Warning: Spoilers for The Immortal Thor #21!One fight that I can’t stop dreaming about isSupermanvs.Thor. With news thatanother Marvel vs. DC crossover eventis on the horizon, everyone is throwing out their dream inter-company fights - but me? I want Thor vs. Superman. Both are buff, masculine men with immense levels of power, and at first I wasn’t sure whose power bodes best in a potential battle scenario - until I readThe Immortal Thor#21.
The Immortal Thor#21 by Al Ewing and Jan Bazaldua made my decision much, much easier in picking a clear-cut winner between Superman and Thor. Sure, I can just go with the Stan Lee school ofsuperhero vs. superhero logicand pick who I like most to win, but there’s no fun in that. If I could add a sliver of nuance and extra thought to the matter,Thor could beat Superman by losing.
I know, that sounds like a paradox, right? How can you lose and win? How can you win by being on the losing end of a fight? The answer is simple, because it’s a scenario that readers have seen Thor in many times, whether they realize it or not.
Unlike Superman, Thor Knows How to Win After He’s Already Lost
The Immortal Thor#21 by Al Ewing, Jan Bazaldua, Matt Hollingsworth, and Joe Sabino
The Immortal Thor#21 sees the title character in familiar territory:the losing end of a fight. This time, he’s losing to Skurge, and receiving discouraging words from a figment ofan ominous new Thanos. However, he deescalated the situation with Skurge by handing him Mjölnir, offering the respect and acknowledgment that Skurge had been wanting forever, which he felt he hadn’t received in life or in death. Skurge hands back Thor’s hammer, and bygones are bygones all over again.
What Thor displays here is the power of - what we call where I’m from - “reading the room.“By that I mean that Thor showcases a skill forunderstanding whyhe’s fighting. So many superheroes just fight because they view their opponent as a big obstacle in their way that needs to be vanquished, and while that is often the case, not every situation can be deescalated as easily with a fist. His fight with Skurge was more about Skurge’s insecurities than anything they were really fighting about. Once Thor understood that, he was able to soothe Skurge’s ego and, thus, overcome him.
Thor is losing this fight - badly - and instead of continuing to fight a losing battle, he decides to re-assess the situation in a way that gives him both the moral victory and the honor of living to fight another day.
A skill like that comes from wisdom, but more than anything, a skill like thatcomes from losing. Thor is losing this fight - badly - and instead of continuing to fight a losing battle, he decides to re-assess the situation in a way that gives him both the moral victory and the honor of living to fight another day. Neither would’ve been guaranteed if he had just kept fighting. So many times, we see superheroes never give up, and while it’s a commendable attribute, it’s not the smartest, and it’s gotten a lot of good heroes killed.
This Story Isn’t the First Time Thor Being a Loser Helped Him Become a Winner
The Avengers#8 by Jed MacKay, C.F. Villa, Federico Blee, and Cory Petit
Superman himself refuses to break, and, well, he’s gotten broken many times as a result. Thor isn’t necessarily giving up by choosing not to fight, but he re-assesses the situation byre-directing his energy. He can try to punch harder, but so can his opponent. Look at Superman, for example. On the losing end of a Doomsday fight inDeath of Superman, his solution to beat someone who punches harder than him is to punch the hardest he ever has. It kills Doomsday, but when the villain can still hit harder, a simultaneous punch finishes the Man of Steel.
10 Times DC Proved Doomsday Is Basically a God Much to Superman’s Dismay
Doomsday is a literal monster, and much to Superman’s dismay, he’s proven over the decades that he’s not just a monster, but also a god.
Alternatively, let’s reflect onThe Avengers#8 by Jed MacKay and C.F. Villa. Thor has a moment that, honestly, makes me believe thathe should actually be leading the Avengers. When he admits defeat to escape Nightmare’s dream realm, all he does is state a fact, because they were, in fact,losing. Nightmare just wanted to hear them admit it before letting them leave. By admitting that he’s lost,Thor helps the Avengers win,getting them what they really want: to escape.
Thor Displays a Brand of Wisdom That Not Even Superman Regularly Exercises
Thor Is the Master of Winning by Losing
Thor has displayed such wisdom in numerous instances, not just the ones I’ve already mentioned. Let’s not forget when he previously won his battle with Toranosby forcing him to be worthy. All of these instances have shown that Thor can admit when he’s wrong, which, considering his history with pride,showcases how he’s evolved as a character. Pride itself has cost Thor several battles in the past, but he’s learned to put his pride to the side as a fully-formed, mature adult - and a fully-evolved hero.
To me, rethinking and strategizing through a fight is the best tactic to win a fight and, in a sense, more heroic.
Thor has turned the art of losing into an All-Power in ways that not even Superman has. Superman’s no dummy; he’s smart, but he doesn’t often give much consideration to why he’s fighting someone, nor does he pivot as smartly as Thor does when he’s losing. To me, rethinking and strategizing through a fight is the best tactic to win a fight and, in a sense, more heroic. That trait is why I can say with certainty that if it came down to a one-on-one brawl,Thorwould beatSuperman.
The Immortal Thor#21andThe Avengers#8are available now from Marvel Comics.
Thor
Associated with the mythical realm of Asgard, Thor is a Marvel Comics hero who channels the power of thunder to slay their foes. Though the name is chiefly tied to Thor Odinson, several other characters also take on the role of God of Thunder, including Odinson’s love interest, Jane Foster. Odin is portrayed as a physically imposing hero with incredible strength and typically wields the dwarven forged hammer, Mjolnir.
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
