Along with being one of the original of the Avengers, Thor has become one of the most popular heroes in the MCU. Looking at when he was first introduced in Phase I, the God of Thunder has come a long way and evolved to be a very complex hero in his own right.
Through his many triumphs and just as many tragedies, Thor's journey has been a fascinating one to follow. Along the way, he has made plenty of mistakes that proved that, even for a god, he was not perfect. However, there are just as many instances in which Thor overcame his flaws to be a true hero and left behind a legacy he should be proud of.
Shameless: Fighting Iron Man
When Loki plans to head an alien army to attack Earth, Nick Fury assembles the planet's mightiest heroes to stop him. Unfortunately, these heroes also come with massive egos which leads to a lot of bickering among them and the occasional brawl.
When Thor arrives on Earth, he immediately takes Loki from the other Avengers, which Iron Man takes issue with. As the world is at threat of being invaded and conquered, these two would-be heroes decide to leave Loki and push each other around just to prove who is the toughest. It is one of Thor's more immature moments.
Proud: Forging Stormbreaker
In the opening moments of Avengers: Infinity War, Thor loses a considerable amount. Thanos beats him up, kills Heimdall, Loki, and half of the surviving Asgardians. This puts him on a path of revenge and he might be the only hero who can actually kill Thanos.
Thor seeks out a new weapon and is willing to do anything to get it. Knowing it is the best hope of saving the universe, Thor holds open the forge, taking a direct blast from a star, in order to get enough power to create Stormbreaker. Thor shows self-sacrifice and incredible power.
Shameless: Giving The Aether To Malekith
When the Dark Elves return after centuries, they begin seeking the powerful Aether which is one of the Infinity Stones. Once located in Asgard, the Dark Elves attack the city and nearly destroy it all. This causes Thor to take some drastic measures to keep his people safe.
Fearing that the Dark Elves will return, Thor decides to bring the Aether directly to the villainous Malekith, against the wishes of his father. Thor's plan is to lure Malekith into a trap and destroy the Aether. However, the plan backfires and Thor only succeeds in given Malekith the all-powerful weapon that puts the universe in danger.
Proud: Facing The Destroyer
Because of Thor's arrogant and reckless ways, Odin strips him of his powers and his hammer and sends him down to Earth. Though Thor is initially quite frustrated by this demotion, his time on Earth allows him to learn some humility and what it means to be a hero.
While Thor is away, Loki takes the opportunity to make his own move for the throne. He ends up sending the Destroyer to Earth to kill Thor. Seeing the Destroyer putting the humans in danger, Thor confronts it as a moral and tells Loki to kill him and leave the humans in peace. It is the moment Thor truly proves himself worthy of Mjolnir.
Shameless: Not Going For The Head
After creating Stormbreaker, Thor makes an epic entrance in Wakanda to take on Thanos's forces and hopes to get a chance at a rematch with the Mad Titan himself. But while Thor has a lot to want revenge for, it certainly clouds his mind and causes him to make a huge mistake.
After Thanos plows through the other Avengers and collects the final Infinity Stone, Thor attacks him and manages to impale him with Stormbreaker. But as Thor gloats over his supposed victory, Thanos gets the opportunity to snap his fingers, wiping out half the universe.
Proud: Overcoming His Trauma
Avengers: Endgame finds Thor feeling much different than the bold and confident hero he's been previously. The loss of his loved ones and his failure to kill Thanos left him shaken and dealing with the aftermath of the trauma.
Thor's entire arc in the movie is facing the mistakes he made and allowing himself to move past them. In a pivotal moment with his mother in Asgard, Thor finally accepts what has happened and overcomes his pain to once again save the day.
Shameless: Murdering Thanos
After Thanos wipes out half the universe and quickly disappears, the other Avengers quickly gather their forces to go find the Mad Titan and reverse what he did. They find Thanos living in seclusion and discover that the Infinity Stones have been destroyed, eliminating any hope of undoing the damage.
In a fit of fury, Thor decapitated Thanos. Once again, Thor's anger at Thanos is understandable, but murdering him especially when he could have been useful to their cause was a shockingly brutal and short-sighted move.
Proud: Finding His True Power
Throughout the MCU, Thor was always seen charging into battle with his mighty hammer, Mjolnir. It was his trademark weapon so it was quite shocking to see Thor: Ragnarok. This puts Thor against the ropes, feeling like he is no longer powerful enough.
However, during a vision in which he sees his father, Odin reminds Thor that he is not the God of Hammers, but the God of Thunder. This allows Thor to embrace his full power and become one of the most powerful beings in the MCU.
Shameless: Picking A Fight With The Frost Giants
When Thor was first introduced in the MCU, he was a young and arrogant warrior who was always looking for the next battle. He didn't give much thought to what those battles might cost as he was only preoccupied with getting his glory on the battlefield.
After a handful of Frost Giants sneaks into Asgard, Thor thinks the proper response is to go to their homeworld to confront their king. There, he reignites the war between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants, putting thousands of lives at risk.
Proud: Saving The Asgardians
In his youth, losing a fight would have been devastating to Thor but as he matured, he began to see that there were more important things. When he returns to Asgard to fight Hela, he discovers that she is too powerful for him and she is drawing all her power from Asgard.
In order to save the people of Asgard, Thor decides that Asgard itself must be destroyed thus riding Hela of all her power. It is a noble and selfless moment that proves, despite all his flaws, Thor can be a great leader when he is called upon.
