Marvel Studios has recently introduced many variants ofThorto theMCU, and some of them are so powerful that they could pose a huge threat in Phase 6 and beyond. Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder, has been central to the MCU ever since he debuted back in Phase 1’sThor. Chris Hemsworth’s formidable hero became a founding member of the Avengers, King of his people and, more recently, a father. However, theMCU’s original Thoris not the only version of the God of Thunder that Marvel Studios has explored.
Throughout the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios has debuted a huge number ofvariants of many of the MCU’s most iconic characters. Thor has been at the forefront of this, with the animatedWhat If…?showcasing several different versions, while a few have even appeared in live-action.Thor’s future in the MCUis uncertain after the disappointing performance ofThor: Love and Thunder, butthere is speculation that he could return alongside some of his most powerful variants to pose a threat to either Doctor Doom or even Earth’s Mightiest Heroesin the MCU’s Phase 6.
14Australian Thor
Australian Thor Appeared In The Team Thor One-Shots
Released between 2016 and 2018,Marvel’sTeam ThorOne-Shots caught up with Thor during the events of 2016’sCaptain America: Civil War. Thor was absent from Phase 3’s pseudo-Avengersmovie as he left Earth at the end of 2015’sAge of Ultron.Team Thor, Team Thor: Part 2andTeam Darrylsuggested that he had actually moved in with a local office worker, Daley Pearson’s Darryl, in Australia. These One-Shots were originally thought to be set in the MCU’s main timeline, but inaccuracies and inconsistencies have led many to believe that this version of Thor is actually a variant.
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Thor: Ragnarok
Taika Waititi wrote and directed theTeam ThorOne-Shots to introduce the new, irreverent tone ofThor: Ragnarok, preparing audiences for a comedic Thor. This down-to-Earth Thor investigated the Infinity Stones from Australia with Darryl’s help, while Thor also dealt with being excluded from the battle inCaptain America: Civil War.This version of Thor would pose little threat to anyone in the MCU’s Phase 6, should he even return. Since Pearson appeared asDarryl, a tour guide in New Asgard, inThor: Love and Thunder, it’s possible he could, but he wouldn’t be a huge danger.
13Kid Thor
Kid Thor Was Mentioned By Kid Loki In Loki Season 1, Episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery”
While Kid Thor hasn’t actually been seen on-screen in the MCU, his existence was confirmed byJack Veal’s Kid Lokiback in 2021’sLokiseason 1. The young Loki variant met Tom Hiddleston’s version when the latter was pruned and sent to the Void at the End of Time, and revealed that his Nexus Event was his killing of Thor.Little is known about the circumstances of Kid Thor’s death, but the fact he was taken down by Kid Loki rather than putting up with his trickery hints at him being weaker than his variants.
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Since Kid Loki’s debut in 2021, there have been calls for him to return to the MCU, perhaps even as a member of theupcoming Young Avengers team. This could also introduce Kid Thor to the MCU, and perhaps reveal more about the circumstances surrounding his death and Kid Loki’s pruning.It would be great to see a younger iteration of the God of Thunder fight alongside his variants in the MCU’s Phase 6, though if Loki was able to take him down as a child, it’s likely he wouldn’t last long in the battle against Doctor Doom.
12Throg
Throg First Appeared In Loki Season 1, Episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery”
Throg, a frog-like variant of Thor, made his first MCU appearance inLokiseason 1, where he provided a brilliant easter egg during Loki’s journey through the Void.Throg is based on Marvel Comics' Simon Walterson, who was cursed and turned into a frog known as Puddlegulp. A sliver of Mjolnir forged into a miniature version of the enchanted hammer gifted Puddlegulp the powers of Thor. This ridiculous version of Thor was a great addition toLoki’seaster egg-filled episode 5, and was great to see briefly reappear inWhat If…?season 3.
Throg deserves more development in the MCU, so it would be brilliant to see him return as aThor variant inAvengers: DoomsdayorAvengers: Secret Wars.Throg’s amphibian physiology and his wielding of Frogjolnir makes him powerful, but his size in comparison to other Thor variants means he poses little threat. His return in the MCU’s Phase 6 would help to demonstrate the sheer outlandishness and unlimited possibilities of the multiverse, however, so he would be a welcome addition toDoomsdayorSecret Wars’roster.
11Thor From Red Guardian’s Universe
Thor Appeared In What If…? Season 3, Episode 3, “What If… The Red Guardians Stopped The Winter Soldier?”
As well as introducing some of the weirdest variants of Thor to the MCU,What If…?also included some versions that are basically identical to Chris Hemsworth’s live-action version of the God of Thunder. For instance, the ending ofWhat If…?season 3, episode 3, “What If… the Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Solder?,” saw Alexei Shostakov’sRed Guardian join the ranks of the original Avengers team. He included himself in the iconic panoramic scene featuring the team in New York from 2012’sThe Avengers, which allowed a new variant of Thor to appear.
Alexei Shostakov’s Red Guardian and Bucky Barnes' Winter Soldier will soon be teaming up in live-action in May 2025’sThunderbolts*movie.
This version of Thor had no speaking lines, so nothing is known about his possible differences to his MCU counterpart. He is presumably identical, other than the fact that he now has Red Guardian as a teammate. Thor’s extraterrestrial origin means he wouldn’t have any bias or reservations about the Red Guardian joining the team, whereas the likes of Black Widow and Captain America might have qualms. This means this version of Thor would function practically the same as his live-action counterpart, just like othervariants seen inWhat If…?.
10Thor From Captain Carter’s Universe
Thor Appeared In What If…? Season 2, Episode 5, “What If… Captain Carter Fought The HYDRA Stomper?”
Another example would be the version of Thor seen in the Avengers' line-up from the Battle of New York in the reality that featuresHayley Atwell’s Captain Carter. In this world, Peggy Carter became a super-soldier in the 1940s instead of Steve Rogers, and she took on the Red Skull and the Champion of HYDRA, disappearing for several decades before arriving in the modern era, just like Captain America in the MCU.Also similarly to Captain America, Captain Carter then became the Avengers' first leader, though the team’s roster was a little different.
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Captain Carter could have a bright future in the MCU after her appearances as Multiverse variants of Peggy Carter in What If…? and Doctor Strange 2.
A woman becoming the world’s first super-soldier in the 1940s created more opportunities for women in the years since, which also led to the emergence of more female superheroes before they would have arrived in the live-action MCU. This meant thatCaptain Carter’s Avengers teamnot only included Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Black Widow, like the MCU’s original Avengers team, but also the Wasp, who was a founding Avenger in Marvel Comics.This version of Thor is seemingly identical to his live-action counterpart, so would pose any more of a threat to the MCU than he would.
9Time Heist Thor
2012’s Thor Appeared Again In 2019’s Avengers: Endgame
It’s not only in animation that Marvel Studios has introduced variants of Thor, and not even only just in the Multiverse Saga, as 2019’sAvengers: Endgamemarked the first time many variants of the MCU’s best characters were seen in live-action. DuringEndgame, Earth’s surviving Mightiest Heroes embarked on theTime Heist to collect the Infinity Stonesand reverse the devastation caused by Thanos.Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner and Scott Lang traveled to New York in 2012 to acquire the Space and Mind Stones, which saw them come face-to-face with their past selves.
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This foursome technically created a new branching reality by arriving in New York in 2012, which makes this reality’s version of Thor a variant. This Thor found out that he could channel electricity through Mjolnir to jump-start Tony Stark’s arc reactor, and is also now living in a world uninhabited by his mischievous brother,Loki, who escaped with the Tesseractand was subsequently arrested by the Time Variance Authority.Losing his brother would have changed the course of Thor’s timeline, perhaps forging this variant into a more angry and distrustful version of the God of Thunder.
8Christmas Avenger Thor
Thor Appeared In What If…? Season 2, Episode 3, “What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?”
While the version of Thor celebrating Christmas with his Avengers teammates inWhat If…?season 2 has no special abilities to speak of that are different from his other variants,he is more powerful because of a new addition to the Avengers team itself.What If…?season 2, episode 3, “What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?,” sawJon Favreau’s Happy Hoganaccidentally inject himself with Bruce Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood, which transformed him into the purple-skinned, Hulk-like Freak, who is a formidable addition to the Avengers team.
Freak’s inclusion in the Avengers team increases the entire power level of the team, so while Thor himself might not be more powerful than his other variants,his association with Freak could see him become a more powerful addition to the MCU’s Phase 6. It’s possible this entireAvengers team fromWhat If…?could appear in live-action, marking Jon Favreau’s live-action debut as a superpowered character. It would be exciting to see how Thor and the other Avengers adjust to having a new Hulk on the team.
7Chris Hemsworth’s Original Thor
Thor Has Appeared In The MCU Since 2011’s Thor
Having been in the MCU for almost a decade-and-a-half,Chris Hemsworth’s original version of Thoris one of the most powerful iterations of the character, though still notthemost powerful.Thor has learned a great many things over the course of his MCU career, including that his lightning-based abilities emanate from his own body, that he is incredibly durable and can even survive the unfettered power of a star, and that he is capable of working in teams with similarly large personalities and remarkable gifts. His experiences have made him extremely powerful.
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It seems unlikely that Thor will be transformed into a villain inAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars, though it’s possible that an adaptation of theThor Corps from Marvel Comics’Secret Warscould see him leading a group of his variants while working as Doctor Doom’s police force.Thor became a father to the Eternity-empowered Love inThor: Love and Thunder, and this new team-up makes him even more powerful. However, his own innate gifts aren’t really any more impressive than some of the more-basic Thors introduced inWhat If…?, unlike his more formidable counterparts.
Thor Appeared In What If…? Season 2, Episode 9, “What If… Strange Supreme Intervened?”
This version of Thor made a brief appearance inWhat If…?season 2’s finale. Kitted out in full Viking armor and showing off his incredible lightning powers while wielding his version of Mjolnir, the Mad Viking Thor was deemed to be one of the fiercest warriors of his universe by Doctor Strange Supreme, who hoped to use Thor and others to reboot his destroyed universe.After he was freed by Captain Carter and Kahhori, the Mad Viking version of Thor relinquished Mjolnir so that the pair could use it to take on Strange Supreme.
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Thor’s connection to the Vikings and his Norse mythology roots have never really been explored in the MCU, so it would be great for this version of Thor to make his live-action debut in Phase 6.The Vikings were formidable warriors, and since this version of Thor is considered one of the most powerful beings in his universe, his level of power must be extreme, though this hasn’t been tested on-screen.Avengers: DoomsdayandSecret Warshave the opportunity to do this, and perhaps even debut more Viking heroes.
5Einherjar General Thor
Similarly to the Mad Viking version of Thor,What If…?season 2’s finale also briefly featured a version of Thor who was introduced as the General of the Einherjar. While the Einherjar in Norse mythology are warriors who have already been sent to Valhalla, in the MCU,the Einherjar are the army of Asgard, the warrior class of its society comprising some incredibly powerful fighters. The iteration of Thor seen inWhat If…?season 2’s finale was the Einherjar General, the army’s most powerful and elite soldier, making him more threatening than his live-action counterpart.
Hela killed the Einherjar pretty easily inThor: Ragnarok, proving her strength right away and replacing them with her undead soldiers as Asgard’s new army.
This version of Thor was also deemed to be one of his universe’s most powerful fighters byDoctor Strange Supreme, but Chris Hemsworth’s live-action Thor was not included in this line-up. Being the commander of the Einherjar makes him more powerful, though he doesn’t seem to have any other significant gifts or experience that separates him from his live-action iterations.Since the live-action Einherjar were killed by Hela inThor: Ragnarok, it would be great to see this version of Thor debut in live-action leading a new incarnation of the Asgardian army.
