2

According to Odin Borson

an average Asgardian male can lift 30 tons

Now I assume this is for the comics. In the first Thor movie, we see Thor taking down several humans, and lastly having a small struggle to take a very muscular one. This is after Thor was removed of his powers, so I assume (correct me if I'm wrong) that he had the strength of an average Asgardian here. How strong was he here?

Do average Asgardians have superhuman strength in the MCU?

3

2 Answers 2

4

When Thor was stripped of his power in Thor (2011), he was reduced to human level strength and durability, as he acknowledges when he tells Sif, Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun that he's "just a man", explaining why he'd be more of a hindrance than a help if he attempted to fight the Destroyer alongside them.

This is also evidenced by the fact that one, physically large S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was able to give him a decent fight at one point, as well the fact that he was mortally wounded by a single blow from the Destroyer, whereas Volstagg took a similar blow, and was stunned but not seriously injured.

THOR: Jane, you have to leave.

JANE FOSTER: What are you gonna do?

THOR: I'm staying here.

VOLSTAGG: Thor's going to fight with us!

THOR: My friends, I'm just a man. I'll only be in the way, or worse, get one of you killed. But I can help get these people to safety.

Thor (2011)

Regular Asgardians are all superhumanly strong as far as we know. Sif, for example, was able send an RV sliding several metres along a road by shoving it with one foot, in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode, "Yes Men".

And another Asgardian going by the name of "Elliot Randolph" was able to catch the blade of a knife thrust toward him by Agent Ward, and crumple it in his bare hand, with no visible pain or injury, in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode, "The Well".

enter image description here

enter image description here

2
  • In the comics, Thor has had his powers removed several times, with inconsistent results. More often than not, he remains clearly superhumanly strong, though much weaker than normal; presumably in the same ballpark as a standard Asgardian. On occasion though, he has been reduced to human level strength. Commented Feb 10, 2022 at 19:58
  • The scene where Odin strips Thor of his powers in Thor (2011) is likely based on the origin story of his mortal identity, Dr. Donald Blake, as detailed in Thor Vol. 1 #159. In that story, Odin judged Thor to be too arrogant, and banished him to Earth in the mortal guise of Don Blake in order to teach him humility. Odin specifically wanted him to be powerless, and moreover unable to walk without a cane, so that Thor wouldn't feel superior to the humans around him. The Don Blake part of this origin story wasn't used in the movie, but the rest of it seemingly was. Commented Feb 10, 2022 at 20:04
1

We do not really get see much of average Asgardians in the MCU. Characters such as Lady Sif or Valkyrie are standing out as fighters amongst the Asgardians, so we can't look at them. Maybe the best example for an average Asgardian with more than 2sec screen time in the MCU is Elliot Randolph, appearing in two episodes of Agents of SHIELD. He is retired, yet still able to bend metal bars and snap handcuffs with ease. Considering the various fights and their outcomes in the episode The Well, it would seem to me that Randolph's superstrength is not so much that he'd outclass peak humans in a fight though.

I'd be vary to consider the depowered Thor a representative example. Based on his exchange prior with his Asgardian friends prior to them engaging the Destroyer - where he declines to fight with them because he's so weak he'd hinder them - he may actually be reduced to human levels of physical ability. This is also consistent with SHIELD considering him to be a very-well trained human fighter after having seen him in action; no sign of superhuman abilities there.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.