Contains spoilers for Immortal Thor #16!Most Marvel fans know that Thor Can fly, thanks to his legendary hammer Mjölnir – but the last issue of The ongoing series of God of Thunder has revealed that if necessary, he can summon the storm to lift him into the sky as well. This new upgrade expands one of his classic powers in a completely unexpected way, in an exciting expansion of the hero’s abilities.
Immortal Thor #16 – Written by Al Ewing, with art by Jan Bazaldua – Features Thor demonstrating that he doesn’t need Mjölnir to fly, as he commands the wind to lift him when the hammer is inaccessible because it hovers over the city carrying the villain’s radioactive Man out of the way of civilians.
In the past, Mjölnir was a crucial part of Thor’s ability to fly and even in Immortal Thor #16, he admits that he vastly prefers this method.
Thor reveals that he can use the wind to fly, even without Mjölnir’s help
Immortal Thor #16 – Written by Al Ewing; Art by Jan Bazaldua; Color by Matt Hollingsworth; Lettering by Joe Sabino
Classically, Thor is not the one flying himself but is instead dragged by Mjölnir. By spinning the hammer, Thor is also able to generate currents that help with directional travel. In other words, for all his strength and abilities, Immortal Thor #16 showcases that Thor still has so much untapped potential. actually, Immortal Thor Has specifically been fascinated with Thor stretching the limits of his powers. In this era, Thor is able to literally speak to lightning, power a giant mech with his divinity, and heal life-altering injuries.
When he flies without Mjölnir in this issue, Thor narrates that the power is given to him as a ‘skyfather’ which is synonymous with a pantheon’s all-father. Instead. Thor is interpreting this power as the ability to control the sky itself, to command and shape the wind. Immortal Thor #3 revealed that the Almighty is also the ‘knowledge of history’, the understanding that divine power in Marvel stems from history and that gods are shaped by the stories about them. In a story, the Skyfather should be able to control the sky, and so he can.
Thor’s new powers are the perfect way to demonstrate his character growth
Immortal Thor #16 – Now available from Marvel Comics; Cover by Alex Ross
What is satisfying is that Thor using new powers is also part of his growth in Immortal Thor. One of the big themes of the series was Thor using wisdom and knowledge, not brute force, to solve his problems, and the majority of the ‘new’ powers are really logical extensions of Thor’s classic powers that he’s dreamed up. If he can summon thunder, lightning and storms, He should naturally be able to ride on the same wind currents. Thor’s powers are only limited by what he can logically imagine doing with them, and Immortal Thor Continues to expand his abilities.
To make Thor’s greatest strength, his intelligence is a solid evolution of the character, and has just grown with him in the role of All-Father.
Even Thor’s biggest loss in the series so far directly involves his wits. in Immortal Thor #10Enchantress casts a spell that saps Thor’s intelligence while on Midgard, forcing him to think in clichés and dumb one-liners. Thor’s only recourse against the enchantress’ trick is the magic-dampening belt Yolgjörd, which helps prevent this. To make Thor’s greatest strength, his intelligence is a solid evolution of the character, and is just growing with him in the role of All-Father. With age and responsibility comes wisdom and knowledge, and wisdom and knowledge are power.
Thor’s new power is similar to Marvel’s weather “goddess,” X-Men & Avengers’ Storm
The two icons are more similar than ever
This feat of Thor’s once again puts him in direct comparison to another hero who can summon lightning and uses the wind to fly, Storm. Immortal Thor #4 featured a team between the two heroesAnd neatly contrasted their powers, showing their differences. Tor commands Thunder, lightning and the wind, literally speaking to it as its monarch and asking it to obey. Storm manipulates the weather in a less literal sense, but that doesn’t mean its power is weak. She is, after all, an omega-level mutant, which means her powers have no measurable upper limit.
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It’s funny that after all this time to establish Storm and Thor’s differences, Thor is now basically the same thing as Ororo. If he stretches the definition of ‘Skyfather’ far enough, Thor could theoretically replicate even more of Storm’s powers, though he has limits on them. The question is whether the powers hold. Odin may be dead for now, but with the cyclical nature of superhero storytelling (also a theme in Immortal Thor) and the impermanence of death for the gods, Thor Might need to enjoy this power while it lasts.
The Immortal Thor #16 is available now from Marvel Comics.