The release of Marvel’s “Avengers: Doomsday” trailer has stirred speculation about the roles of the original Avengers in this upcoming crossover film. Thor has his own teaser, leaving fans curious about whether he will ascend to a new level of power akin to his comic book persona. Historically, Thor ranks among the strongest superheroes, but during the “Ragnarok” storyline, he transformed into an even more powerful entity. Fans refer to this version as Rune King Thor, who brought an end to Ragnarok. Many are anticipating his potential introduction in “Doomsday.”

Should Rune King Thor make it to the big screen, viewers might witness him wielding runic magic to tear through the MCU’s multiverse. Delving into the Rune King Thor arc in the comics reveals a narrative where Thor faces his darkest trials but emerges with unparalleled strength.

Rune King Thor first appeared in the acclaimed “Ragnarok” storyline, released in 1998. Crafted by Michael Avon Oeming with striking illustrations by Andrea Di Vito, this tale enthralls those who enjoy watching Thor and his Asgardian allies in epic battles. While the general storyline may be familiar from the films, the 2017 “Thor: Ragnarok” movie cleverly blends elements from various comic arcs into a single, cohesive narrative.

Rune King Thor made his debut in the famous “Ragnarok” storyline, published in 1998. “Ragnarok” was written by Michael Avon Oeming and features stunning art from comic penciller Andrea Di Vito, and the story is a delight for people who love seeing Thor and his Asgardian friends in the heat of battle. You might already be familiar with the general plot thanks to the movies, but the truth about 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok” is that it combines several different comic storylines into one, remixed plot.

The biggest difference between the “Ragnarok” comic and the movie that it helped inspire is the villain at the center of it all. In the comic, Loki is the one who seizes control of Asgard and initiates the end of days. Loki doesn’t plan on totally destroying Asgard, but he does want to remake the home of the gods in his image. 

After being utterly defeated by his brother, Thor goes on a long journey to find a way to save his world. In the end Thor willingly causes Ragnarok and the destruction of Asgard, but that’s because his transformation into the Rune King opens his eyes to a terrible secret about the nature of reality. Ragnarok is a cycle that’s been repeating since the dawn of time, but Rune King Thor has the power to end it.

In the “Ragnarok” storyline, Loki manages to take control of Asgard by partnering with the fire demon Surtur and using weapons created in the same cosmically powerful forge that once created Thor’s hammer Mjolnir. Thor knows that he’s severely outmatched by Loki’s power, so he sets out in search of the wisdom of Odin and the godlike power that made the All-Father the ruler of Asgard for so long.

Thor’s journey takes him to the frozen land of Hildstalf. There he meets a ghostly apparition that is actually the Odinpower, in the form of a young boy. The Odinpower leads Thor to Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and from there they travel to Mimir’s well where Odin once achieved godhood. Along the way the Odinpower ghost explains to Thor that gods aren’t created by blood. Thor isn’t truly a god yet because he hasn’t done anything to achieve that status like his father did long ago. If Thor wants to save Asgard and bring Ragnarok to an end, he’ll need to become a true god. Unfortunately for Thor, the only way for him to attain a new level of power is to make an extreme, and extremely painful, sacrifice at the mystical well.

Thor knows that he needs to become as powerful as Odin if he wants to save Asgard from complete destruction. The Odinpower leads Thor along the same path that Odin traveled when he first became a god, and once he reaches Mimir’s well, Thor remembers that Odin had to gouge out his own eye in order to become a god. Thor, not without some reservation, pulls out his eye and throws it into the well. That’s when he runs into an unexpected snag in the plan: It turns out that gods can’t make the same sacrifice twice.

The Odinpower taunts Thor after he pulls out his eye, telling the God of Thunder that he hasn’t really sacrificed anything. The Odinpower informs Thor that he needs to go beyond Odin’s original sacrifice if he wants to attain his father’s power, and Thor responds by plucking out his other eye and tossing it into Mimir’s well. Finally the well accepts Thor’s offering and fills with water. 

By drinking the water, Thor receives the wisdom of Odin and realizes that Ragnarok has been happening since the dawn of time. Over and over again, Asgard has been destroyed and rebooted. Thor and all of the other gods have been secretly trapped in an eternal loop, but to see how to escape the loop, Thor needs to read the runes at the heart of Yggdrasil.

Thor achieves real godhood and attains the wisdom of Odin by throwing both of his eyes into Mimir’s well. Using his new wisdom, Thor is able to locate the ancient runes within Yggdrasil. Thor then absorbs the knowledge of the runes by hanging himself from the tree just like Odin. He becomes the Rune King, and his empty eye sockets are filled with the blue light of the magic runes.

As the Rune King, Thor ascends to a level of existence that’s above and beyond all the gods of Asgard. There he meets beings called Those Who Sit Above in Shadow, among the strongest villains who have yet to appear in the MCU. These secret super-gods lord over all the other gods, and they’re the ones who created the Ragnarok cycle in the first place. Those Who Sit Above feed on the energy of Asgard’s cyclical destruction, but Thor wants to bring that to an end. To do so, he needs to let Surtur destroy Asgard in one final Ragnarok.

Those Who Sit Above are so threatened by Thor’s actions that they offer to make him a super-god like themselves. Thor refuses, and he travels to the Loom of Fate while Ragnarok is taking place. Thor severs the string keeping the Loom together, which ends the Ragnarok cycle forever. Those Who Sit Above are cut off from their power source and left to die in darkness.

Odin had the true knowledge of Ragnarok long before Thor became a hero. Why didn’t the All-Father become the Rune King and put an end to Those Who Sit Above in Shadow? When Thor confronts Those Who Sit Above, he makes it clear that he has a unique advantage over his father. Because Thor spent time living as a mortal, he’s able to achieve a new level of power with the runes. Thor’s mortal half is what truly allows him to become the Rune King and end the cycle of Ragnarok.

The Odinpower also makes it clear that the All-Father planned for this to be Thor’s eventual path. Odin himself couldn’t become the Rune King like Thor, and he was probably even more reluctant than his son to make the ultimate sacrifice. Odin planned for Thor to spend time as a mortal so the God of Thunder would understand the true value of endings. Thor’s mortality makes him accept that ending the Ragnarok cycle would mean destroying Asgard once and for all. 

Without his mortality, Thor wouldn’t be willing to allow the final Ragnarok to destroy his home, and he wouldn’t be able to achieve the full power of the Rune King. In the MCU, Thor spends time living as a mortal in his very first film, so the stage is already set for him to become the Rune King in the movies. 

Rune King Thor is one of the most un-Thor-like variants of the character in the entire Marvel universe. Normally, Thor is a bit of a bruiser. He loves hand-to-hand combat, and he smashes his way through enemies of all kinds with his trusty hammer Mjolnir. Rune King Thor has all the physical might of the God of Thunder and is still worthy of wielding Mjolnir in battle, but with his new powers, he never really has to get his hands dirty.

By unlocking the secrets of the runes, Thor gains access to untold magical abilities. As Rune King, he’s an even more powerful spellcaster than Loki. In the “Ragnarok” storyline, we see Rune King Thor square off against Mangog, a being created from the hate and rage of a species that Odin killed in ancient times. Mangog is incredibly powerful, but the demonic being can’t even touch Rune King Thor with his powers. To defeat Mangog, Rune King Thor simply raises his hand and casts a spell that makes the hate-being vanish from existence entirely.

When Loki steps into the battle, Rune King Thor uses his magic to pull Loki’s head clean off his body. The ability to cast spells is the only new power that Thor unlocks when he becomes Rune King, but it’s also the only power he really needs.

The real power of Rune King Thor is the knowledge he gains from his travels through Yggdrasil. The wisdom of Odin allows Thor to see the true nature of reality and reveals the cycle of Ragnarok, but the knowledge of the runes is what allows Thor to end the cycle and become more powerful than Those Who Sit Above in Shadow. Rune King Thor knows forbidden secrets and pieces of information that have long since been lost to time, and he’s quick to use those to his advantage.

When Rune King Thor first comes face to face with Loki, his brother is shocked. Loki comments that Thor now knows spells that the Trickster God has never even heard about. Loki is one of the most well-read spellcasters in the Marvel universe, but he’s completely shocked by the kinds of spells Rune King Thor is able to cast. With his secret knowledge, Rune King Thor is able to single-handedly defeat Loki and his entire army.

Of course, the most important secret knowledge that Rune King Thor learns is the truth about the Loom of Fate. The runes tell Thor that the Loom is actually cyclical, and its magic is what keeps the cycle of Ragnarok running. With that secret, Thor is able to easily break the cycle, proving that knowledge is more important than any godly powers Rune King Thor has.

Rune King Thor is without a doubt the strongest version of the many Thors of Marvel that have existed. Unfortunately, he doesn’t stick around for very long at all. In the comics, Rune King Thor has only ever appeared in the “Ragnarok” storyline, so for decades he’s been completely absent. The truth is that Rune King Thor has one purpose to serve, and after ending the Ragnarok cycle, he basically vanishes.

The “Ragnarok” comic story wraps up in a way that’s a little similar to the ending of “Thor: Ragnarok.” Asgard is completely destroyed, and its citizens are scattered to the winds — or, more accurately, to the stars. Thor has completed his ultimate purpose and the remaining Asgardians don’t need him as a leader, so he floats into deep space and goes into a kind of hibernation.

In the comics, Thor’s space slumber is the break point between “Thor” Volume 2 and “Thor” Volume 3. The first arc of the third volume of “Thor” comics sees the God of Thunder reawakened in his original form and offered the chance to rebuild Asgard. The story is a soft reboot for Thor, and while it doesn’t necessarily undo his time as Rune King, it does sideline all of the powers and knowledge he gained from the runes. Rune King Thor was a short-lived variant in the comics, but the MCU’s version of the character could breathe new life into the idea.