Shazam vs. Thor: Who Would Win in a Fight?

Shazam and Thor are some of the most powerful beings in their respective universes. Shazam is a young boy named Billy Batson who gets his powers from several gods and characters. Thor, conversely, is the God of Thunder and the son of Odin. While these two are from different universes, they’re similar because they both utilize lightning powers. That said, since the fandom loves pitting powerhouses against each other, one can’t help but wonder who’d be the victor in a fight between Shazam and Thor.

Thor would win in a fight against Shazam. He’s stronger, more invulnerable to injury, better understands magic, and boasts superior combat skills and experience to Shazam. However, this fight would be a close call in The God of Thunder’s favor.

This article will explore both characters’ powers, comparing them with each other to determine who’d win if they met in a fight. So, if this sounds like an interesting read, stick around till the end because it’ll most certainly be one!

Strength

Thor possesses what we can call godly strength, and he’s physically the strongest of all Asgardian gods and can lift far over 100 tons. Over the years, we’ve seen him display incredible feats of strength, such as defeating some of Marvel Universe’s heavy hitters like the Hulk, Silver Surfer, Namor, the Abomination, and even Hercules.

In addition, Thor has withstood the gravitation pull of a neutron star. He’s also injured Galactus by crashing his helmet and breaking through his armor, and he even shattered the root of Yggdrasil, which connects the Nine Realms.

Shazam is no pushover when it comes to physical strength. He gets this from the god Hercules. He’s been described as a Class 100 superhero, meaning he can lift 100 tons effortlessly. Over the years, he has displayed incredible feats of strength. These include matching the strength of an Eclipso-possessed Superman, stalemating Superman in an arm wrestle, knocking Superman unconscious, and going toe-to-toe with Wonder Woman.

Thor has several advantages in this section that would allow him to increase his strength. First is the Belt of Strength, Megingjord, which he can use to augment his strength. He can also call upon the Odinforce, or Thorforce, further increasing his strength.

If he needs it, he can enter the Warrior’s Madness, temporarily increasing his strength. However, while the Warrior’s Madness makes him the most powerful Avenger, he doesn’t use it because it’s forbidden and can give him berserker rage.

So, Thor wins this round.

Point: Thor (1:0) Shazam

Magic

Thanks to the power of Zeus, Shazam possesses the power of magic, which allows him to cast magic spells. Initially, Shazam wasn’t so well-versed in matters of magic. He would, however, soon learn the true extent of this particular power as he learned from the Book of Champions, becoming quite skillful in spell casting and controlling magic.

This is the same magic that transforms him from young Billy Batson to the mighty Shazam. Whenever he yells Shazam, a bolt of lightning strikes that transforms him; this same lightning bolt can be used as a weapon against enemies.

Thor isn’t known much for his magical skills. That premise falls with his brother Loki. However, this shouldn’t be mistaken to mean he doesn’t know sorcery. For instance, there was a time Thor used sorcery to trick Malekith that he had killed someone so that the latter would drop his guard and Thor could attack. From what I can tell, Thor possesses intermediary skills in magic.

For a god, intermediary magic skills say a lot. Unlike Shazam, who has his magical power granted by Zeus, he is the source of this power. Surely this must mean Thor’s magic is more powerful than Shazam’s! No?

Consider this; Thor is thousands of years old and has a greater command of magic, allowing him to call on the Thorforce. Thor acquired this magical power from his father, Odin. The Thorforce allows him to tap into the cosmic and magical energies of the dimension within which Asgard exists. This enhances his abilities, and he can also release them in powerfully devastating bursts.

Still doubtful?

In 1996’s Marvel vs. DC crossover event, Thor observes that the living lightning transforms Shazam. He, therefore, uses a combination of magic and Mjolnir to redirect the lightning so Billy can’t transform back into Shazam.

So, Thor has to win this round, no questions asked.

Point: Thor (2:0) Shazam

Combat Skills & Experience

It’s no secret that Thor is one of the Marvel Universe’s best combatants. He was bred and trained to become a god of war since his childhood. He’s also quite skillful with most Asgardian weapons, particularly the hammer Mjolnir. Still, he’s also good with other weapons like axes, swords, and maces. If need be, he’s also proven that he’s quite proficient in hand-to-hand combat.

Another thing that plays to Thor’s advantage is that he’s had millennia of experience in battle and wars, defeating countless enemies across the Nine Realms, including skilled fighters like Hercules. This breadth of experience is something Billy Batson could only dream of.

On the other hand, Shazam isn’t as good a combat expert as Thor. Don’t mistake this to mean he can’t fight; quite the contrary. His connection to Zeus, Hercules, and Achilles grants him some semblance of combat skills. However, these gods must have forgotten to bestow their combat prowess on Billy Batson. But still, he is a skilled fighter.

While Shazam has the wisdom of Solomon, he lacks greatly in experience. His inexperience is usually displayed in how he uses his powers because he doesn’t understand the true breadth of his abilities. He lacks experience as a fighter, despite battling several characters like Superman and Wonder Woman.

This round has to go to Thor.

Point: Thor (3:0) Shazam

Intelligence

Even Thor will admit that he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Unfortunately for Thor, being alive for millennia doesn’t guarantee you’ll get smarter with time. He does gain some experience in the many years he’s alive, but this cannot be substituted for intelligence. Thor’s intelligence is described as above normal.

By comparison, Shazam possesses the supernatural wisdom of Solomon. This grants him unlimited access to an endless library of knowledge and information, and it also grants him clairvoyance which gives him counsel and advice whenever required. While he’s yet to gain the intellect that comes with growing up, he’s still supremely smart and should thank Solomon for that!

Shazam outclasses Thor in the brains department.

Point: Thor (3:1) Shazam

Invulnerability

Thor is virtually invulnerable to all forms of physical injury as an Asgardian and Elder God hybrid. It’s nigh impossible to incapacitate The God of Thunder in battle, which usually helps him win most of the time. I’ll highlight some of his incredible feats to clearly show his invulnerability.

For starters, he withstood blasts from some of Marvel’s most powerful, including the Destroyer, several blasts from Odin the All-Father, and even the Celestials. He also withstood the weight of a planet and survived flying into the center of the Sun. Unworthy Thor, who had lost his powers, could also survive the explosion of a solar system-sized ship.

Shazam possesses nigh invulnerability, which allows him to withstand all forms of physical injury. His resilience to injury is on par with beings such as Wonder Woman and Superman, making him incredibly hard to defeat. I mean, he’s tanked hits from these two characters and gone on as if it was nothing.

However, a case can be made for him being vulnerable to lightning. In a fight with Superman, he called upon his lightning to strike the Man of Steel, but Supes was smart enough to grab Shazam and hold him up against the lightning, transforming him into Billy Batson.

Since Thor has displayed more feats of invulnerability and is a literal god, this round has to go to him. Unlike Billy Batson, Thor doesn’t have to worry about turning human.

Point: Thor (4:1) Shazam

Shazam vs. Thor: Who wins?

Thor wins. Not only is Thor a better combatant and more experienced, but he also can be stronger than Shazam by using Megingjord to augment his superhuman strength. Additionally, Thor is more invulnerable than Shazam and has a better understanding and grasp of magical and mystical energies. Though it may not seem like it, a battle between the two would be a close call in Thor’s favor. 

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