loki from a spell which he angrily exclaimed had caused him to fall for thirty minutes, which amused Thor.
While Thor shook hands with Strange and thanked him for all of his assistance in locating Odin, the furious Loki then prepared to attack Strange in revenge for falling through the portal for so long. Thor attempted to get his brother to relax, but Strange merely ended the confrontation by moving the still-open portal around Thor and Loki, transporting them to Norway and out of the New York Sanctum before the Loki could get anywhere even close to him.[4]
Having just been sent through Doctor Strange's portal, Thor arrived within Norway alongside Loki and soon discovered Odin as he was looking over a mountainside. Upon seeing their father, Thor immediately told Odin that they have come to take him back to Asgard. Odin only responded with how joyful he is to be reunited with both of his two sons and stated how beautiful the landscape was.
As Thor demanded Loki lift his magic, Odin confirmed that it was not Loki's spells that had weakened him, stating that it took him a long time to break free of Loki's illusion and that Frigga would have been proud of him, shocking Loki. Odin told his sons to admire the beauty of the landscape and the sea in front of him, reminiscing of Asgard. As Odin explained that Ragnarök was upon them, Thor told his father that he had defeated Surtur and put an end to ragnarok
Odin, however, had explained that Ragnarök would not be started by Surtur, but the arrival of Hela, noting that his own life was the only thing holding Hela back. Odin explained that Hela was, in fact, Thor's first-born sister who had been imprisoned within Hel for thousands of years due to her violent needs. While Odin considered this shocking news, Odin told Thor and Loki that he loved them both as his body dissipated into energy and was taken away by the wind.
Having witnessed the death of his father and having learned Odin's secrets regarding Hela, Thor's grief and anger caused storm clouds to gather above, as he claimed that this was Loki's fault, as it had been Loki's actions with banishing Odin to Earth without any of his Asgardian powers which had led to Odin's body dying of his long life. While lightning came out of Thor's fingertips as his anger grew, Loki fearfully had then attempted to calm him back down.
Before Thor caused an outburst of grief, he and Loki are stunned to see a portal from Hel appear directly in front of them. Changing back into their normal attire, they readied themselves witnessing Hela step out of the portal free of her banishment following Odin's demise. Hela then greeted the pair and expressed her disappointment with not witnessing Odin's passing herself before Thor introduced himself to his sister as Odin's son.
Hela commented that while Thor did not look like Odin, Loki sounded more like him. Hela then calmly ordered both Thor and Loki to kneel before her as their new Queen of Asgard. However, Thor had refused to recognize her as the heir to the throne and, seeking to end the first before it started, proceeded to throw Mjølnir towards her. However, much to Thor's complete horror, Hela caught Mjølnir in her hand and then proceeded to completely destroy the hammer with ease.
As Hela armed herself with Necroswords and prepared to attack the brothers, Loki panicked and had called for the Bifrost Bridge, much to Thor's horror, who ordered Loki not to do it as it would cause Hela to be able to access Asgard through the Bifrost. As Volstagg obeyed the order and opened the Bifrost, during their transport, Hela then intercepted them and had then forced both Thor and Loki out of the beam, separating the pair while she made it to Asgard.
Following his brief clash against Hela, Thor was violently thrown out of the Bifrost Bridge and deposited onto the planet of Sakaar which was completely covered in junk. As Thor overlooked the planet, he discovered that there were portals from all of the Nine Realms across the sky, where large amounts of junk and debris from worlds fell through to the surface.
While he continued exploring the wasteland of the planet, Thor was then approached by hostile Sakaarans who questioned if Thor was either a fighter or food. As the scavengers moved towards him, Thor attempted to call Mjølnir, only to remember that Hela destroyed it. While Thor fought off the Sakaarans, with his Asgardian strength overpowering them, the Lead Scrapper managed to capture him by using an electrified net which knocked Thor down to the ground.
The scavengers proceed to beat Thor until a drunk woman appeared from her Warsong, claiming Thor to be hers before falling off her ship. Although the scrappers tried to ignore her, the woman proceeded to use the Warsong's guns and slaughtered the scavengers, seemingly rescuing Thor. However, just as Thor had attempted to thank her, the woman threw a Obedience Disk onto his neck and this allowed her to simply electrocute and render Thor completely unconscious.
Thor had eventually regained consciousness and found himself flying across the planet still on board the Warsong while the drunk woman informed somebody that she was on her way. Thor had demanded to know who she was and where he was being taken, smashing at the glass and proclaiming himself to be the son of Odin and insisting that he had to get back onto Asgard. However, the woman simply ignored Thor's demands and then reactivated the Obedience Disk.
With the Obedience Disk connected to his neck still preventing him from escaping, the drunk woman took Thor to meet Sakaar's supreme ruler, Grandmaster. At first, Thor was given a presentation which explained the history of both the Contest of Champions and Grandmaster. As the presentation sped up, Thor awkwardly yelled out loud before awaking before Grandmaster himself.
While Thor struggled to break free, Grandmaster had Topaz pay the woman, as Grandmaster intended to use Thor as a gladiator in the Contest of Champions. While Grandmaster got closer to Thor, he refused to be sold and ripped off his handcuffs, only for the woman to reactivate his Obedience Disk. When asked who he was, Thor ripped off his handcuffs once again and proclaimed to be the god of thunder, which Grandmaster merely mocked.
Thor was then brought along as Grandmaster went to meet with his cousin Carlo, who had seemingly attempted to make his escape from Sakaar only to be captured. While Carlo desperately begged for his life, Grandmaster pardoned him, to Carlo's relief. Grandmaster, however, revealed that he meant Carlo was pardoned from life before using the Melt Stick to kill him, as Thor looked on in utter horror as Carlo screamed while melting down into nothing but slime.
While Grandmaster properly introduced himself and explained the Contest of Champions, Thor insisted he would not be a part of it and would be returning to Asgard. However, due to the unusual relativistic effects of how they got there, Thor discovered that Loki was still alive following the fight with Hela within the Bifrost Bridge and had already been there for several weeks, earning Grandmaster's favor while there, much to Thor's considerable confusion and annoyance.
Grandmaster questioned Loki over his relationship to Thor, to which Loki insisted that he had never met him before, and insisting he was adopted when Thor admitted they were brothers. As Thor continued to threaten Grandmaster for his own freedom, he then was told that the only way he could have his freedom was if he defeated the Contest of Champions' ultimate champion, which Thor was confident he could do before being taken away to his cell by Grandmaster.
Thor was thrown into the Contest of Champions' quarters where he was then introduced to Korg, an exiled Kronan resistance fighter, and his friend Miek. As Thor questioned how Korg how wound up becoming one of Grandmaster's warriors, Korg then explained it was down to a failed revolution while Thor also discovered that their cell was an endless circle which he could not escape from.
While Thor and Korg discussed how Sakaar was a place that did not make sense, Thor then questioned if anybody had ever fought Grandmaster's ultimate champion, to which Korg pointed out that only Doug had, and Doug was dead. Korg then questioned if Thor intended to fight Grandmaster's champion, to which he insisted he would and he would win, as Korg noted that Doug used to say the same thing before being killed, calling Thor the new Doug.
While still locked within the cell, Thor sat alone a prayed for Odin to have a safe journey to Valhalla. During his prayers, Thor was visited by Loki, who had commented that he understood how much it hurt to discover that your own family had been lying to you your entire life, ever since Loki discovered he was actually a Frost Giant. Thor's only response to seeing Loki was to throw stones at him, unsurprised to discover that Loki had sent down another projection of himself.
Loki suggested to Thor that they win Grandmaster's trust until they killed him and ruled over Sakaar together, although Thor clearly did not approve. Seeing that Thor had other plans, Loki reminded him of how Hela had destroyed Mjølnir with ease and proved herself to be vastly more powerful than both of them, only for Thor to accuse Loki of killing their father and allowing Hela to take power. Loki then left, with Korg and Miek telling him to piss off once he left.
While Thor was preparing himself to fight ultimate champion of Grandmaster, he set about choosing his weapons to take into the battle. Korg offered to help pick a weapon, as Thor told him about Mjølnir, although Korg misunderstood how it had allowed Thor to fly. Korg summarized that Thor had a special relationship with Mjølnir and that its destruction was similar to losing a loved one.
Still struggling to pick a weapon, as he attempted to throw a hammer and was disappointed when it did not return to his hand, Thor then spotted the drunk woman who had captured him. Speaking to Korg about her, Korg revealed that she was actually Asgardian, much to Thor's great surprise. Thor then attempted to speak to her, as she threatened to reactivated his Obedience Disk, which had just made Thor considerably more nervous about speaking with her.
While she attempted to ignore him, Thor discovered that the woman was actually a member of the Valkyries. While Thor gushed about his admiration of the Valkyrie and how he had always wanted to join them before learning they were only women, Thor had then informed Valkyrie of the threat of Hela to Asgard and had requested her help in stopping her. When she was unsympathetic to the plight of Asgard, he called her a coward before being forced to go out and fight.
Having once again been incapacitated from the Obedience Disks, Thor underwent final preparations for his final battle against the champion. Moments before going out to fight the champion, Thor then had his hair cut by someone strangely familiar, who ignored Thor's desperate pleas for his beloved hair not to be cut off. Thor was then given Doug's mace and shield, a pair of retractable swords as well as a collapsible helmet for his battle the champion.
Stepping inside the Contest of Champions' arena, Thor had prepared himself to fight in order to return to Asgard. While the audience continued cheering, Grandmaster introduced Thor as the Lord of Thunder while his champion prepared to arrive. Thor put on his helmet and got ready for his fight, armed with Doug's Mace and Shield as his weapons against the champion.
However, to Thor's complete surprise, when the champion emerged, it was revealed to be Hulk. Thor became completely overjoyed at seeing his former Avengers teammate, calling out to both Loki and Grandmaster as he called Hulk a friend from work. Thor had then attempted to talk with Hulk, explaining Mjølnir's destruction and Loki being alive and tried to negotiate with Hulk, but Thor made the mistake of calling him Bruce Banner which angered Hulk.
To Thor's great surprise, Hulk insisted that there was no Banner but only Hulk and furiously attacked Thor. He then quickly defended himself and the two fought inside the arena, with Hulk smashing Thor with his Sakaaran War Hammer, sending Thor flying backwards as he lost his Mace. Annoyed at being attacked, Thor drew his swords and attempted to get through to Banner, insisting that they were friends, but Hulk refused to listen to him and attacked.
Hulk soon managed to gain the upper hand in their clash as he broke Thor's swords and kicked him across the arena, smashing Thor into a wall, much to the delight of Grandmaster. Thor was just able to free himself as Hulk then launched one of his massive hammers towards him, before charging towards Thor armed with his axe. Thor, however, responded by ripping the hammer from the wall and striking Hulk with it at full force, sending him flying back.
While everybody in the arena watching the fight froze in shock at the blow, including Korg and Miek, Thor calmly made his way towards the now injured and surprised Hulk. Seeking to end the fight without any more conflict, Thor then tried to use Black Widow's calming technique which Romanoff had often used during their time in the Avengers, in a final attempt to turn Hulk back into Bruce Banner and end their fight before anybody could be seriously hurt.
Despite Thor insisting that he would not hurt Hulk anymore, the plan had failed to work, and Hulk smashed Thor into the arena's ground repeatedly, before launching Thor across the arena, much to Loki's considerable joy since Hulk attacked him similarly during the Battle of New York. While Hulk celebrated and enjoyed the cheers from the crowds of Sakaarans who were supporting him, Thor got back to his feet and prepared to keep fighting.
Annoyed all his attempts were having no effect, Thor decided he had had enough and, armed with the Sakaaran War Hammer, proceeded to fight back against Hulk, with his Asgardian strength combined with his long history of fighting, allowed him to gain the upper hand over Hulk's pure rage. As they continued fighting, Thor managed to destroy Hulk's Sakaaran Battle Axe and attempted to beat him down until he could force Hulk to transform back in Banner.
While Thor expressed his embarrassment that Hulk was fighting him even after Thor claimed they were friends, they briefly engaged in some hand-to-hand combat, with Thor still proving himself to be the superior fighter as he put Hulk into a headlock. However, as Thor regained the War Hammer and attempted to launch another attack, Hulk grabbed the hammer before Thor could strike him with it. Thor was caught off-guard as Hulk punched him clear across the arena.
While Thor was lying on his back, Hulk proceeded to leap on top of him and began to beat him into submission, much to the delight of everybody watching, including Grandmaster. As Thor's protection, his helmet, was knocked off, he was almost beaten to death but was given a vision of Odin, which allowed Thor to tap into a previously unknown source of power as his entire body surged with lightning. As Hulk paused, unsure of what to make of this, Thor struck him with a lightning-charged punch, knocking the brute flat on his back.
The powerful strike damaged Hulk's Sakaaran Battle Armor and gave Thor the support of the Sakaarans who began chanting Thor's name. Charged up with his new found powers, Thor ran towards Hulk, who was furious that he was losing the support of the people. As both combatants simultaneously launched at one another, Thor delivered another blow, more powerful than the last, creating a visible shockwave and flooring Hulk.
As the fight had finally begun to reach its conclusion, Thor was still winning against Hulk, to the shock of Korg and all the gladiators of the Contest of Champions as well as the spectators, while Valkyrie watched from Warsong. However, Grandmaster, unwilling to see Hulk lose since he was a fan favorite, cheated and "fixed" the fight by activating his Obedience Disk. As Thor lay defenseless, Hulk took advantage and then landed the final blow against Thor.
In the wake of the Duel in the Grand Arena, the bruised Thor had eventually awoken inside some luxurious quarters with a team of nurses tending to his injuries. Getting to his feet, Thor put his Asgardian armor back on before exploring the room, discovering that Hulk was also there, and was taking a bath at that moment, as Thor first confirmed that Hulk would not attempt to attack him again.
Thor began questioning Hulk about exactly how he had managed to get into Sakaar, becoming frustrated as Hulk struggled to answer his questions. When Hulk claimed he had gotten where he was by winning at the Contest of Champions, Thor insisted that he had won by cheating since Grandmaster had activated his Obedience Disk. Hulk finally revealed that he arrived in the Quinjet, then showing where it was in a scrapyard, walking by Thor while naked.
Reclaiming his possessions, Thor asked Hulk to come to Asgard with him and ensure that Hela did not cause Ragnarök. However, Hulk refused to leave Sakaar and return to the Earth, explaining that he still believed he was utterly hated back on the Earth ever since the events of the Duel of Johannesburg where Hulk had inadvertently endangered the lives of innocent people and therefore, he would not leave Sakaar where he was adored by thousands of his fans.
Although Thor attempted to convince Hulk that everybody loved him since he was a member of the Avengers, Hulk insisted that Thor was only friends with Bruce Banner, which Thor denied by claiming that he did not even like Banner. Hulk, however, had still refused to go with Thor to Asgard to confront Hela, as the annoyed Thor made his way out while insulting the room. However, Thor discovered the door was electrified and he was unable to leave without being shocked.
Trapped in their room, Thor watched while Hulk had put back on his Sakaaran Battle Armor and went training with Valkyrie for his next fight with the Contest of Champions. Once he was alone, Thor had meditated and attempted to come into contact with Heimdall back on Asgard in order to learn what was happening while he was still trapped on Sakaar and unable to return home to aid Heimdall.
Managing to get through to Heimdall, Thor was immediately shown that Asgard was currently in an utterly dire situation as Heimdall was being forced to evacuate the Asgardians before Hela to imprison or execute them, having already slaughtered the Warriors Three while Thor had been gone. Thor expressed his desire to return to Asgard and stop Hela and keep the people safe, confessing that he did not actually know where he was currently was within the universe.
As Heimdall explained Hela was planning to use her newly regained power to consume all the Nine Realms, he then suggested that Thor could possibly be able to get out of Sakaar by going through many of the wormholes that littered the sky. As Heimdall drew Hofund due to being attacked by Hela's Berserkers, Thor questioned which one of the wormholes to use to escape and Heimdall suggested that he use the biggest one before their communication had then ended.
Still determined to get out of Sakaar and return to Asgard in order to help his people in their battle against Hela, Thor attempted to rip out of his Obedience Disk out of his neck once again to which he had no luck as it had instead caused him considerable pain. Seeing this, Hulk noted how sad Thor looked, to which Thor simply told him to shut up as he sat alone and contemplating his next move.
While Hulk pushed him over and still continued teasing him, the annoyed Thor rebutted that he was furious to what had happened to his home, the death of Odin and the destruction of Mjølnir before he had become imprisoned by Grandmaster. When Hulk had appeared to ignore all of Thor's complaints, Thor accused him of not listening and began kicking some stuff towards Hulk and accusing him of currently being a really bad friend.
As their childish argument continued, Hulk told Thor to stop kicking stuff, to which Thor responded by claiming that Hulk was known as the stupid member of the Avengers, as Hulk called Thor the tiny Avenger. As his temper rose, Hulk threw a shield at Thor which nearly decapitated him, resulting in Thor angrily claiming that everybody on the Earth did hate Hulk, which Thor soon realized had greatly upset Hulk who sat down on his bed and sulked.
Seeing that he had genuinely upset him, Thor decided to apologize and Hulk accepted, noting that nobody actually called Hulk the stupid Avenger. As they sat together, Thor claimed they were very alike, with Hulk comparing himself to raging fire and Thor to either water or a smoldering fire. Once he got Hulk to calm down, Thor told him to do something of his favor, asking him to bring Valkyrie to his room so he could convince her to help him to escape.[4]
The next day, Hulk did as Thor requested and had Valkyrie come up to his room, as together they playfully sparring with each other as Hulk played with the Sakaaran War Hammer while Valkyrie kicked him over. Thor then revealed himself in the room, awkwardly trying to look impressive before Valkyrie simply ignored him and prepared to leave the room, as she claimed that Thor was too thick headed to see she was in Sakaar only to hide away from her problems.
As Hulk threw part of his bed to ensure she did not leave, Valkyrie agreed to listen for as long as it took her to drink a large bottle of alcohol. Thor began explaining how Asgard was currently in danger and he needed her help to return there. However, he soon discovered that Valkyrie was a faster drinker than he expected as he soon was out of time. Thor then explained that Odin was dead and Hela had invaded Asgard, which caused Valkyrie to stop in her tracks.
Thor had then insisted that he currently planned on stopping Hela by putting together a team which he wanted both Hulk and Valkyrie to be a part of, although both refused to help him. When Thor tried to reach her by calling out the legend of the Valkyries, she explained to him how she had witnessed Odin lose control of Hela, resulting in the horrifying Massacre of the Valkyrie in Hel, which is what had led her to not wanting anything more to do with Asgard and Odin's family.
Valkyrie explained the problem with the Asgardian Royal Family while Thor tried to explain that he agreed with her, while Valkyrie held her knives to his throat as a warning to not get too familiar with her. Thor told her that these issues were the reasons he had turned down the throne, noting that this was not about the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf or even the two of them, but the Asgardians themselves who were in danger, but still, Valkyrie refused to be involved in the fight against Hela.
Thor, however, revealed that he had gotten closer to Valkyrie simply to steal the control to his Obedience Disk, allowing himself to finally be free of Grandmaster's control. With that, Thor took a ball while Hulk had been playing with and used it to crack the room's glass window, although this resulted with the ball bouncing back and striking Thor directly into the face. Jumping back up as if nothing happened, Thor said this was what heroes did before leaping out of the window.
Thor attempted to get back to the Quinjet that brought Hulk into Sakaar in the first place, avoiding the Sakaarans as he made his way towards it. Activating the Quinjet, Thor had announced himself by his name, but this was rejected. Having tried several other names including the God of Thunder and the Strongest Avenger, Thor finally cursed Tony Stark as he used the codename Point Break which Stark had previously given him, and was given clearance.
However, before Thor could take off and escape from Sakaar, Hulk suddenly appeared and pushed his way on board, destroying almost everything in his path while he demanded that Thor stay on Sakaar with the Contest of Champions. It was only when Thor accidentally activated a recording of Black Widow's attempts to get Hulk to turn the Quinjet around following the Battle of Sokovia that Hulk pacified and transformed into Bruce Banner, despite some resistance.
Thor approached Banner who was confused by his surroundings, as he questioned what had happened about Ultron. Eventually, Thor had realized that Banner had been in Hulk form since Sokovia and, as a result, Hulk had completely taken over. Because of this, Banner was powerless and does not remember anything that has happened for the past two years since, questioning what happened with Ultron, where he currently was and what had happened to Thor's hair.
While Thor tried to explain everything, Banner checked the Quinjet's records and saw footage of Hulk being sucked through a wormhole. Grandmaster then appeared in a massive projection above the city, explaining that his beloved champion had been kidnapped by Thor and ordering the Sakaarans to find them. Thor told Banner that he had been there for some time, noting that he was champion and they had just had a battle which Thor had claimed to have won before they then made their escape.
Thor and a highly nervous Bruce Banner made their way through the streets of Sakaar, as Thor attempted to keep his friend calm by repeating Natasha Romanoff's calming words to him. As Banner struggled to remain calm, he explained how he had experienced Hulk taking full control for the first time ever, an experience which had clearly shaken Banner as he refused to turn back into Hulk.
The pair then discussed how they planned to leave Sakaar and get back to Asgard, as Thor explained how he required Hulk's help in his attempts to stop Hela from taking over the Nine Realms. However, Banner, already highly agitated despite Thor's attempts to keep him calm, insisted all he wanted to do is go to Earth and be left in peace, not wishing to get involved with his family issue or fight any more evil beings, as he felt that Thor was just using him to get to Hulk.
The pair got into a debate about if Banner would be useful in battling Hela's armies of Berserkers even without turning into Hulk, with Banner insisting that his seven PhDs made him useful, which Thor was unconvinced by. Finally, Banner agreed to accompany Thor to Asgard on the condition that he doesn't have to think about Hulk ever again before they both made their way through the streets, with Banner complaining that Tony Stark's clothing was too tight.
Just as Thor promised Banner he would not have to think of Hulk anymore, they were separated in a Contest of Champions party. As the pair were briefly threatened by Biff only for Valkyrie to appear and use Biff's Obedience Disk to subdue him. While Thor had still insisted he could have subdued Biff himself, Valkyrie questioned who Banner was, failing to recognize Banner as Hulk, before taking them away for a private conversation while Thor awkwardly flirted with her.
As Thor followed behind Valkyrie back into Sakaar, she explained to him how she had first come to the planet as a means of escaping her past having witnessed the Valkyries falling at Hela's hands millennia ago when she was the only survivor which caused her to turn to drink in misery on Sakaar. Valkyrie then agreed to help Thor in his mission to rescue the Asgardians, hoping that their mission could also involve the defeat of Hela which she had wanted for thousands of years. Thor accepted her help, explaining their team would be called the Revengers as he claimed they were all looking for revenge.
Valkyrie then showed her peace offering, a chained up Loki, as Thor confirmed this was not merely another illusion by throwing a bottle at Loki's head. While Loki spoke with Bruce Banner, Thor had explored Valkyrie's room and found her Dragonfang which Thor then admired. Valkyrie then discussed the best route to Asgard, suggested going through a wormhole to Xandar where they could quickly refuel until they had eventually made it back to Asgard in eighteen months.
Remembering what Heimdall had said to him, however, Thor then suggested they travel through the largest wormhole, which Valkyrie informed him was named the Devil's Anus, much to both Thor and Banner's surprise. Looking at the Anus, Valkyrie noted that they would need another ship as the Anus would tear her Warsong into pieces if they had attempted to use that, as Thor and Banner then discussed what they would need to survive the journey.
While they discussed which ship to use, Loki then interrupted them, explaining that he no longer wanted to be stuck on Sakaar since he had fallen out of favor with Grandmaster. Although Loki told Thor he had Grandmaster's security codes which give him control over his systems, Banner expressed his distrust of Loki in the wake of the last Chitauri Invasion of Earth, while Thor retold a story of when Loki had turned into a snake and stabbed him when they were children.
While Loki suggested that they set Hulk free and allowing him to help them escape, Thor claimed he was lying as Valkyrie got excited. Thor then suggested that they start a revolution to help distract Grandmaster's guards while they stole Grandmaster's personal ship to escape. As they planned, Korg and Miek were broken out of their cell with the other Contest of Champions gladiators so they can begin their revolt as a distraction while the plan went underway.
As they went to find a ship, Thor and Loki had joined forces for the fight once again, with Loki refusing to discuss recent events with his brother, noting that communication was never the Asgardian Royal Family's strongest point. The brothers then armed themselves with Sakaaran Laser Rifles and proceeded to fire upon the small army of Sakaaran Guards who were standing in their way.
While taking cover, Loki noted that Odin had brought them together when he had taken Loki from Jotunheim, claiming that it was almost poetic that his death them break them apart for good. Thor continued firing while Loki unlocked the doorways, while still claiming that they might as well become strangers, before being threatened by another Sakaaran Guard who Thor dispatched by forcing him to fire into the ground which shot him into the air as they entered the elevator.
Once they got inside the elevator, Loki suggested that he should actually stay in Sakaar, which Thor immediately agreed with as he claimed it fit his brother's lawless and chaotic personality perfectly, much to Loki's surprise. Thor went on to admit that he had always thought the world of Loki and hoped they would always fight together. However, he had come to the conclusion that this would never happen due to their differences and they were better off going their separate ways, which resonated with Loki, who seemingly agreed.
Knowing that they would soon encounter more of Grandmaster's guards, Thor suggested that they utilize their "Get Help" strategy, much to Loki's horror. Although he tried to object, Thor still managed to convince Loki as they ran out with Thor pretending Loki needed some medical assistance before throwing his brother at the Sakaaran Guards, knocking him out. Thor delighted in the successful strategy while Loki continued moaning about how humiliating it was.
While they went to steal the Commodore from Grandmaster, Loki, inevitably, betrayed them as they are escaping, attempting to alert Grandmaster. However, Thor placed the Obedience Disk on his back, leaving him being shocked on the floor. Thor told his brother that he knew Loki will always be the God of Mischief, but had hoped that he would have shown some capacity for growth before leaving, with Loki still being shocked and the remote just out of reach.
Having taken control of the Commodore, Thor had then piloted the ship high over Sakaar while Grandmaster alerted his followers of the situation and ordered them to find and capture Thor, noting that he had also kidnapped Hulk. Thor was soon targeted by Grandmaster's Sakaaran ships until Valkyrie then flew by while onboard her own Warsong and then assisted Thor by shooting the other ships out of the sky.
While Bruce Banner was launched up inside the Commodore from Warsong, Thor soon found himself being shot at by Topaz. As they looked for weapons, Thor discovered that it was merely the leisure vehicle which Grandmaster used for orgies, much to the shared disgust of Thor and Banner. The pair then watched as Topaz destroyed Valkyrie's Warsong, only for Valkyrie to survive and launch herself onto the Commodore. When Thor told her to get inside, Valkyrie refused and then attacked the other ships.
While Banner was left in complete control of the Commodore, Thor and Valkyrie proceeded to use their own Asgardian strength to rip Grandmaster's ships apart with their bare hands, with Valkyrie also using her Dragonfang to tear through the ship's armor plating. While Banner was able to cause Topaz to crash using Grandmaster's birthday firework display, Thor and Valkyrie destroyed the final ship before then leaping back on board the Commodore together.
Having taken out all of Grandmaster's defenses and finally gotten away from Sakaar, Thor and the Revengers had prepared themselves to fly through the Devil's Anus and head back towards Asgard so that they could stop Hela from completing her plans to take over the Nine Realms. As they avoided the debris that was flying through the Anus, they made their way to the gateway, expressing heavy friction which knocked them out just as they traveled through the wormhole.
Thor, Valkyrie and Bruce Banner arrived on Asgard, as a result Hela began an assault on the fortress where Heimdall was hiding the Asgardians called her back to the throne room to fight. After a talk about Odin, Thor and Hela fought. Although Thor used Gungnir to attack Hela, he quickly found Hela to be the more skilled and powerful one out of the two.
Although he managed to hit her twice, Hela quickly recovered and blocked all his attack before sarcastically stating that she expected much more from Thor and then counter-attacking, lifting Thor off his feet and disarming him of Gungnir before choking him and saying he is worth nothing. Thor tried to fight back desperately using a pair of blades, but Hela easily outmatches and stabs Thor multiple times with her Necrosword. Hela struck him across the face, cutting out his eye.
Hela was too much for Thor and once again he had a vision of his father in Norway. Thor stated that Asgard has fallen. However, Odin told him that Asgard is not a place, it was a people. Thor stated he cannot defeat Hela without Mjølnir, but Odin reminded Thor that he is not a god of hammers, but the god of thunder; Mjølnir was only ever a focus for his powers and they are greater than Odin's.
With his powers in full force, Thor carved through her army of Berserkers with ease. Thor manages to get through to Loki and Valkyrie after battling against the Berserkers. As the remaining Revengers assembled, Thor makes an obligation to Valkyrie to disband the team after all is done. Thor looked over to Hela and gets ready to a fight, as Loki suggested to hit her with a lighting blast but argues that he already hit with one of all his might and didn't work.
Thor realized that as long as Asgard stands, Hela would hunt them down without stopping. Looking over the Statesman, Thor suggested that Asgard is not a place, it's a people. He and Loki agreed that as long as Asgard existed, Hela would grow more powerful. Thor stated that they should ensure Ragnarök, not stop it. Despite Thor's boldness, Loki ran off to go inside the vault. Thor looked over to Valkyrie and suggested to fight against Hela.
While Loki flew the Commodore and went into the vault to revive Surtur, Thor and Valkyrie fought off Hela using their skills to harm her. Despite Thor having his powers in full force, Hela still managed to overpower him. Hela knocked Thor down and stated that he could not defeat her. However, at that moment, Loki unleashed Surtur who emerged from the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf. Valkyrie took the chance to knock down Hela, and Thor blasted Hela off from the Rainbow Bridge.
The now much more powerful Surtur began laying waste to Asgard and even Hela was unable to stop him. Thor and Valkyrie were ready to stay in Asgard, hating the prophecy for it, until Hulk attacked Surtur, but Thor called him off. Hulk carried Thor and Valkyrie aboard the Statesman, which escapes as Asgard is utterly destroyed, leaving only asteroids behind.
As Thor put on his new eyepatch on, Loki walked into his room and remarked his new look as reminiscent to their father's. Thor, believing his brother had already left the ship, jokingly remarked if he was here, he would give him a hug. Thor threw an object towards Loki, but caught it quickly. Loki reassured him that he's really here. The two made their way towards the deck.
Heimdall found Thor wearing his eyepatch and noted to Thor that they had lost many people, but Thor assured him that no one could have done more and that Odin would be proud of Heimdall. Heimdall told Thor that Odin was proud of him.[26] Thor was then crowned King of the Asgardians and sat on a throne at the side of the Statesman. Heimdall requested on where to go now, to which Thor was unsure of. After trying to get any suggestions on where to go, he decided that they should set course for Earth to rebuild Asgard, perhaps in Norway as Odin suggested.
Spending months in space en route to Earth, Loki visited Thor and asked if it was a good idea to return to Earth, to which he said it was since everyone loves him there. Loki then declared, saying that he was talking about himself. Thor then assured to Loki that everything will be fine, only to watch a larger ship approaching them, to Thor and Loki's shock and horror.
The Statesman was soon boarded by Thanos and the Black Order. Though Valkyrie led half the people to escape pods, Thor remained behind and led the defense against the invaders only to be personally confronted and easily beaten to submission by Thanos.
In his weakened state, Thor was taken hostage by Thanos in order to force Loki to surrender the Tesseract, something Thor believed had been destroyed with the rest of Asgard. Thanos then began torturing Thor with the Power Stone, leading to Loki revealing the Tesseract, prompting Thor to bitterly insult his brother and call him the worst. However, Loki soon revealed that he had merely been stalling for time so that Hulk could ambush Thanos and he proceeded to tackle Thor to safety. Though the gamma-beast initially gave a good account of himself, Thanos quickly triumphed over the Avenger.
In his rage, Thor attempted to once again attack Thanos only to be swatted aside with ease and restrained in metal by Ebony Maw's telekinetic powers. Heimdall then used the last of his strength to summon the Bifrost and send Hulk to Earth so that he could warn the planet of Thanos, an act for which Thanos claimed his life much to Thor's rage who swore to kill the Titan in retaliation. Unamused, Ebony Maw simply gagged Thor.
After Thanos had claimed the Space Stone within the Tesseract, he directed the Black Order to Earth for the Time and Mind Stones, allowing Thor to deduce Thanos himself was going after the Reality Stone. Loki then stepped forward and offered to renew his allegiance to Thanos, sparing a glance at Thor to try and inform him of his true intentions. Unfortunately, Thanos easily anticipated Loki's attack and betrayal and choked him to death, mocking Thor that his brother would not be "resurrected" this time.
With having his stone secured onto the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos used the Power Stone to destroy the remains of the Statesman before teleporting away. Freed from Maw's influence, Thor broke his restraints and fell to the ground, crawling over to Loki's corpse, openly grieving for his brother by his name only to get no response, as the Statesman exploded around them, Thor remained as the only survivor.
Left for dead in the vastness of space, Thor's barely conscious body was found by the Guardians of the Galaxy who brought him aboard the Benatar. After Mantis probed his surface thoughts and emotions, she woke him at Star-Lord's command. Thor awoke abruptly before questioning his now armed saviors who they were. Given food and a blanket, Thor calmed down and told the Guardians that Thanos was on the warpath and that he had destroyed half of Xandar for the Power Stone. Gamora then revealed herself as Thanos' step-daughter and a defected member of the Black Order who informed Thor that Thanos' endgame was to use all the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe.
Seeking revenge on the Titan, Thor attempted to commandeer the Benatar's space pod to fly to Nidavellir and acquire a new weapon while directing the Guardians to Knowhere so they could secure the Reality Stone from the Collector, knowing it was the only possible objective Thanos would have. When questioned as to why, Thor revealed the Mind Stone and Time Stone were on Earth, and protected by the Avengers.
Once explaining who the Avengers are, Thor explained that he needed a new weapon to kill Thanos by going to Nidavellir. As Rocket Raccoon expressed interest in joining the mission, Thor allowed him and Groot to tag along, thinking Rocket as a rabbit who seemed like a noble leader. After Rocket proposed the idea of going with the mission, Thor bid the "morons" farewell, wishing them luck getting the Reality Stone.
Thor, Rocket Raccoon and Groot made for the Dwarven star forge of Nidavellir to forge a weapon powerful enough to kill Thanos. As Rocket comforted him over the loss of his family and people, Thor assured him that his pain has given him the focus needed for avenging them. He was soon given a new eye by Rocket to replace his lost one. However, upon arrival, they found the Realm devastated, the forge extinguished, and the Dwarves massacred.
Thor and the Guardians board the realm to go inside where they noticed the mold for the Infinity Gauntlet only for the Dwarf King, Eitri, to attack them in a fit of rage. Thor tries to calm down Eitri by telling it was him to which Eitri recognized him and stopped attacking. Eitri angrily told that Asgard was supposed to protect the Dwarves but Thor explained that it was destroyed.
Calmly sitting down, Eitri told Thor that Thanos forced him to forge the Infinity Gauntlet to harness the power of the Infinity Stones, before being crippled and forced to watch his people executed. Understanding what Eitri has been gone through, Thor motivates him to build a new weapon by telling his mind was all important to building any arsenal, knowing that it feels like all hope has lost, declares that he and Eitri can kill Thanos.
Together with Eitri, Thor, Rocket, and Groot went to the ring and observed a mold that served as a powerful substance for a King's weapon. Since the ring had been frozen, Thor had the idea of using the pod to work around the gears to repair and restart Nidavellir's forge, in order to complete Stormbreaker, a powerful axe capable of killing Thanos and summon the Bifrost. However, the iris mechanism focusing the star's energy, required to heat the Uru metal ingots for the weapon, was crippled.
Volunteering to physically hold the iris doors open, Thor opened the full brunt of the star's power to light the forge and allow Eitri to heat the metal and pour it into the mold. However, Thor fell unconscious partway through the process, shutting the iris and leaving the weapon without a handle. With Stormbreaker being the only thing that could heal Thor, Eitri searched for the handle to no avail. Having an idea, Groot used his own arm to create a handle, completing Stormbreaker.
As he recovered from his wounds with his new profound weapon, the trio had decided to leave Nidavellir and head to Earth. Summoning the Bifrost Bridge, Thor touched down into the land of Wakanda as the heroes in battle were in danger of being overrun by the Outriders, Thor's power quickly turning the tide of the battle and bringing hope to the humans.
