Avengers: Doomsday's Finally Gives Thor a Power Upgrade - MCE Notices | California State Portal

Thor may be getting his biggest upgrade yet in Avengers: Doomsday, as a new leak has teased his lightning-based powers being pushed to the extreme. Chris Hemsworth first appeared as Thor, the God of Thunder, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2011’s eponymous Phase 1 movie. Since then, he has appeared in nine further MCU projects and is set to star in his 11th in the Russo brothers’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.

Over the last 15 years, Thor’s powers, abilities, and role in the MCU have changed significantly, taking him from an egotistical and arrogant heir to the Asgardian throne to a formidable Avenger, a fair King, and a dedicated father. In Thor: Ragnarok, he learned how to channel his lightning powers through his own body, but Avengers: Doomsday seems to be taking this one step further.

Thor Has Only Grown Stronger Over the Last 15 Years

Image via Marvel Studios

When we first met Thor back in 2011’s eponymous Thor movie, directed by Kenneth Branagh, he was introduced as the God of Thunder who wielded the enchanted hammer, Mjolnir. He was able to channel electricity through Mjolnir and use it to launch himself vast distances, but his powers seemed very dependent on the hammer. He even gained his abilities back after becoming worthy enough to wield Mjolnir again, but this is no longer the case.

As an Avenger, Thor wielded Mjolnir in battles against Loki (Tom Hiddleston), his twisted brother, and Ultron (James Spader) and his robot army. However, when the hammer was destroyed by his sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), in the first act of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, Thor was forced to learn how to continue without his weapon. This pushed him to become even stronger, however, as he realized he could harness electricity through his own body.

This power proved meaningless, but visually spectacular, during Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and even 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, which reunited Thor with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Mjolnir. As Thor has become a more dedicated and respectable hero, his powers have changed for the better, and this is set to continue when he returns alongside his daughter, Love (India Hemsworth), in Avengers: Doomsday.

Avengers: Doomsday Will Give Thor Another Huge Power Upgrade

Thor toy with a lightning helmet from Avengers Doomsday

A new leak shared on X has given us a glimpse of upcoming Hasbro action figures of characters set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. This includes Sam Wilson’s Captain America (Anthony Mackie), Ben Grimm’s Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Johnny Storm’s Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), Hank McCoy’s Beast (Kelsey Grammer), iconic supervillain Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), and Thor himself.

Far beyond just being a regular Thor toy, however, the new design comes with yellow lightning accessories that, when put together, form an armor around Thor’s Asgardian costume. Thor has sported his Asgardian armor in all of his previous MCU appearances, but has never been seen with an armor made from lightning itself, so this will be an epic upgrade and one that could prove beneficial in the battle against Doctor Doom.

Crucially, this Thor figurine is also wielding both Stormbreaker and the rebuilt Mjolnir, suggesting he’ll be using both weapons in Avengers: Doomsday. We haven’t yet seen Doomsday’s Thor in action beyond his quiet prayer in the woods during Doomsday’s second teaser from late 2025. Audiences may have to wait until December to see this lightning armor in action and to see what other changes have been made to Thor in the last four years.

What Role Will Thor & His New Powers Have in Avengers: Doomsday?

Thor Doomsday — Thor is Avengers: Doomsday

Thor has been a central figure in the MCU since almost the very beginning. He was a founding member of the Avengers in 2012, and is currently (until Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s release) the only MCU hero to appear in four solo movies. This means it’s likely he’ll continue to have a prominent role in Avengers: Doomsday, even though we haven’t seen him since Thor: Love and Thunder, which divided audiences back in 2022.

Thor has never specifically made a helmet or armor out of lightning in Marvel Comics, and, of course, the leak of the Hasbro figurine should be taken with a pinch of salt. Even so, it would be incredible to see Thor adopt this huge power upgrade in Avengers: Doomsday, especially because this may make him powerful enough to fight a villain as formidable as Doctor Doom in hand-to-hand combat.

Thor is expected to rejoin the Avengers in Doomsday, joining forces with Captain America, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), the Black Panther (Letitia Wright), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), and more. His new upgrade will make him the most powerful member of the superhero team, and perhaps make him one of the central characters in Avengers: Doomsday and its 2027 sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars. With this dramatic change, we can’t wait to see Thor back in the MCU.