2024 was a momentous year forThor, with a series of major events leading to him leaving theAvengers.Thor made this decision due to a serious issue with his powerswhich led to him being suspected of murder with no way to clear his name. However, he didn’t leave Earth’s Mightiest Heroes without divine muscle - before taking his leave, Thor asked a different god to officially join the team. The move is part of afar larger evolution in Thor’s powersthat has seen him ascend to true ‘All-Father’ status, like Odin before him.
The momentous change came inAvengers #17(by Jed MacKay, Ryan North, Javier Garrón, Valerio Schiti, Bryan Valenza and Cory Petit), with Sam Wilson’s Captain America askingStormto join their ranks. The mutant hero was undecided on the offer until she spoke to Thor, who revealed he planned to leave, andasked her to ensure that"a God of Thunder rides with the Avengers still."
Since then, Storm has indeed taken Thor’s place on the Avengers, while the God of Thunder’s solo adventures continue in Al Ewing and Jan Bazaldua’sImmortal Thor. So far, Storm helped the Avengers fend off the Superman-level villain Hyperion, and has already started bringing the team into a far closer alliance with Cyclops' X-Men. Asking Storm to replace him was a smart move by Thor, whose powers have been going haywire when on Earth.
Storm and Thor have a longtime bond, with the X-Men hero being one of few individuals to be judged worthy of Mjolnir.
How Marvel’s X-Men x Avengers Alliance Turns Them Into a Single Team
The X-Men and Avengers have a history of conflict, but as both teams face uncertain futures and threats, Cyclops and Captain Marvel try something new.
Thor Appointed Storm As His Successor
The God of Thunder Has a Major Problem Operating on Earth
In recent issues ofImmortal Thor, the Son of Odin clashed with the combined forced of the Enchantress, Executioner and Roxxon CEO Dario Agger, aka the Minotaur. Enchantress used magic to create afalse Thor answerable to Roxxon(aka Chad Hammer), while also clouding the true Thor’s mind. Due to her magic,Thor becomes a clichéd action hero whenever he’s in Midgard (aka Earth), robbing him of the ability to think creatively.
That’s a huge problem, because Thor recently unlocked the All-Power - a godly ability that makes him an Odin-level creator god. However, the All-Power is only accessible through the wisdom of the individual using it. Due to his lack of wisdom on Earth, Thor can’t access his increased power levels, and even becomes a liability. Enchantress and Executioner smartly used this condition to frame Thor for the murder of Dario Agger, who - despite being resurrected shortly afterwards - is still believed dead by the public, killed by one of Thor’s new mystic weapons, the ax known as ‘Tormod the Keen Edge.’
Storm’s Avengers membership has already created a far stronger bond with Cyclops' X-Men, leading to a formal promise that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will back up the mutant team.
Thor’s New Weapon Permanently Removes His Vulnerability to Magic
Thor’s new legendary weapon finally makes him immune to magic, allowing the hero to turn the tables on Loki as he becomes Marvel’s most powerful god.
Sticking with the Avengers would embroil them in this murder investigation, and Thor also knows that if he fights besides the Avengers on Earth, he’ll be operating as an oafish parody of his true self, potentially creating even more issues. It’s a huge shame, as Thor’s wisdom has been a major focus of his appearance in recentAvengerscomics, for instance putting aside his pride and surrendering to Nightmare, rather than forcing the team to fight the eldritch god. However, while it’s a shame Thor can’t stay with the team, he chose the perfect replacement.
Storm Is Only the Third Hero to Join Every Major Marvel Team
The Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four Trifecta
This isn’t the first time that Storm has joined the Avengers - she was actually recruited back in 2011, but theAvengers vs X-Menevent meant she barely appeared as a team member before leaving again. Her membership makes her only the third hero -after Spider-Man and Wolverine- to become a member of the Avengers, X-MenandFantastic Four. While Storm was originally depicted as a mutant with control over the weather, she’s since discovered her connection to ancient magic, and is worshiped as a goddess in parts of Africa, making her a true"Thunder God."
It’s no surprise that Thor would approve of Storm replacing him, givenshe’s one ofveryfew heroes to be judged worthy of Mjolnir. Only recently, Thor gathered an alliance of heroes who had wielded his hammer, with Storm joining Jane Foster and Loki to back up the Odinson against the Elder God Toranos.
Thor has also shown significant sympathy to the mutant plight, especially as the X-Men are more hated and feared than ever. Storm’s tenure on the Avengers has already shown them working more closely with the X-Men, with the two teams uniting against Hyperion, and meeting for a game of baseball inAvengers #21, where Captain Marvel committed to supporting Cyclops against mutantkind’s enemies.
Storm replacing Thor has solidified her A-list status in Marvel comics, especially as it coincides withher own solo seriesfrom Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck. It’s also built a new connection between the Avengers and X-Men, who often don’t see eye to eye. Hopefully,Thorcan resolve his various problems and return to Earth’s Mightiest Heroeseventually - but not before fans have had a chance to seeStormlive it up as theAvengers' new god in residence.
Storm’s adventures continue inAvengers volume 9, available now from Marvel Comics.
Thor
Associated with the mythical realm of Asgard, Thor is a Marvel Comics hero who channels the power of thunder to slay their foes. Though the name is chiefly tied to Thor Odinson, several other characters also take on the role of God of Thunder, including Odinson’s love interest, Jane Foster. Odin is portrayed as a physically imposing hero with incredible strength and typically wields the dwarven forged hammer, Mjolnir.
