Warning: Spoilers for Thor #28 ahead!Two of Marvel’s most powerful gods – Thor, All-Father of Asgard, and Meridius, a future version of Venom the King in Black – have finally thrown down an epic confrontation of divine might, and the end result isn’t even close. When Meridius attempts to meddle with the magics of Limbo and Asgard, Thor reminds him just who holds the title of “King of the Gods,” and unleashes his full power upon the symbiote king. The resulting duel is brief but furious and is one of Thor’s most jaw-dropping displays of power yet.
After the shattering of the Bifrost during the Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War event, Thor’s attempts to restore Asgard’s access to the other realms accidentally releases an old foe from Hel: Darkoth, the Death Demon. However, Darkoth is possessed by the spawn of Venom’s terrifying Bedlam symbiote, and proceeds to lash out across Asgard in its blind, uncomprehending rage. Venom soon appears after sensing Klyntar presence in Asgard, and he and Thor team up to rein Darkoth back in…though all is not as it seems.
Thor #28 by Al Ewing, Donny Cates, Salvador Larroca, and Edgar Delgado reveals the sinister plot. Bound to the Promethium-infused body of Darkoth, the symbiote manifests the metal of its host into a hammer of its own: one that is strong enough to damage Mjolnir. Although Venom and Thor are able to separate the symbiote from Darkoth and banish him, Venom reveals that he is not the Eddie Brock of the present, but of the future: aka, Meridius, the villainous King in Black, and that he has come for the Promethium-and-symbiote-infused hammer. However, when Meridius strikes at Thor in an attempt to claim the Prince in Black’s twisted version of Mjolnir, the Asgardian All-Father retaliates with a bolt of lightning so powerful that both the false hammer and Meridius himself are melted to slag (though Meridius’s mind simply escapes into the symbiote hive consciousness).
All-Father Thor Unleashes The Full Wrath Of His Thunder
The showdown itself is epic, taking up an entire splash page to reveal the full extent of Thor’s strength. Since Mjolnir is such a mighty weapon in its own right, it’s easy to overlook just how powerful Thor is without it. The fact that Meridius (a master manipulator and a being with control over the full might of the symbiote species) is completely overpowered by Thor in their fight is an excellent way to show just how, as All-Father of Asgard, Thor surpasses all other gods.
This is not the first time Thor fans have been reminded just how little of his own strength actually lies in Mjolnir. The MCU calls out this very issue in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) when the god of Thunder is rebuked for relying on Mjolnir by a vision of Odin, who taunts him by asking, “Are you Thor, the God of Hammers?” as he coaxes him into unleashing his full power. Now, as the All-Father of Asgard, Thor has more power at his fingertips than ever before…settling the question of Marvel’s most powerful god by decisively putting Meridius, the Venom and King in Black of the future, in his place.
Thor #28 is now available from Marvel Comics.
