Contains Spoilers for The Immortal Thor #16!Most Marvel fans know that Thor can fly, thanks to his legendary hammer Mjölnir – but the latest issue of the God of Thunder's ongoing series has revealed that, if necessary, he can call on the storm to lift him into the sky as well. This new upgrade expands one of his classic powers in a wholly unexpected way, in an exciting expansion of the hero's abilities.

Immortal Thor #16 – written by Al Ewing, with art by Jan Bazaldua – features Thor demonstrating that he doesn’t need Mjölnir to fly, as he commands the wind itself to lift him when the hammer is inaccessible because it’s soaring over the city carrying the villainous Radioactive Man out of the path of civilians.

In the past, Mjölnir has been a crucial part of Thor’s ability to fly, and even in Immortal Thor #16, he its that he vastly prefers that method.

Thor Reveals That He Can Use The Wind To Fly, Even Without Mjölnir's Help

Immortal Thor #16 – Written By Al Ewing; Art By Jan Bazaldua; Color By Matt Hollingsworth; Lettering By Joe Sabino

Classically, Thor isn’t the one flying himself but is instead dragged by Mjölnir. By spinning the hammer, Thor is also able to generate currents which help with directional travel. In other words, for all his strength and abilities, Immortal Thor #16 showcases that Thor still has so much untapped potential. In fact, Immortal Thor has specifically been fascinated with Thor stretching the limits of his powers. In this era, Thor has been able to heal life-altering injuries.

When he flies without Mjölnir in this issue, Thor narrates that this power is granted to him as a ‘Skyfather’ which is synonymous with a pantheon’s All-Father. Instead. Thor is interpreting this power as the ability to control the sky itself, to command and shape the wind. Immortal Thor #3 revealed that the All-Power is also the ‘knowledge of story’, the understanding that divine power in Marvel springs from story and that gods are shaped by the narratives told about them. In a story, the Skyfather should be able to control the sky, and thus he can.

Thor's New Powers Are The Perfect Way To Demonstrate His Character Growth

Immortal Thor #16 – Available Now From Marvel Comics; Cover By Alex Ros

What’s satisfying is that Thor using new powers is also part of his growth within Immortal Thor. One of the big themes of the series has been Thor using wisdom and knowledge, not brute force, to solve his problems, and the majority of these ‘new’ powers are really logical extensions of Thor’s classic powers that he’s dreamed up. If he can summon thunder, lightning and storms, he naturally should be able to ride on those same wind currents. Thor’s powers are only limited by what he can logically imagine doing with them, and Immortal Thor continues to expand his abilities.

Making Thor’s greatest strength his intelligence is a solid evolution of the character, and dovetails neatly with him growing into the role of All-Father.

Even Thor’s biggest loss in the series so far directly involves his wits. In Immortal Thor #10, Enchantress casts a spell that saps Thor’s intelligence while on Midgard, forcing him to think in clichés and dumb one-liners. Thor’s only recourse against the Enchantresses' trick is the magic-dampening belt Yolgjörd, which helps to prevent this. Making Thor’s greatest strength his intelligence is a solid evolution of the character, and dovetails neatly with him growing into the role of All-Father. With age and responsibility come wisdom and knowledge, and wisdom and knowledge are power.

Thor's New Power Is Similar To Marvel Weather "Goddess," X-Men & Avengers' Storm

The Two Icons Are More Alike Than Ever

This feat of Thor’s once again puts him in direct comparison to another hero who can summon lightning and uses the wind to fly, Storm. Immortal Thor #4 featured a team up between the two heroes, and an Omega-level mutant, which means her powers have no measurable upper limit.

It's funny that after all the time spend establishing Storm and Thor’s differences, Thor is now doing basically the same thing as Ororo. If he stretches the definition of ‘Skyfather’ far enough, Thor could theoretically replicate even more of Storm’s powers, though he has limits on them. The question is whether these powers stick around. Odin may be dead for now, but with the cyclical nature of superhero storytelling (also a theme in Immortal Thor) and the impermanence of death for the gods, Thor might need to enjoy this power while it lasts.

The Immortal Thor #16 is available now from Marvel Comics.