Ever since the Silver Age, Thor has been a member of the Avengers and a stable part of Marvel's hero community. This made him a central part of the overall universe, but even he wasn't immune to being "replaced" during the grim and gritty '90s. Enter Thunderstrike, a mortal who briefly became merged with the God of Thunder before becoming a hero in his own right.

Thunderstrike definitely shook things up for the Thor comic books, and he could give a similar Everyman rejuvenation to the Thor movies in the MCU. Given that one of the wardrobe choices seen in promo images for Thor: Love & Thunder, that may very well be the case going forward. Here's a look at this very different version of the Thunder God, how he brought a Norse god down to street-level, and how he could do it again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Who Was Thunderstrike?

Debuting in Thor #391 and created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, Eric Masterson was a mortal architect who befriended the God of Thunder. Through his adventures with the Asgardian hero, Masterson would become mortally wounded by one of his enemies. To save his life, Odin merged the two into a single being.

Thor and Eric went through several bouts of separation anxiety, with the two men eventually becoming split again. Masterson had proven himself to be a hero, so Odin had a magical mace created for him. With this weapon, he became the new hero Thunderstrike, fighting villains on his own and having more down to Earth adventures than the more cosmic Thor.

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Powers and Weaknesses of Thunderstrike

Thunderstrike's abilities were very similar to Thor's, as were those of his weapon. His mace could be thrown and called back to him like Thor's hammer Mjolnir, as well as granting him flight. The mace could also be tapped onto the ground to revert him to his mortal form, upon which any wounds that Eric sustained would be automatically healed.

Thunderstrike's strength and dexterity were immense, putting him far above many Asgardians and thus making him one of the heartiest heroes to fight for the Marvel Universe. His main weakness, however, was that even this strength was only a fraction of Thor's full power, so the everyday god definitely had his limits. Other weaknesses included his family connections, with his son Kevin being used as a pawn to get to him from time to time.

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How Thunderstrike Could Revamp Thor in the MCU

Thor in his asgardian armor

Thunderstrike has been somewhat forgotten in the comic books, but he could be revitalized in the MCU. It's unknown exactly how much longer Chris Hemsworth will portray the God of Thunder, but his shelf life could be expanded by his becoming a more mortal god in the form of Eric Masterson.

Having already showcased the character's cosmic side in films like Thor: Ragnarok, the MCU could now show how Thunderstrike made Thor a bit more of a hero to everyday people. It would also be interesting to see Hemsworth play this very different version of the Asgardian God. Whether or not the MCU will do this going forward is still to be determined, but with Jane Foster possibly taking the Thor mantle, it would be the perfect time to let thunder strike.

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