Rune King Thor is Thor’s most potent manifestation throughout all realms and universes, and he made the ultimate sacrifice to get it. Thor spends the entire narrative attempting to protect Asgard, his home, from Ragnarok, which is being commanded by his brother Loki.
In Thor #83, Thor realises that he must make some sacrifices in order to obtain Odinpower and grow to be a bigger God. He then learns that his mission will not be finished until after he dies and is resurrected, which ultimately results in the creation of Rune King Thor, the most powerful being ever to exist.
This causes him to pull out both of his eyes and drop them in the Well of Mimir. Though his reign as Rune King Thor was brief, the six-issue comic book series that chronicles this story went on to play a significant role in his reputation. Given that he was one of the braver Marvel characters ever produced, fans want to see this version of Thor in the next Thor: Love and Thunder movie.
Who is Rune King Thor?
Thor #80 to #85, which were all a part of the Avengers Disassembled storyline, provide an explanation of Rune King Thor’s history and origin. Ragnarok, the primary antagonist of this six-issue series, was responsible for the release of Rune King Thor. In the year 2004, Michael Avon Oeming, Daniel Berman, and Andrea DiVito came up with this tale.
“Odin…father, I have failed. It wasn’t supposed to end this way.” – #80
In Thor #80, we witness the creation of Mjolnir and how Thor had always been the favored Odin son, which led to him becoming the rightful owner to wield the hammer, leaving an incredibly bitter Loki to stew on his own, and eventually deciding that he wanted to wipe the world of all the Gods and become the ruler of all that he can see.
We fast forward to a month later when Loki manages to find the forge that was used to create Mjolnir in the possessions of the dwarves, and with the help of Surtur, they create several hammers like Mjolnir. Even though none of them were as strong because there were several, they could be just as damaging and with that, Loki attacks Asgard along with his allies Ulik, Fenris Wolf, and Hyrm and they successfully kill Amora the enchantress and Lady Sif while severely injuring others, even the mighty Thor.
Despite being hurt and feeling defeated, Thor decides that he cannot give up, that he must defend and honor his father and avenge his friends and family who have suffered because of Loki. He decides to seek help from his friends back at Midgard, the earth’s mightiest heroes, Avengers. The issue ends with Captain America and Iron Man rescuing kids from a burning building in New York, setting up the Avengers for the next issue as Thor makes his way to his second home, leaving Asgard with the intention of returning home with help to fix everything that went wrong.
“For us, there is no afterlife. In death, we cease to be.” – #81
In the next issue, #81, we see that Thor has returned to Asgard with Captain America and Iron Man as they walk through a destroyed Asgard. The Avengers express their shock when they see a once beautiful realm turned into an empty battlefield. They walk through the fields of Frigga where Loki, Thor, and Balder once played as children, back when there was love and folly, and when everything was right with the world.
They soon realize that in Thor’s absence, almost the entire kingdom was wiped out. Captain America and Iron Man look upon the loss, understanding that this wasn’t a battle, but a slaughter. They then come across a young boy who has been hiding for his safety and they question him, asking him about what went wrong while Thor was away. The young boy tells them that the Asgardians either died or ran away, and Thor is surprised as he talks about how Gods never run away from a battle, but this was more of a one-sided attack and less of a battle.
As soon as he mentions Loki, he emerges along with his allies, announcing how thrilled he is to see Thor and ready to kill him again. What ensues then is a true battle between the Avengers and Loki, Hyrm, Fenris wolf and Ulik. Although they put up a tough fight, the Avengers manage to kill Hyrm and Ulik, while driving away the rest.
Soon after, Captain America, Iron Man and Thor stumble upon Balder’s funeral as the remaining Asgardians mourn his loss, and Harokin tells them about what escalated during Thor’s absence. Trolls had swarmed the kingdom like ants, along with Loki, his henchmen and the hammers. Despite their protests, Thor decides to send Iron Man and Captain America back to Earth as he now prepares what is left of Asgard for the final battle.
“Loki is my brother and… I once loved even his mischievous nature. It seems now he is doomed to it.”- #82
With that, we move along to issue #82, which begins in Alfheim, one of the nine realms of the World Tree, and the home of the light and dark elves. As Thor ventures through, he finds Volstagg, who has evidently lost a lot of weight and is immediately ready to fight as he believes Thor is dead and this might either be a ghost or an imposter. Thor reassures him that it truly is him and that he and a few others managed to survive Loki’s attack.
A mournful Volstagg tells Thor about the horrid deaths of Frandral and Hogun, and about how he now patiently waits for his death, as he was unable to save anyone, and begs Thor to forgive him. Thor refuses his forgiveness and instead asks him to show just how sorry he is by picking himself up and fighting for his people, those who remain, and honoring those who died in battle. Thor truly proves his mettle as their king as he prepares them for battle, ready to defeat the enemies of Asgard. They begin their travels the old-fashioned ways when Thor reveals to Volstagg that he is raising a young boy on his own and they reminisce the olden days when all friends would laugh together, a sight they will never see again.
As they approach the battlefield, they can smell Fenris wolf from afar, who has grown in size and strength, addressing Thor as a puny God. As the battle ensues, it is revealed that Sif is alive. Thor and she share a brief moment of joy as Thor proceeds to defeat Durok, but they lose Valkyrie amidst battle as she dies fighting. The issue ends with Beta Ray Bill, a cybernetic being, returning to help Thor complete this battle and defeat Loki.
“What is this? Who dares lay a hand on the mighty Thor?” #83
“Gods are not born, they are made. Birthright is a gift; it is not earned. This is why I left you.”
We pick up where we left off as issue #83 begins with Beta Ray Bill as he defeats and scares off the rest of the trolls, demons, and everyone who was supporting Loki. Now, Beta Ray Bill asks Thor about what happened and where is Odin, to which Thor tells him everything and how they have lost so many people, and how Loki has raised an entire army to destroy Asgard. Thor decides to make some decisions for Asgard and its people, knowing he will have to put an end to this entire thing.
He asks Ray Bill to stay back in Asgard and replace him while he is gone, unwilling to abandon Asgard on its own like he did last time. Meanwhile, Lady Sif and Volstagg mourn Brunnhilde’s death and Sif tells him about how she blessed her with the chiefdom of all Valkyries, and so she must lead them to honor Brunnhilde’s memory, along with her brother, Heimdall. Things only seem to get worse for Thor when the young boy’s death is announced as Thor mourns him, and then makes his way to Hildstalf, the place where all the things are seen, to gain knowledge and return to Asgard.
Thor takes a moment to remember his life, especially the times with Loki who was treated as an equal by Frigga, and then of his time on Earth, fighting alongside the Avengers, and finally contemplates accepting his doom. This is when he sees a spirit with ravens on his shoulder, that once belonged to Odin. Thor soon realizes that this was the young boy who had taken the form of Odinpower, and he explains that the power was stripped away from Thor because he hadn’t understood the true meaning of it yet.
This is when we see the well of Mimir, which is dry, and Thor learns about the sacrifice that he must make. He plucks both his eyes out and throws them into the well, and then proceeds to drink the water from the well. This is when he realizes that they have lost to Ragnarok time and again, and it is a vicious never-ending cycle of the sort that must come to an end. Now, Thor is told about the final sacrifice that he must make, one that costs him his own life.
“Only after destruction can there be a resurrection.” #84
In Issue #84, the boy leads Thor to the place where Odin had hung himself and encourages him to follow his father’s steps to end the vicious cycle of Ragnarok. Just like his father, Thor hangs himself from the tree, seeking hidden knowledge of the runes, as he truly understands the bond between a father and son, or the bond between a king and his people. He can now see through the veil of time, beyond the cosmic structure, and he knows what he must do. We are now transported to Hel, the land of the doomed, ruled by Hela.
In Hel, Thor is protected by his father Odin who is by his side and sends him to Those Who Sit Above in Shadow, and this is where he sees the origin and end of the cycle of death and rebirth and understands what he must do to honor the fallen Asgardians and those who remain.
Thor then returns to Hildstalf, calmer and refreshed. He proceeds to travel to Valhalla, where Loki has rebuilt in his image, and Thor is immediately attacked by Mangog, but with the help of Odinforce along with the knowledge of the Runes, Thor eliminates the threat by killing Mangog, without much effort. Then appears the true antagonist of this mini-series, Loki, looking smug and overconfident as always.
With a snap of a finger, Loki unleashes his army on Thor but he destroys everyone with ease and that’s when it dawns upon Loki that Thor possesses Odinforce, the magic of the runes, and that’s when fear truly sets in. Thor announces that Loki must be punished, and with that, he decapitates the head of his brother but leaves him alive so he carries it with him. Thor declares that he intends to finally fulfill his destiny and end the Ragnarok cycle once and for all.
March to death! March to destruction! March to the fall of the gods! March to Ragnarok! – #85
The final issue of the mini-series, #85, begins with Thor making his way to Surtur, the fire giant, and instead of raining hellfire and asking for a battle, he asks Surtur to reforge Mjolnir and make it whole again. When the young boy asks him why Thor chose to do this, Thor responds by saying that it is only fitting considering the fact that he is the biggest enemy of the Gods and will restore his greatest weapon, using the mold that brought about the end of times, along with the beginning of this new journey.
In exchange for this, Thor promises to not strike him down and instead will blast a trail for him to Valhalla and Vanaheim, giving the Asgardians a final, glorious battle. As the battle begins, despite Beta Bill Ray’s protests, Thor sends him home, unwilling to let him sacrifice himself. To prevent the cycle from starting over again, Thor goes to the Three Norns, destroying the Loom of the Fates, which would in turn cut off Those Who Sit Above in Shadow, possibly destroying them in the process. This also destroys Yggdrasil, the world tree, and ends all the lives of those who reside in Asgard and all the other Nine Worlds, except Midgard, and now, Thor shall rest.
What Makes Rune King Thor Unimaginably Strong?
There aren’t a lot of differences between the Thor we know and Rune King Thor. However, Rune King Thor is a more enhanced version, with some additional powers that made him one of the strongest heroes to exist in Marvel so far. As Rune King Thor, he possesses Odinforce empowerment, which allows him to tap into the resources of the cosmic and mystical energies of the dimension in which Asgard exists, and in turn, polish all of his skills.
Odinpower was the sum of the power between Odin and his brothers, which equated to a lot more than one could imagine, making him stronger than most Gods. During the final two issues of this mini-series, Thor acquired the knowledge and use of runes, which truly was his biggest asset and truly was the only thing that terrified Loki as he understood its power. It provided him with a large number of mystical powers and spells that he was able to cast.
He also possesses the ability of telepathy and mind control, along with space-time manipulation, cosmic energy manipulation, matter manipulation, and much more. It also made him immortal and immune to all diseases known to men and Gods. He had God-tier strength and stamina, along with infinite speed. The combination of Odinforce and rune magic truly made him the strongest.
If you think you have heard about runes before, it was about the Scarlet Witch, which is only further proof of just how strong this can be, especially in the right hands, which truly belonged to none other than Thor. Apart from every physical asset that came with these powers, it also made Thor more knowledgeable than he already was, which ultimately helped him understand just what he had to do to end things, once and for all, for his fellow Asgardians, for those that he lost, and most importantly, for his father, Odin.
Although Rune King Thor only truly appears in two issues out of the six in this series, fans do hope that they will catch a glimpse of this ultimate version of Thor once again in the comics, and maybe even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As we know, Thor truly has lost everything and everyone that he ever loved, and maybe that will eventually unleash Rune King Thor. Only time will tell. Nonetheless, this mini-series was fairly dark and heavy, given the fact that we witnessed several deaths and an incredibly evil Loki. Despite that, it showed us just how strong, smart, and capable Thor is, with and without Mjolnir.