Avengers : Infinity WardepictedThor(Chris Hemsworth ) using Stormbreaker to ( almost ) best Thanos ( Josh Brolin ) in their replay ; but the powerful ax might have another role beyond defeating the Mad Titan .

The hammer Mjolnir has been a central part of Thor ’s iconography ever since his beginnings in Norse mythology . But whilst Marvel ’s comics – and theMarvel Cinematic Universe – have long meditate this attachment , the God of Thunder has not always wielded this noted hammer . In Marvel ’s ever - growing canon , other characters likeBeta Ray Billhave wielded Mjolnir , and Thor has used alternative arming from time to time . In this agency , Infinity Warmimicked Thor ’s swapping of weaponry in his comedian through the debut of Stormbreaker .

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Having lose his dear hammer inThor : Ragnarok , Thor sought a young weapon system to ordain his payback against Thanos inInfinity War . Indeed , his efforts to acquire Stormbreaker were immediately justified by its subsequent performance . With the novel ax in bridge player , Thor almost single - handedly decimated Thanos ’ force in the Battle of Wakanda and , in the movie ’s most pivotal scene , amount closest to kill Thanos himself . Though Stormbreaker has already prove democratic with fans , some critics feel that the presence of the blade undermined Thor ’s wider character arc . Yet rather than hampering Thor ’s tale , Stormbreaker may be compensate it by fall ability that he had lost .

Mjolnir & Stormbreaker’s Roles in the MCU

As is the sheath with many of Asgard ’s famous weapons , Mjolnir and Stormbreaker were created by the dwarf king Eitri ( Peter Dinklage ) in the realm of Nidavellir . Though the MCU never specifies what Asgardian armaments are made of , they are likely made out the same fancied component as the comics : Uru , a massively lively metal that both absorbs and manipulate magical vitality .

Since its first appearance in the MCU , Mjolnir has exemplified these qualities . The pound ostensibly served as the germ of Thor ’s lightning powers ( more on that later ) and allow him to fly at great speed . Certainly , it demonstrate to be a formidable plus in all of Thor ’s appearing , when its power lie in wait huge wrapping of   Ice Giant , Chitauri , Dark Elf armies , and more . Mjolnir ’s enchantment of worthiness also benefited Thor , since it meant that few other beings could wield or move it . sure enough , the fact that the Vision ( Paul Bettany ) was able to lift the hammer meant that Thor and his teammate could immediately recognise the purity of synthezoid ’s heart inAvengers : Age of Ultron . But two days subsequently , Thor confronted Hela ( Cate Blanchett ) the Goddess of Death inThor : Ragnarokwhere , in their first encounter , she quickly destroy the hammer with her spare hands .

Though Thor finally bested Hela without his hammer , he was thoroughly beaten by Thanos within the first few minutes ofInfinity War . After being rescue by the Guardians of the Galaxy , Thor asserts that he needs a raw weapon , and he travels with Rocket and Groot to pander one . They encounter Eitri – the last of his masses to survive Thanos ’ ire – and together they forge the “ King ’s weapon ” Stormbreaker . This new ax is supposedly the most powerful in Asgard ’s chronicle . It not only summons the Bifrost , it also negates the combine mightiness of the Infinity Stones .

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Prior to Stormbreaker ’s debut , the going of Mjolnir was a fitting evolution for Thor . As the MCU has expanded , Thor had become more knowledgeable about his realm ’s dark past , and attemptedto become a good , more responsible for rule . As such , the attainment of Stormbreaker was consider as being contrary to these plot points . Indeed , Thor ’s journeying to Nidavellir has been perceived as Marvel simply want the God of Thunder to have a weapon again , or else giving him something to do inInfinity War ’s extended rivulet - time . However , whilst Stormbreaker may be those things , a key detail inThor : Ragnaroksuggests that Thor ’s ax fulfills an in - universe necessity .

Page 2 of 2 : Ragnarok Explains How Thor ’s Powers Actually Work

Ragnarok Explains How Thor’s Powers Actually Work

As mention earlier , Mjolnir ab initio appeared to be the source of Thor ’s lightning big businessman in the MCU . This sure seemed to be the case in his first solo movie since . When Thor was stripped of his abilities and banished to Earth , Mjolnir is a crucial portion in facilitating their payoff . However , later instalment try that this was not the case .

After Mjolnir is destroy early inRagnarok , Thor confusedly realizes that he is still able to generate and manipulate electrical energy , which he notably unleashes against the Hulk ( Mark Ruffalo ) in the Grandmaster ’s ( Jeff Goldblum ) area . In a later vision , Odin confirm that the lightning never originated from Mjolnir : the pound merely help oneself Thor channel and focus the potential within him . Odin ’s affirmation inThor : Ragnarokensures that Thor ’s electric discharge is completed , and he recognizes his strength not just as a good human race , but as a powerful warrior in his own right . But viewers have overlooked another crucial man of data that the picture show unveil about Thor : that his power are tied to the existence of Asgard .

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for sure , before his escape from the Grandmaster ’s palace , Thor attempts to persuade Valkyrie ( Tessa Thompson ) to join him in his pursuance . As she resist , Valkyrie recounts her tragical past , and in doing so she notes that Hela and Thor ’s mogul originate from the realm of Asgard itself . Indeed , when Hela returned to her home earlier in the picture ,   the Goddess of Death like a shot rectify and is strengthened   because of her proximity to Asgard ’s DOE .

After the Revengers begin their approach , they shortly realize that Hela can only be stopped if Asgard is destroy . Such an act would remove the source of her gifts , thus rendering her powerless . We never see what effectRagnarokhas on Hela – becauseshe is plain killed in combatwith Surtur   – but it stands to reason that if the fall of Asgard would have dispatch Hela ’s powers , it would do the same for Thor as well . And that ’s where Stormbreaker come in in .

Stormbreaker Gave Thor His Powers Back In Avengers: Infinity War

WhileAvengers :   Infinity Wardoes not explicitly state that Thor lost his powers inRagnarok , there is solid grounds within both movies that he has . Firstly , between Asgard ’s devastation inThor :   Ragnarokto Thor ’s acquisition of Stormbreaker inAvengers : Infinity War , the character uses none of his trademark lightning abilities . Of course , this is partly because Thor and Thanos ’ first confrontation aboard the Asgardian refugee ship occurs before the movie starts . Even so , it is reasonably unknown that Thanos was able to beat Thor so good , given how   catastrophic   the God of Thunder has testify to be against his previous foes .   Naturally , this suggests that Thor is unable to inflict the same variety of   damage   that he has done so in the yesteryear .

what is more , Avengers : Infinity Warestablishes that latent Asgardian tycoon can be access through their hold up weaponry . During the movie ’s opening scene , Heimdall ( Idris Elba ) maintain the broken blade Hofund andswiftly transports the Hulk to Earth – despite the fact that the Bifrost Bridge itself no longer exists . Moreover , Stormbreaker later certify the same capabilities as Hofund , when it opens a portal vein for Thor and his protagonist to travel to Wakanda in one ofAvengers : Infinity War ’s most exultant consequence .

As such , it stands to reason that Stormbreaker can access other physique of Asgard ’s magic , especially since Eitri fashioned it for a ruler of the Realm Eternal . Indeed , Stormbreaker rapidly revives Thor after he took the full force of the neutron star ’s power to forge the artillery . This bears a impress resemblance to the means that Hela healed herself inRagnarokwhen she was subject to Asgard ’s energies . In short , Thor ’s alone mastery over lightning comes from within , yet he needs Stormbreaker to straight access Asgardian thaumaturgy and thus unlock his full compass of power .

Stormbreaker Thor’s Powers Asgard

This not only explains why Thor need the ax so badly inAvengers : Infinity War , it also dress up intriguing possibilities forAvengers : Endgame . Thor ’s destructive potency had visibly increase when he wielded Stormbreaker in the Battle of Wakanda . One can only wonder what other feats Stormbreaker allows the God of Thunder to perform , and what this dependence on his ax might think for his future tense   appearance – provided he survive another showdown with Thanos that is .

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