Beta Ray Bill is a character that in many ways is shockingly similar to Thor. And it makes sense – given his introduction and intended purpose. Beta Ray Bill is one of the few beings in the comics that can wield Mjolnir – and his gaining the hammer gained him a lifetime of infamy with comic readers.
Based on his similarity to Thor, we're left wondering; what can Thor do that Beta Ray Bill can't. And is there anything that Beta Ray Bill can do, that Thor can't? Well, we decided to take up the latter question and find out for ourselves. So here we have ten things that Beta Ray Bill can do, that Thor Odinson cannot.
10 Ambiguous Design
Beta Ray Bill was intentionally designed and introduced in such a way that fans were not sure if he was a good guy – or a villain. Now we obviously know which way he leans. But the fact of the matter is that Beta Ray Bill does look rather intimidating, and thus can fit in with a rougher crowd as needed.
While Thor can pass for human, it takes Beta Ray Bill a couple of extra steps in order to do so. But on the bright side, that means he can fit in better with different alien races – and possibly even other realms as well.
9 Solving Puzzles
Beta Ray Bill may not be the smartest man in the universe (we're well aware of who gets that title), but he's still fairly sharp. And sadly, that's not something Thor can boast about. There's no doubt in our minds that when it comes to solving puzzles, Beta Ray Bill would take the cake.
And the stats alone back up this opinion. According to the Marvel stats list, Beta Ray Bill comes in at having 5 (out of 7) intelligence. Meanwhile, Thor comes in at only having 2. It's quite a difference, isn't it?
8 Durability
The durability differences between Beta Ray Bill and Thor are actually alarmingly slim. Both can take a massive amount of damage and keep on fighting. Though the reason for their toughness does vary. For Beta Ray Bill, he was designed that way and has multiple factors for being that way. Meanwhile, Thor has the power of an Asgardian and Mjolnir to back him up.
Believe it or not, but Beta Ray Bill is just a tiny bit more durable than Thor. That's probably a good thing, given how many rough situations Beta Ray Bill has been thrust into. There was more than one occasion where his survival and the survival of his people were directly linked.
7 Fist Fight
Did you know that Beta Ray Bill and Thor have had the opportunity to battle each other? It's true. Shortly after coming across one another, these two heroes found themselves battling for the honor of wielding Mjolnir. Odin himself monitored the battle, deciding on the location and type of fighting they were to do.
And it turns out that Beta Ray Bill won that fight. Even though the fight was to the death, he refused to kill Thor. That was a good call, since he got Odin on his side. This directly led to Stormbreaker being crafted for our second worthy character.
6 Healing Touch
We all know that both heroes have the ability to heal themselves – it goes hand and hand with their durability, making them extremely tough to take down. But healing others is where they differ. Though both seem to have the inclination towards helping others.
Thor's alter ego was a doctor, and thus he did heal people. But in a more medical sense of the term. Meanwhile, Beta Ray Bill has the ability to use his healing factor on others. Though it doesn't seem strong enough to regenerate limbs or anything like that. Still, it's certainly impressive.
5 Transformation
Like Thor, Beta Ray Bill found himself having a human alter ego. Unlike Thor – the human side actually comes from a different human. This bond Beta Ray Bill has with the human is the reason he's alive today, though the story is rather complicated. That gives Beta Ray Bill a different perspective on the transformation.
When he wants to, he can be the Beta Ray Bill so many of us know and love. But when needed, he can tap his staff (Stormbreaker in a different form) on the ground to become Simon Walters.
4 Teleportation
Thor's pretty good at traveling around the universe. But a lot of his tricks depend on others helping him out (not that we're trashing him for this – he still does a better job than any of us would do!). Beta Ray Bill also must rely on tech and people to move...most of the time.
We have seen Beta Ray Bill transport himself, and sometimes entire groups of people, from one location to another. It's not something he does all of the time; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed his ship, Skuttlebut, to move his people to a safe place.
3 Tracking
Beta Ray Bill and Stormbreaker both have the ability to detect and track, as needed. Beta Ray Bill can pick up on cosmic or mystical energies, while Stormbreaker can track individual beings. This tracking cannot be stopped by jumping dimensions or timelines, making it somewhat terrifying to think about.
You can see how these two abilities combined make it rather difficult to hide from or get away from Beta Ray Bill. So we'd advise against getting on his bad side.
2 Energy Redirection
As mentioned above, Beta Ray Bill is exceptionally durable. He can take a hit and keep on going, even if the blast is pure energy. In fact, pure energy hits may be easier for him. You see, Beta Ray Bill can amplify and redirect those blasts. Think about that one for a minute.
For this reason, you're probably better off finding a different way to attack Beta Ray Bill or the people he's been charged to protect.
1 Detection
The last ability Beta Ray Bill has may seem a bit obvious. It's also an ability mirrored in Thor – but it's different enough that we're going to consider it here. Beta Ray Bill has the ability to sense others of his kind – other Korbinites that is, not other Cyborgs. Though perhaps he can detect Cyborgs too, and just hasn't felt the need to inform people of that little trick.
Given that Beta Ray Bill is charged with protecting the last of the Korbinites, his ability to detect them is somewhat vital. He needs to know where they are and in what condition they're in. Here's hoping it's made his job easier.