In the MCU, many Marvel fan-favorites came to life on the big screen, complete with story arcs and battles both familiar and new. The Asgardians soon joined the party in 2011's Thor, and ever since then, characters such as Thor himself, the crafty Loki, the devious Hela, the wise Odin, and many more have helped round out the MCU.
Thor is the mighty Avenger, lending his godly strength to Earth's mightiest heroes to defend it from villains of all shapes and sizes. Thor brings a lot to the table, but even he has a few weaknesses and faults that may hold him back. How does he shape up overall?
10 STRENGTH: His Royal Status
Even among the Asgardians, Thor is no ordinary man. He is the son of king Odin and queen Frigga, born to claim the Asgardian throne one way. He has always lived in comfort and security as a result, and he had access to the best education and training any Asgardian could ask for.
Thor can call upon any number of allies from across Agard or get special favors from his countrymen, since the people of Asgard all think highly of the royal family (at least, it seems so), and Thor's request is their command. It pays to be a prince.
9 WEAKNESS: His Hotheaded Ways
Several of Thor's character flaws were gradually addressed over the course of his overall story arc; he has undergone quite a few changes for the better, suffice it to say. One issue with Thor in his early days was his hot temper, which was more of a liability than an asset for him and the Asgardians.
At the time, Thor was quick to anger and quick take offense, such as from battlefield taunts. He would lash out at his enemies, such as the Frost Giants, and make a total mess out of a tense situation. Thor really stirred things up, and not for the better.
8 STRENGTH: His Lightning Powers
Thor is the god of thunder, and he has been proving it for years. It's true that Thor makes good use of his famous hammer Mjolnir during combat, but that hammer is a conduit for Thor's power, not its source. He can call upon lightning anywhere, anytime, even bare-handed.
Thor's electrical powers are formidable. He can raise Mjolnir to the heavens and call upon devastating lightning bolts, and he can wipe out handfuls of enemy warriors at a time when he calls down that thunder, such as during the battle for Wakanda in The Avengers: Infinity War. When Thor calls upon the lightning, friends and foes alike had better beware.
7 WEAKNESS: His Hubris
This is another one of Thor's character flaws that was addressed early on, mostly during Thor and The Avengers in the early 2010s. During Phase 1, Thor not only had a hot temper, but arrogant pride to match – he was far too eager to smash people with that hammer of his.
Thor was a borderline bully at the time, and he allowed his royal status to go straight to his head. He thought that people should respect his brash and violent ways out of deference, and he even called the peaceful Odin an old man and a fool, falsely believing that he was superior to his father.
6 STRENGTH: His Love For Jane Foster
Thor's heart healed in a number of ways over the course of the MCU, and he even found love. In Asgard, many people thought that he might marry the battle maiden Sif one day, but the human researcher Jane Foster won his heart, and they were both better off for it.
Thor's new love helped humble him and gave him a new perspective, and he realized that he had much more to protect than his princely pride and image. Being involved with Jane this way also made Thor more sympathetic and friendly to the human race over time.
5 WEAKNESS: Scorning Humanity
Jane Foster improved Thor's perspective and personal life in many ways, and one of them was to act as an ambassador for planet Earth to the Asgardians. Until then, Thor had a low opinion of humanity, and while it's true that humanity is far from perfect, humans shouldn't be disregarded as ants.
It would be easy for an Asgardian like Thor to dismiss the short-lived, weak people of Midgard (Earth) as irrelevant and foolish, but he was denying himself quite a few allies (and fresh perspectives) by having such an attitude. Earth is not just some boring backwater among the Nine Realms.
4 STRENGTH: His Relationship To Loki
For centuries, Thor and his adopted brother Loki have experienced a dynamic and at time confusing relationship, to say the least. Loki is also a prince of Asgard, but his selfish, deceptive ways earned him little trust or admiration from Thor or most other Asgardians. In fact, he was the one who masterminded the New York City invasion.
However, Thor soon decided that there must be more to his tricky brother than pure evil, and he gave Loki more than a few chances to redeem himself. This was a big step for Thor, showing the trust that he had for his brother, and it paid off in the end when Loki became a true ally. When the mad titan Thanos killed Loki, Thor was devastated, and swore that he would take Thanos' own life in retaliation.
3 WEAKNESS: Poor Negotiation Skills
There have been times when Thor was able to appeal to someone else's opinions or worldview to sway them, but as a whole, Thor isn't so great with words, either early in the MCU or later. Even after he grew as a person, Thor was still largely a blunt, self-important person who made demands rather than requests.
Thor isn't the biggest bully in the MCU, but he doesn't have a way with words other than "Let's fight the bad guy" or "you're not strong enough yet." It's a good thing that he has friends, so they can use their own soft skills where Thor falls short.
2 STRENGTH: His Strong Conviction
This is a positive trait that Thor shares with Captain America, the first Avenger. All of the Avengers are dedicated to their crime fighting jobs, but none of them have the same zeal or indomitable will as Thor. In fact, Thor can be downright bullheaded or stubborn about his mission and his goals.
Fortunately, this usually works to Thor's advantage, such as when he tirelessly fought Thanos during the final battles and persisted in the face of terrifying odds. When he became king of Asgard around the time of Ragnarok, Thor's iron will made him the cool, confident leader that his people needed. There's no time to waste on mourning or complaints or what-ifs; there's work to be done.
1 WEAKNESS: He Takes Some Enemies Too Lightly
Thor is always a confident and gung-ho Avenger, but he gets carried away & ends up paying the price for it. Thor took Iron Man and Captain America too lightly when they first clashed, and he ended up looking foolish by sneering at humans, only to strike even against them.
He also took gladiator Hulk a bit too lightly and unwisely tried to appeal to his old ally at the wrong time, during the fight itself. Thor also took Hela lightly when they first met, and that's how he ended up getting flung to Sakaar in the first place.