Many heroes and villains populate the MCU, and some of them are, against all odds, family. Thor is the prince of Asgard, the great son of the legendary Odin, but he also has a foster brother, the tricky schemer Loki. At first, the brothers were at serious odds, but they have slowly become allies against their many enemies, such as their vicious sister Hela.
In the end, Thor was ready to take Thanos’ life in retaliation for Loki’s death, showing how close the brothers had become. Still, there are some things Thor can do that Loki cannot, and vice versa. As a warrior and as a prince, Thor has many options that Loki doesn’t, and he has done things that would make Loki even greener with envy.
10 Thor Can Lift Mjolnir, His Legendary Hammer
Thor is rarely seen without his trademark weapon, the war hammer Mjolnir, forged by the dwarves. True, it was destroyed during the events of Thor: Ragnarok, but the mere fact that Thor could lift and wield this weapon said a lot about him. Only the worthy can pick up this weapon.
During the MCU, very few other characters ever picked up Mjolnir. Captain America could do it, as could the robotic Vision, but Loki never even tried. Loki clearly knew better than to prove himself unworthy with the effort.
9 Thor Can Manipulate Lightning (With Or Without Mjolnir)
Thor is the god of thunder, and this fact has been evident from the start. His electric powers can blast away entire swaths of lesser enemies at a time, and while Thor tends to channel lightning through his hammer, he can use this power barehanded.
As Odin’s spirit reminded his son during Thor: Ragnarok, Thor is the god of thunder, not hammers, and he has always had this power inside him. Loki could never emulate his electric brother, though he might create illusions to that effect.
8 Thor Can Earn The Trust & Respect Of Others
Thor may have a short temper and a bit of an arrogant streak, but he still has better people skills than Loki does. He does not have to rely on psychological pressure, manipulation, or coercion to get people to cooperate with him or trust him; he can use old-fashioned charisma.
Thor is a bit blunt, but he is also earnest, and once he learned a bit of humility during the first Thor movie, he befriended several citizens of Midgard, or Earth, such as his future lover, Jane Foster. Loki would creep them out and never make any headway with them.
7 Thor Can Understand Human Norms & Customs
Thor may still be rough around the edges when it comes to human pop culture and technology, but he’s learning, and he’s making more of an effort than Loki is. Thor is something of a reverse-isekai hero, to put it in Japanese anime terms, and he didn’t waste an opportunity to get used to Midgard and its ways.
Loki could learn more about humanity, but he doesn’t. Simply put, Thor can navigate Earth/Midgard much more easily, and understand the things that he sees and hears. Thor can almost act like a tour guide for Loki.
6 Thor Can Deal A Mortal Blow To Thanos
It is true that Thor should have gone for the head when he had a rematch with Thanos in the hidden nation of Wakanda, but the mere fact that Thor pushed Thanos this far is impressive. During the battle, Thor burst onto the scene and threw his Stormbreaker hammer right at his most hated foe.
By this point, Thanos had added all six Infinity Stones to his gold gauntlet, but he still couldn’t handle Stormbreaker’s incredible hitting power, and he barely escaped after performing his snap. No way could Loki deal a blow like that, even if he took Thanos by total surprise.
5 Thor Can Fight The Hulk On Roughly Equal Terms
It may not be 100% clear who would win this fight, but it can certainly be said that Thor stands a fair chance against his massive green ally if they must fight. During Thor: Ragnarok, Thor was forced into the combat arena on Sakaar, and his opponent was a wonderfully familiar friend who had no mercy on him.
Thor and Hulk disagreed on who really won that fight, but even without Mjolnir or Stormbreaker, Thor put up a great fight, and pushed Hulk incredibly hard, much more than Loki ever could. Loki still remembers that beating he received in New York City at the Hulk’s hands.
4 Thor Can Play Video Games Online
Early in The Avengers: Endgame, Thor was deeply depressed. He had lost everything: Asgard, Mjolnir, Loki, both parents, even his brutal sister. He was despondent in New Asgard and had to find ways to cheer himself up in the miserable post-snap world.
Playing online video games like Fortnite isn’t exactly an essential skill for fighting Thanos or alien threats, but it’s amusing to see Thor doing this, and it proves how much he has come to understand and appreciate the ways of Midgard. He is truly a man of two worlds, in major and minor ways alike.
3 Thor Can Help Operate Nidavellir
During the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Thor decided that the time had come to make a new weapon, and he and his new friend, Rocket Raccoon, visited the legendary space forge, Nidavellir. The problem: only one of the dwarves remained alive there, and the foundry was cold and still.
So, Thor volunteered to help reignite the forge barehanded, despite the risks, and allow the dwarf Eitri to forge a brand-new weapon. The effort nearly cost Thor his life, despite his incredible endurance. Loki could have never pulled that off.
2 Thor Can Find True Love
Thor can get along with humans better than Loki can, and Thor’s understanding of the ways of Midgard has paid off on a personal level, too. Thor soon befriended the scientist Jane Foster, and he realized that Jane is something precious to him. Jane felt the same way about her new Asgardian friend.
Thor soon began fighting for Jane’s sake, not just for the sake of his honor, and this humility helped him regain his hammer, Mjolnir. Being with Jane makes Thor very happy, and this kind of genuine personal connection doesn’t come so easily to Loki, if at all.
1 Thor Can Easily Access Avengers Resources
It is true that Loki can use lies and illusions to get almost anything he wants, but the Avengers team won’t let him steal their resources or intel so easily. Thor, by contrast, can access almost anything he needs since he is a trusted member of the team.
Thor usually makes use of Asgardian weapons, vehicles, and technology, but if he asked, he could ride in a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft, ask a team of agents to back him up, or even access restricted intel to fight S.H.I.E.L.D.’s many enemies. Loki wouldn’t be trusted with any of that.
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