Few heroes on Marvel soil carry as venomous of a tongue as the Mighty Thor. While Thor’s often Shakespearean dialect makes no sense in retrospect and is easy to make fun of on occasion, that doesn’t mean that the son of Odin doesn’t have his moments when he does decide to throw verbal jabs.

While his more lethal, fistful jabs are deadly enough, Thor has been known to intimidate his opponents through words alone. Words may not be enough to win a fight against aliens, gargantuans, and juggernauts, but they certainly add insult to injury moments before laying the hammer down on them. Thor has laid such rhetoric hammers on many a man in his lifetime, and the following quotes are just a few examples of such lines that left the biggest impression with readers.

10

“Stand as they did and look death in the eye!”

Immortal Thor #10 by Al Ewing, Carlos Magno, Matthew Wilson, and VC’s Joe Sabino

The most recent entry on this list sees the All-Father come face to face with a product of Thor (emphasis on product) that emphasizes the most superficial aspects of the character without the heart that Thor actually embodies. Thor meets Chad Hammer, an MCU-esque parody of Mjolnir’s owner. During their fight, Thor is effectively in Chad’s story, prompting him to quip uncontrollably in his head. He’s constantly fighting the urge to say something snappy and quotable the whole fight, but it isn’t until the fight reaches its zenith that Thor can string together some strong words appropriate to bring the hammer down on Chad.

In layman’s terms, Thor essentially tells Chad to take this beating like a man, to look death in the face moments before his heart stops beating. Lo and behold, as promised, Thor delivers the final, crushing blow to his manufactured mirror image in front of a live audience (no studio necessary).

9

“And what if I am not just a man?”

Infinity #4 by Jonathan Hickman, Jerome Opena, and Dustin Weaver

One of the most brutal kills that Thor has ever committed comes moments after delivering one of his most haunting lines. It comes when he breaks down one of the Builders, the first race to come together in the history of the universe, one that conquers worlds for the greater good in their eyes. Thor is sent to Hala (the Kree homeworld that the Builders have taken over) to extend an olive branch of sorts on the Avengers’ behalf. He’s urged by Ronan the Accuser that this meeting must be done while unarmed, and Thor takes the request in stride.

What Thor doesn’t take in stride, however, is being slapped in the face by the Builder. He lets Thor know that mankind is at its end, and Thor makes it clear that he is no man as he pulls Mjolnir from outer space and through the Builder’s chest. As if that wasn’t vicious enough, when the Builder says that everything dies, Thor defiantly orders, “You first,” before finishing the job.

8

“Your hunger for power is a disease …and the hammer of Thor shall supply the cure.”

Thor #126 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Vince Colletta

One of the most brutish, evenly matched fights that Thor has ever participated in is one against Hercules. In true macho fashion, this fight in particular is over a woman as Hercules finds himself flirting with Thor’s forever lover, Jane Foster. Surprisingly, Jane opts to take Hercules to lunch to make Thor jealous. It works, and a two-man-war rages into the streets.

From subways to construction sites, no place on Earth is off-limits for the battleground of the gods. Hercules is up for the fight mostly in the spirit of competition, and in Thor’s mind, that’s enough to be Herc’s downfall. “Your hunger for battle is a disease – and the hammer of Thor shall supply the cure!” Unfortunately for Thor, Odin usurps half of his power at the worst possible time, leading to a victory for Hercules.

7

“I will spit my defiance at you with my last breath!”

Chaos War: Thor #1 by J.M. DeMatteis, Brian Ching, Rick Ketcham, Rob Schwager, and Simon Bowland

The Chaos War is an oft-forgotten, but nevertheless devastating cosmic event that pits several gods against Amatsu Mikaboshi, the Chaos King. In the midst of it all, this tie-in issue of Thor opens with the God of Thunder facing down potentially the biggest (literally, and figuratively) threat the Asgard god has had the displeasure of facing: Glory, the pantheon manifestation of ten thousand alien gods.

Glory outmatches Thor in every way imaginable, and yet, Thor does not relent in the slightest, not physically or verbally. While in the grasp of Glory, Thor still refuses to back down or surrender. He continues to defy the monster outright, determined to die having never given up.

6

“No … don’t fear you … Asgardians never fear…”

Thor: The Deviants Saga #2 by Rob Rodi, Stephen Segovia, Jason Paz, Andy Troy, John Rauch, and Jeff Eckleberry

This is a quote that encapsulates the resilience of the Asgardian god, and perhaps even the Asgardian people as a whole. The Deviants (aka the Changing People) are monstrous mutations of a species dating back to a million years ago. The issue is capped off by Thor battling one of the Deviants known as Tutinax, the Mountain Mover.

By issue’s end, the God of Thunder is having his backside handed to him. He is moments away from what appears to be certain death if Tutinax has another second to have his way with him. Yet, while it is clear he is facing death, Thor doesn’t back down or show fear while being pummeled. One can say that Thor is being defiant to the Deviant. Thor refuses to show fear because Asgardians refuse to show fear.

5

“Give your orders and ultimatums to those who choose to obey, or are too cowardly to fight. Not to me. Or learn again the difference between a God of Thunder … and a mortal man in a metal suit.”

Thor #3 by J. Michael Straczynski, Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales, Laura Martin, and Chris Eliopoulos

This tie-in with the now-classic Civil War event depicts the fallout of Iron Man’s betrayal told from Thor’s perspective. Upon learning that Tony has stolen genetic samples of Thor’s DNA to create a clone of Thor, that is enough to set the Mighty Thor off alone, besides everything else that Tony has done during this event.

Many of the entries showcase Thor’s unrelenting rage, and this can be viewed by some as the scariest example. Not because of the rage Thor unleashes, but because that rage manifests more as disappointment and contempt. He’s more disappointed than angry at Tony, and he ensures that Tony feels the brunt of those feelings in every humiliating blow. As if that isn’t hard to watch from the central quote, Tony then asks how he’s supposed to get home with his suit beaten to malfunction. “Walk,” Thor suggests adamantly.

4

“If this is our fate, so be it. But if I am to die, let it be with lightning and thunder…and the power of Thorr.”

New Avengers #27 by Jonathan Hickman, Szymon Kudranski, Dono Sanchez Almara, and VC’s Joe Caramagna

Not to be confused with Thor Odinson from Earth-616, Thorr Odinson hails from Earth-14325, a reality that was destroyed completely. In contrast to the Mighty Thor, Thorr’s hammer exists for anyone who is deemed unworthy. When Thorr’s team of Avengers are defeated, his Mjolnir falls into Thor’s possession.

Fast forward to New Avengers #27, where Thor is a former shell of himself at the edge of Armageddon. The Earth’s heroes are being overwhelmed and decimated by the Black Priests, who exist to destroy worlds within the multiverse in hopes of bringing balance to it. As hope seems lost and his allies are being killed left and right, a broken Thor stumbles upon Thorr’s Mjolnir from the previous storyline featuring him. Though he be unworthy of lifting his own hammer, an unworthy Thor can lift this evil hammer and rekindle a forgotten spark within him.

3

“I heard your prayer little one. And what kind of God would I be if I did not answer prayers?”

Thor: God of Thunder #1 by Jason Aaron, Esad Ribic, Dean White, and VC’s Joe Sabino

This one may not be as intimidating as other quotes on this list, but it is awe-inspiring just the same. This reveals a gentler side of Thor. When one thinks of his title as the God of Thunder, it’s easy to focus harder on the Thunder aspect. Thunder reflects his wrath, his power, and his strength. Many of those same qualities can be attributed to his godhood as well, but a god doesn’t always have to unleash his fury – this god can be a miracle worker.

A god can be just as much someone to be welcomed as he can be feared, and in this moment, Thor answers a prayer to remind readers why he’s so beloved around the galaxy. As any other god would have to be, Thor arrives to help this child when he is needed the most.

2

“The measure of us is what we do … when the need for action lies with us…”

The Immortal Thor #4 by Al Ewing, Martin CoCcolo, Matthew Wilson, and VC’s Joe Sabino

Few readers could have guessed that a conversation about power levels would lead to Thor delivering one of his most powerful pontifications on any panel. It’s certainly one of the more self-aware, borderline meta monologues from Thor, considering that it concerns his power level in comparison to Storm and how fans debate it. Thor quickly moves on from that to discuss how having power and who has the most power is “relative to the need for it.” What’s most important is what heroes do with that power. To demonstrate this, Thor proceeds to share his power with Storm rather than debate which of them is the strongest.

This moment reflects decades worth of character growth on Thor’s behalf. No longer a cocky golden boy, Thor instead flourishes as a man with years of wisdom and years worth of understanding of the responsibilities that come with power. He understands that no hero can be a one-man army and when the time calls for it, power must be shared in the spirit of teamwork.

1

“I, Thor, condemn thee to die.”

Thor: God of Thunder #16 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garvey

One of the most enraged and disappointed moments that readers have seen of Thor comes when he learns that there is a mole in his ranks. While feuding with Malekith, Thor discovers that there is a traitor among his League of Realms, and he suspects Ud to be the culprit. While this ends up not being the case in the end, Thor’s certainty that Ud is his traitor lights a fire underneath the god unlike anything seen from him before.

As he sentences Ud to apparent death at the edge of his hammer, readers truly get a glimpse at the wrath that a god can wield underneath his mighty fingertips. Hell hath no fury like a God of Thunder’s scorn, and Thor lets that fury out on as full of a public display as possible.