Contains Spoilers for The Immortal Thor #22!Thor has faced down many a challenging foe in the past, but his newest adversary may be even too much for him, as he prepares to face off against the Marvel Universe's original God of Violence. Thor may have some friends in his corner, but he’s going to have the fight of his life, and it might be a conflict, one that even he can’t emerge from unscathed.

The ending of The Immortal Thor #22, written by Al Ewing, with art by Jan Bazaldua, has revealed the first look at Kemur, the Elder God of Violence.

Thor and Skurge have journeyed into Utgard, the realm in which the Elder Gods, or the Utgard-Gods, have been imprisoned since time immemorial. Now, at the center of the maze-like Nrgl, a living city, they’ve met the bull that guards this labyrinth. As the preview for Immortal Thor #23 makes clear, this is Elder God embodies the concept of violence itself.

Marvel Fans, Meet Kemur: Thor Is About To Face Down The Original God Of Violence

Immortal Thor #22; Written By Al Ewing; Art By Jan Bazaldua; Color By Matt Hollingsworth; Lettering By Joe Sabino

As the synopsis fro Immortal Thor #23 reads:

GODWAR! The All-Father had battled to the middle of the endless city — and now he faced the beast at the center of the maze. Kemur, who was bull and hawk and serpent, who was fire and the sword, now faced Thor Odinson... and perhaps neither would survive. This is the story of the IMMORTAL THOR... and the God of Violence.

The name Kemur originates in Egyptian myth, rather than Norse legend, but astute readers will know that signala something even worse for Thor. Kemur is another name for ‘Kemwur’, a bull god and aspect of Atum Ra. In Marvel mythology, Atum Ra is also related to Thor through their mother Gaia, who created Atum-Ra to defeat the Utgard-Gods and imprison them originally. In Immortal Thor #8, Gaia warned Thor that he should never face Atum; if Kemur is some other aspect of Atum, then Thor could be facing his greatest challenge.

The other problem is that Thor isn’t just facing Kemur, but three Utgard-Gods at once. There is Kemur, the bull. There’s Nrgl, the city which Kemur calls home, in which Thor and his allies are trapped. Then, there is the Utgard-Loki, the trickster narrating this particular story, and the concept of the trick itself. Thor is not just fighting an enemy with a greater capacity for violence than any before, but also a being who is by definition trickier than Loki. Never let it be said that Thor is not afraid to fight, even when he will probably lose.

Thor's Showdown With The "God Of Violence" Evokes His Earlier Foe, Dario Agger

The God Of Thunder's Minotaur Problem

The other point of interest is that this isn’t the first bull-themed villain Thor has faced, even in Immortal Thor. One of the run’s secondary villains is Dario Agger, the Minotaur former CEO of Roxxon, who used the power of storytelling against Thor, and almost killed him. As Immortal Thor #22 states though, in Utgard’s city, things are mirrored, and the whole issue is themed around repetition, with a gimmick of flipping a coin to decide whether the reader goes forward or back a page; this suggests Kemur is just another repetition, similar to Dario Agger, but far deadlier.

Once more, Thor faces overwhelming odds and enemies of mythic proportions that he stands no chance of fighting, which is when he is at his heroic best.

If Thor has one hope against Kemur, it is that throughout Immortal Thor, violence has never been the answer; repeatedly, Thor has been faced with foes he cannot hope to defeat in simple martial combat, and the solution has always been to use wisdom, knowledge, semantics, and trickery. If Thor fights Kemur, he will almost certainly lose, so he needs to win without fighting yet again. Once more, Thor faces overwhelming odds and enemies of mythic proportions that he stands no chance of fighting, which is when he is at his heroic best.

The Immortal Thor #22 is available now from Marvel Comics; Immortal Thor #23 releases May 14, 2025 from Marvel.