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Just How Powerful is Thor’s Axe, Stormbreaker?


In Thor: Ragnarok, the Goddess of Death Hela did the unthinkable when she destroyed Thor’s mighty hammer Mjolnir. However, the God of Thunder wasn’t without a sidearm for long, because in Avengers: Infinity War, he received a brand new weapon: a battle-axe called Stormbreaker.

In the comics, Stormbreaker’s origin began in the pages of Thor #337-339, when writer Walt Simonson introduced a horse-faced alien named Beta Ray Bill, who was venturing across the universe with his people as they tried to find a new home for their race. Unfortunately, their fleet came just a little too close for comfort to Earth, prompting the heroes of the planet to attack.

While fighting with Thor, the God of Thunder lost his grip on Mjolnir, allowing Bill to make the interception. Much to Thor’s surprise, Bill was able to lift the mighty weapon, so Odin arranged for Thor and Bill to fight for the right to wield the hammer. Although Bill got the better of Thor, the two were pretty evenly matched, so Odin created a hammer just for Bill called Stormbreaker, which was fairly powerful in its own right.

Just how powerful is Stormbreaker, though?

Well, much like Mjolnir, Stormbreaker was forged from mystic Uru metal by Eitri and the other dwarf blacksmiths of Nidavellir, and by striking the weapon on the ground, Bill is able to transform back into his mortal Korbinite form. Additionally, Bill can summon Stormbreaker to himself from any distance, either after it’s been tossed or while it’s simply at rest.

Other properties Stormbreaker shares with Mjolnir are the power to grant its wielder flight capabilities by grabbing the strap, as well as force and energy projection when used as an offensive weapon. Then, of course, there’s weather manipulation, portal creation/teleportation, energy sensing, and all the other perks that you’d expect when wielding a magic hammer and/or battle-axe.

  1. The Big Difference

    Perhaps the one major difference between Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, though, is the “worthy” factor. Mjolnir, of course, was enchanted by Odin in such a manner that only those who are deemed worthy are capable of wielding the mighty hammer. Stormbreaker, on the other hand, doesn’t have such an enchantment on it. Nevertheless, in some stories, such as Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter, Stormbreaker is depicted as only being capable of being wielded by those deemed worthy.

    So, all things considered, is the MCU iteration of Thor better off now that he has Stormbreaker at his side instead of Mjolnir? Well, obviously, the on-screen version of the battle-axe differs a bit from its comic book counterpart, sharing some similarities with Jarnbjorn and the Ultimate Mjolnir, but we certainly think the God of Thunder will be just fine with his new sidearm.  

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