Thor is supposed to be a god, so he should be immortal. Does this mean that there will come a time when he is the last remaining Avenger?
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6Are we including the "Great Lakes Avengers" under "Avengers"? If so, then let's not forget Mr Immortal!– Mark BeadlesApr 5, 2012 at 12:15
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4Thor isn't immortal. It has been shown in Avengers movie.– user931May 13, 2012 at 7:50
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12Even the original Norse Gods could be killed. Baldur was, and they were all going to get it in Ragnarok.– OldcatAug 9, 2014 at 0:41
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4Thor is not truly a god.The Asgardians are just normal people who have 1000 times more advanced technology and happen to have much denser flesh than humans and are much stronger than humans. They are really just humans 2.0. They dont even live for ever maybee 5000 years and even then they need to eat golden apples for that.Aven then they could die in battle.– Sim-Jan 18, 2016 at 5:36
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6"Thor is supposed to be a god, so he should be immortal." [citation needed]– Lightness Races in OrbitMar 31, 2017 at 13:25
11 Answers
No, There were plenty of immortal Avengers over the years. Immortal having the definition of being able to survive the aging process and maintaining vigor and capability. Almost all of the "gods" of the Marvel Universe are "immortal until killed."
They boast extremely long life-spans, appearing effectively immortal. This includes the Japanese, Greek, Egyptian, and Celtic gods who have made appearances in Marvel Comics.
In the case of the Norse gods, called Asgardians, they are not quite immortal, they depend on the golden Apples of Idunn to prolong their lives. The Asgardians also understand they will face an ultimate reckoning called Ragnarok in which many of them (most of them) will indeed die.
There are many Avengers whose origins, powers or other circumstances grant them forms of longevity or immortality. This includes androids, mutations, cosmic beings, and aliens.
Immortal until killed
The Mighty Thor while not truly immortal, he like most Asgardians, will have a very long lifespan that requires an infusion of the magical essence of the Apples of Idunn. In the Marvel Universe, Thor has faced death several times during his career and for a time was forbidden to enter the realm of Hela, goddess of Death. He lived a life trapped within a suit of life sustaining armor because while he was undying, he was still subject to injury.
Hercules: a former member of the Avengers is a Greek god and by all accounts immortal and undying unless in a confrontation with other godlike beings. He and Thor have a rivalry that goes back hundreds of years.
Ares: Greek war god possesses the typical powers of an Olympian, including superhuman strength, speed, agility, durability, reflexes, and virtual immortality, though some of his powers are substantially greater than most other Olympians. Ares is functionally immortal in the sense that he is immune to the effects of aging and hasn't aged since reaching adulthood. He is also immune to any known terrestrial disease or infection. Since he exiled himself from Olympus, his durability has been reduced enough for him to be affected by conventional weapons.
Valkyrie has been a member of the Defenders and the Avengers. She is the strongest of all Valkyrior. Like all Asgardians, her tissue and bone are several times as dense as the mortal equivalent. Though she is not immortal, she ages far more slowly than humans. Valkyrie is immune to all terrestrial diseases and is resistant to most forms of injury. Her Asgardian physiology grants her superhuman levels of stamina. While her character has been transformed several times, the basic powers of an Asgardian were hers and she would have had the same lifespan as any member of Asgard as long as she consumed the Apples of Idunn.
The Incredible Hulk(s) - (She-Hulk, Red Hulk): while it has never been substantiated, the Hulk's regenerative abilities may mean he will never age or will age incredibly slowly in relationship to other humans. It is safe to assume all Hulks (red or green) may have the same nearly-immortal quality. It is unknown whether any of the Hulks will age while in their human form.
Firebird (Bonita Juarez) is a person who has been mutated by an unknown bombardment of radiation from an alien scientific experiment. The mutation has given her the power of pyrokinesis and precognition. She has also been proven to be unable to be killed by an Elder of the Universe. The source of said immortality is as yet unknown.
Mr. Immortal possesses the superhuman ability of immortality. Once he reaches the point of death, he regenerates from any and all injuries. When he wakes from his death, he is completely healed from any and all previous injuries and may wake in a rage. He also does not age. The cosmic being Deathurge indicated Mr. Immortal cannot be killed and will eventually outlive the human race.
Able to Be Repaired
Jocasta was a titanium alloy-based android whose mental capacities were designed and created by Hank Pym (Ant Man, Giant Man, Yellowjacket) and based on the engrams of his then wife, Janet Van Dyne (Wasp). Her android body was capable of surviving an incredible amount of damage and she is able to transfer her consciousness into other bodies based on her original design.
The Vision was a synthezoid created by Ultron (who was created earlier by Hank Pym) designed to infiltrate and destroy the Avengers. His synthetic body while appearing human was capable of a range of superhuman abilities including limited flight and density modification, making him able to pass through matter or become diamond hard and almost invulnerable. Despite these powers, the Vision was destroyed several times during his history, usually at the hands of incredible foes such as Count Nefaria.
Not Remotely Human
The Avenger, Simon Williams, codenamed Wonder Man, had his entire body replaced with a form of "ionic" energy. While he can appear to be a normal human, he has none of the requirements of a living being. He does not need to eat, sleep or excrete. He can exist under hostile conditions including space and does not appear to age at all.
The Sentry: Arguably one of the most powerful of the Avengers, has a host of superhuman abilities. Superhuman strength, speed and resilience, he is able to fight the entire team of the Avengers to a standstill. There are many theories around his powers and their origin. It has been suggested that he is not even human but an avatar of a near-divine being or force similar to Death or the Phoenix Force.
Jack of Hearts, whose mutagenic powers came from the combination of an alien parent and an immersion in the mysterious Zero Fluid, allowing him to project incredible amounts of energy. He has superhuman stamina and resistance to injury. He has restarted the energies of a dying sun at one point in his career. Having died more than once, his connection to the zero-point energy has revived him. What his body is composed of now is unknown but it is certain he is no longer human in the classic sense.
Beyond Human Longevity
Captain America has been in the peak of physical health since 1945. It is suspected the super-soldier serum protected him during his period underwater frozen in the Artic and has slowed his aging process significantly.
Starfox is a member of the long-lived offshoot of humanity known as the Eternals (as is his brother, Thanos). His body has been enhanced by cosmic energy to the point that it ages far more slowly than most humanoids and is superhumanly strong and resistant to harm and immune to terrestrial diseases. He can withstand impacts, such as falling from several stories or being repeatedly struck with superhuman force, that would severely injure or kill an ordinary human being with little to no injury to himself. However, he is far from invulnerable and can be injured by weapons, such as bullets or knives, composed of conventional materials.
Other Eternals who have been Avengers include the Forgotten One (aka Gilgamesh) and Sersi.
Wolverine: a mutant that has been seen so far to be effectively immortal and has already lived a life significantly longer than a normal human. His body's regenerative processes make it likely he will continue to exist for decades to come. What such a long lifespan does to his mind, however, is another question.
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2In Avengers Annual #16, The Collector gives each of the Avengers a poison intended to kill them so they can battle the Legion of the Unliving in Death's realm. They all die (including Wonder Man and Thor) but La Espirita (formerly Firebird) is unharmed. Jul 23, 2012 at 5:04
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2Yes, I do remember that story. That was my heyday of buying and loving the Avengers (before it became cool). I attributed it to the idea the Collector being an Elder of the Universe has had lots of time to practice killing people and things he doesn't like or feels threatened by. I forgot about Firebird and her immortality. When I get a minute, I will add her to the list. Thanks for the reminder. Jul 23, 2012 at 19:11
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1While she's not actually immortal, I don't think anyone can kill Squirrel Girl.– KSmartsJan 7, 2015 at 21:13
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2@Mike: maybe the author of that issue knows better Greek/Roman mythology. In the original source, Hercules is a hero, that is a demi-god, the sun of a god (here, Zeus) and a mortal. Like most heroes, his fate is tragic and he actually dies, accidentally poisoned by his wife.– TaladrisMar 20, 2016 at 2:36
Thor is not truly a god, but an Asgardian hailing from Asgard. As such, Thor is incredibly long lived, see here. He does rely on the golden apples of Idunn for his long-lived attributes.
As for being the final Avenger, well, the Avengers have grown since their initial start up. As such, he may be the final one of the original make-up depending on how Captain America ages.
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Norse gods (Æsir and Vanir) are not immortal. In particular, it is foretold in Norse myth that Thor will die of a serpent's venom during Ragnarök.
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6Wouldn't that make him "immortal" until then? He can't die in Ragnarök if he gets killed fighting bad guys.– TangoApr 4, 2012 at 16:01
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During Ragnarök the gods will die. It's not Armageddon. It's possible that other non-diety Avengers could still be alive after Ragnarök. Apr 4, 2012 at 16:07
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4@TangoOversway Everyone is "immortal" until they die, but true immortals don't die. Norse Gods are not like other Gods, they come with expiration dates and they do die. Ragnarök, or "The fate of the Gods" is the chain of events that will eventually kill most of the major Æsir, including Odin, his son Víðarr, and his son Thor. Thor is destined to die after successfully defeating Jörmungandr, but unfortunately he will be so injured he will only take nine steps afterwards. Once Ragnarök completes, the world emerges into a period of renewal, with surviving gods and people to repopulate. Apr 4, 2012 at 21:00
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In the one shot comic HULK: The End Hulk is the only person left in the world. It's just him and cockroaches. So really Hulk is the only immortal on the team.
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8All of The End series are unique in that they show what "The last X story" would be like (where X is replaced by either marvel individuals or teams) so they really don't count as in continuity. They're more inline with the "What If" series.– Monty129May 8, 2013 at 1:28
Wonder Man is immortal too. He "died" a couple of times, but the Scarlet Witch brought him back out of ionic energy or something.
From Wikipedia:
Due to Wonder Man's self-regenerating ionic energy, he has the ability to exist indefinitely without air, food, or water, and he no longer ages.
It's like this. As far as Thor being immortal. He can age, he can never die. But he can be killed. He can never die from age or sickness. Remember Aries got killed by a demi god. The frost giant was about to kill Thor's father. They can live forever, unless they are killed or choose to die.
The Hulk without a doubt would be the last one standing. His healing factor, plus aging , as well as His anger all will allow him to stand the test of time.
Thor can in fact be killed. In the Ragnarok story line he and all the Asgardians were briefly killed. While Thor will probably never die of old age it is possible for him to die in battle.
In the Thor movie , Odin was about to die. So basically Thor is also not immortal, because if Odin ages so does Thor.
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2Odin was not on the brink of death, but the Odin Sleep, which is a state of regeneration/hibernation. Also the movie continuity is separate from the comics continuity.– Monty129Sep 18, 2013 at 11:40
Where does it say "gods" in the Marvel universe are immortal?
First, they aren't necessarily gods in the proper sense --- more like Clarke's "sufficiently advanced technology." Second, Thor, as originally conceived, wasn't the actual god, but just some dork who found the hammer and was granted the powers of Thor. Finally, if Thor is taken to be the actual Norse god as he is in more modern stories, then he is not immortal. Whether or not he is the last Avenger standing will depend on when Ragnarok happens.
If I remember clearly. In Thor 1 Odin made it clear that they were not gods when he rebuked Thor And also remember that post Ragnarok Thor that woke up from death stronger. And if he died again it was death for good.
So if Thor can die, he is not a god and is not immortal.
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1Your answer could benefit greatly from some explanation: what do you mean by post-ragnarok? Was this in comics? If so, in which comics? Apr 12, 2017 at 6:35
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I've been searching but I cant find the comic anymore. Anyway I also know that hela has killed thor and odin a number of times but sadly I also can't remember in which of the comics it happened. But to resurrect thor there they had to make a sacrifice to the silent one.– sketchApr 12, 2017 at 19:47
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I'm sorry my points seem vague but I read a lot of stuff so I tend to forget where I read them from.– sketchApr 12, 2017 at 19:48