Fans often debate over who is the strongest Avenger in Marvel’s universe, and both Captain Marvel and Thor are solid contenders. However, the latest issue of Captain Marvel’s comic series proves why she’ll always be a notch above the God of Thunder.
Marvel’s ongoing Captain Marvel series from Kelly Thompson has brought Carol Danvers to a post-apocalyptic future where most of Earth’s heroes have perished. After uniting with some of the children of heroes past, like Thor’s hammer-wielding daughter Brigid, Carol pays a visit to Ove, the ruler of New Atlantis. Ove is the son of Namor, Marvel’s Atlantean hero, but he takes more after his mother, Enchantress, an evil Asgardian sorceress and one of Thor’s most dangerous foes. With her powers of mind control, Enchantress has Luke Cage take down Captain Marvel so she and her allies can be imprisoned. Fortunately, they don’t stay that way for long.
In Captain Marvel #25, War Machine’s daughter, who has the ability to phase through objects, frees Brigid and Emma Frost so the three of them can try to get to Carol. Enchantress and Ove’s forces put up a good fight, but Brigid turns the tide when she successfully summons Mjolnir for the first time, proving she is worthy. Brigid then uses her father’s hammer to give Captain Marvel mysterious new powers. The exact nature of Carol’s new capabilities have yet to be revealed, but even if her powers are half as cool as her new costume, Ove and Enchantress are in for a rude awakening.
Interestingly, this issue proves why Captain Marvel would always have an edge over Thor if the two ever came to blows. Carol’s powers essentially allow her to channel and redistribute energy, which includes electricity. Since most of Thor’s attacks are lightning-based, anything he throws at Captain Marvel would just give her a major power boost. Furthermore, Brigid using Mjolnir to give Carol a power upgrade seems to imply that Carol can also take in magical energy, including that within Mjolnir itself, though it’s unclear if the wielder has to willingly expel the energy for Carol to absorb it. Either way, Thor would be severely limited in his options in a duel with Carol. Almost anything he dishes out, she could take and dish right back to him.
The God of Thunder isn’t a pushover by any means; there’s no doubt that if Thor fought Captain Marvel, he’d put up a good fight, and maybe even win in the right circumstances. However, the nature of Captain Marvel‘s powers make her an especially difficult opponent for someone like Thor, so he’d definitely need to bring his A-game.
