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Avengers: Judgment DayThe latest Thor poster revealed the first look at Thor’s new Odinforce power upgrade that could be instrumental in taking on Doctor Doom. Marketing has made it clear that, as one of the few remaining OG Avengers, Thor will be a crucial part of Doomsdayattempting to make up for his past failure in defeating Thanos by stopping Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. Fans have already seen Doom the Destroyer catch the Asgardian Avenger’s Stormbreaker attack one-handed, making it clear that he will be a true match for Thor.
Marvel Studios released a new international poster for Avengers: Judgment Day which highlights many of the major superheroes from the Phase 6 blockbuster, including Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. Interestingly, the OG Avenger now uses yellow lightning, a departure from his usual blue, indicating that Thor is finally wielding Odinforce, a powerful upgrade that can help him defeat RDJ’s Doctor Doom.
The color change marks a major change from previous MCU appearances, as the God of Thunder has always wielded blue lightning until now. Fans got their first sneak peek at Thor’s redesigned superpowers from Doomsdaytoy line, leading to speculation about what that could mean for his return.
Even everywhere DoomsdayIn the trailers, Thor has wielded his classic blue lightning bolt, including his failed attempt to hit Stormbreaker against Doctor Doom. That may suggest that his yellow lightning bolt has been altered in previous trailers to preserve the secret or that he unlocks this power later. Doomsday.
While Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder iconically wields blue lightning in battle, the yellow is reminiscent of another major MCU character: Anthony Hopkins’ Odin. The late king of Asgard and father of Thor wielded Odinforce, a powerful combination of magical and cosmic energy and the user’s life force, capable of generating nearly infinite power, rivaling that of the strongest beings, even Doctor Doom.
When the Asgardian Father passed away in Thor: Ragnarökhe did so peacefully in his old age, disappearing into Odinforce in Norway. His spirit faded into yellow energy, which has long represented Odinforce in both the MCU and Marvel Comics, suggesting it is fueling Thor’s new powers in Doomsday.
The Odinforce also acted as the cosmic and mystical energy that powered the Destroyer in 2011. thormanifesting as a burning, yellowish heat. The Destroyer was enchanted with Odinforce, apparently by Odin himself, to protect his vault, and was then unleashed on Earth by Tom Hiddleston’s Loki to kill Thor.
The second of DoomsdayThe initial four trailers showed Thor praying to Odin as he prepared to “fight once more” for the fate of the Multiverse. In that speech, Odinson requested that Odin “lend [him] the strength of the Fathers of All”, This may be how you receive these new Odinforce powers, channeled from Valhalla:
“Father, all my life, I have answered every call. To honor, to duty, to war. But now destiny has given me something I never sought: a child. A life untouched by the storm. Lend me the strength of the Fathers, so that I may fight once more. Defeat one more enemy and return home with it…”
The only previous instance of Thor using yellow lightning powers came Thor: love and thunder via Thunderbolt, the weapon of Russell Crowe’s Zeus. Thor was able to channel that power into an army of Asgardian children, and yet his own lightning remained blue for the encounter with Gorr the Butcher God.
Will Thor’s Odinforce be enough to stop Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday?
It is interesting that Thor has his usual blue lightning in Avengers: Judgment Day‘s trailers, and yet it has changed to yellow for the international poster. Marvel Studios may have changed the color of the lightning bolt in the trailer to tie it in with the Odinforce surprise, or perhaps he will lose to Doctor Doom in such spectacular fashion on Fox’s X-Men Earth that it will prompt his prayer to Odin, who grants him new powers.
Only time will tell how these new superpowers redefine Thor’s combat style in Doomsdaybut it’s certainly a logical step for his character progression to reach the heights of his legendary father, Odin, as the Multiverse collapses. The real question is whether even that will be enough to take on Victor von Doom, who will clearly be a formidable force given the ease with which he trapped Stormbreaker.
The God of Thunder has endured one of the MCU’s most tragic stories, losing his parents, his brother, his best friend, a true love, and some of his closest allies over the past 15 years of movies. That fight may not happen as Thor will reportedly suffer even more trauma in Doomsdayalthough he has more to fight for than ever, thanks to his adopted daughter, Love, who will appear in the film.
Of course, there’s a high chance that Thor’s Odinforce powers still won’t be enough, as Doctor Doom will presumably have to emerge from Doomsday victorious to create Battleworld and return in secret wars. One wonders if that could lead to Thor’s demise in Doomsdayas has been widely theorized to happen, concluding Hemsworth’s extensive 15-year tenure in the MCU.