The Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Thor spent most of the continuity as a bold and commanding figure -- even when he wasn't one of the most powerful ruling figures in Asgard, he was still a major and heroic figure. But coming up against Thanos broke down many of the ideas Thor had about himself, forcing him on a surprisingly personal journey during Avengers: Endgame.

The events of Avengers: Endgame pushed Thor to the absolute breaking point, taking him to his lowest place internally. But it also set him up to become a more humble and human character, potentially turning him into a far more compelling player in the future of the MCU.

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All the Avengers had a rough time over the course of Avengers: Endgame, although Thor particularly took a hard hit. After watching Thanos kill Loki, Heimdall, and a number of other Asgardians in Avengers: Infinity War, Thor used his ax to wound Thanos in the climax of that film instead of killing him immediately. This gave Thanos the time he needed to activate the Infinity Gauntlet, teleporting him away and completing his plan to wipe out half of all life in the universe. By the time the Avengers found Thanos in Endgame, he'd destroyed the Gauntlet -- preventing the heroes from reversing his actions. After killing Thanos out of rage and grief, Thor retreated into seclusion. By the time the Avengers reunite five years later, Thor has become something of a mess, even developing a giant belly and a passion for video games.

This is the lowest Thor has ever been as a character in the MCU. Even before, when he was brought down to Earth in the first Thor, there was a warrior's spirit that kept him going. He was dedicated to trying at first to prove himself, and then just make himself a more noble and worthy man. It was this internal strength that served him well against the machinations of Loki and eventually made him strong enough to sacrifice Asgard to stop Hela. But it's completely failed him now, as all of these defeats have just made him give up. Even more than the physical beatings he gave the God of Thunder, Thanos broke the hero in a way that was far more effective at stopping the hero, costing him the side of him that made him a good and honorable man in the first place.

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A close-up of a morose Thor on Thanos' farm, plagued by the events of Infinity War

Thor has to be bribed with alcohol to return to the Avengers, learning of their plan to try and steal the Infinity Stones from across the timeline to reverse the effects of the Snap. But while he initially seems like he'll be able to work properly with Rocket to take the Reality Stone from the events of Thor: The Dark World, Thor ends up seeing his mother -- who's dead in the present -- and quickly abandons the plan to see her one more time. But it's here, in his lowest form, that Frigga recognizes her son needs her help. She speaks with him and learns that he has lost the will to fight because of his failures. But she points out that this just makes him like everyone else. It doesn't mean he's lost everything that made him a hero in the first place, just that he needs to pick himself up and keep going, no matter how tough it seems.

This humble acceptance of fallibility is a major step for Thor, who in earlier films was anything but humble. He was boisterous, brash, over-confident and sometimes even casually cruel. He's proven to have the inner strength to rise up to the most extreme of situations, but it takes a different kind of power to be able to pick yourself back up. It's a very human lesson to learn about humility, accepting the defeats of the past but not letting them define you. It's the ultimate test of his character growth, making him his most human moment also the most potent lesson he's ever learned. His growth is even validated when he proves to still be worthy to wield the Mjolnir of this time period, proving to everyone (and most importantly, himself) that just because you're brought down doesn't mean you can't get back up.

It's why the prospect of Thor not ruling over Asgard in the upcoming Thor: Love & Thunder makes for such an interesting concept. It'll give Thor the chance that many humans take for granted and that the Asgardian Prince has never really gotten the chance to: to find out who he is as a person, outside of the trappings of being Thor, God of Thunder. He's already reached his lowest, so now it's time to see what he can make of himself going forward. By bringing Thor to his lowest place, Thanos set up the character to evolve into a more empathetic and relatable character.

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