Warning! This article contains spoilers for Immortal Thor #3 Practically, since the start of his Marvel Comics career, Thor has had access to some of the greatest powers in the entire cosmos, though none have been greater than that of rune magic. This was true when the God of Thunder made the temporary (though impactful) transition to Rune King Thor. And now, in Thor’s latest Marvel Comics adventure, he comes face-to-face with rune magic once more. And this time, he gives verbal confirmation that it is more powerful than the Odin-Force, admitting “rune magic blocks all others”.
Thor became Rune King Thor during his ‘Disassembled’ era, as he sought the strength to avert Ragnarok and stop Loki, who ignited the Asgardian armageddon for his own nefarious purposes. With the guiding hand of the Odin-Force leading him to where ultimate knowledge could be obtained, Thor sacrificed both his eyes and dropped them in the Well of Mimir to gain omniscience. Then, Thor sacrificed his very life, hanging himself on Yggdrasil. After he died, Thor was reborn, surging with rune magic that effectively made him a god among gods.
As Rune King Thor, only a handful of cosmic entities in the Marvel Universe were more powerful than he was, most of whom are considered beyond god-tier, like the Living Tribunal and the One Above All. This power-up was relatively short-lived in Marvel canon, but its impact was lasting, including and especially the very idea that rune magic is the ultimate power source. And now, Loki has access to rune magic, and while it’s only a fraction of what Thor was able to wield as Rune King Thor, it still proved enough to render the Odin-Force useless.
Loki Is Wielding Rune Magic, Making Them Stronger Than Thor & Odin
In Immortal Thor #3 by Al Ewing and Martín Cóccolo, Loki traps Thor on a distant alien planet in order to teach him a lesson that will help Thor combat his ultimate big-bad, Toranos. Under any other circumstance, this would prove difficult, given Thor’s recent masterful understanding of how to utilize the All-Power. Plus, Thor had just awakened from the All-Sleep, meaning he was back to full strength.
Somehow, Loki needed to find a way to keep this absolute powerhouse contained to a single world, and Loki did so by utilizing a rune staff, calling upon rune magic to trap Thor on this planet. In fact, when Thor first realized Loki was using rune magic, he said to himself, “The rune magic blocks all others – even the All-Power”.
Thor Channels Rune Magic Once More, Just In Time For His Ultimate Fight
Thor accomplishes Loki’s task and effectively completes his training by crafting a rune staff of his own, which allows him to channel the same rune magic Loki was using to keep him there in order to leave. This entire chain of events is potentially the most significant in either Thor or Loku’s lives, as they found a way to harness rune magic without any major sacrifice, and all they needed to do was craft their own rune staffs. Before, Thor had to go on an epic quest where he lost both his eyes and his life before he could gain access to rune magic. But here, Thor and Loki can tap into this power – which is confirmed to be greater than that of the All-Force – with little to no sacrifice required.
While it’s unclear how Thor and Loki will use the rune magic against their current foe, the fact that they currently have access to a power greater than the All-Force is immensely significant, and could lead them down a path of untold power the likes of which fans haven’t seen since Thor was Rune King – after all, “rune magic blocks all others”.
Immortal Thor #3 by Marvel Comics is available now.
