Is Thor Immortal? Can He Die? (MCU & Comics)

Thor is by far one of the most iconic and powerful superheroes in the Marvel Universe, and this is why we generally spend a lot of time exploring his powers, abilities, and physiology. We know that Thor is Asgardian, and even though Asgardians look pretty much like humans (most of the time), they are a completely different species that have been improved upon in every single physical aspect. Today we will explore Thor’s immortality, or lack of thereof, to be more precise. Let’s see whether Thor can live forever and if he can die at all, both in the comics and the MCU. 

Thor is not immortal, he is just long-lived, just like the rest of the Asgardians. Taking into account that Asgardians can live to be 5000 years old, this might seem like immortality to humans, but they do age and suffer the effects that come with aging. Thor can also be killed if enough damage has been dealt to him. It’s important to note, however, that some versions of Thor have been known to live thousands and thousands of years into the future, making him virtually immortal. 

As you can see, Thor’s immortality is not something as straightforward as you would have hoped. This is why we’re here to explore the matter objectively. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!

Even the most powerful Asgardians are not immortal 

As you’re probably aware, the exact origin of Asgardians is confusing even in Marvel Comics, but how they came to be is of less importance now, as is the fact that they are vastly different from humans even though, at times, they appear to be indistinguishable. 

Asgardians are from the pocket dimension of Asgard adjacent to Earth, and there’s a good reason why early humans came to respect them and worship them as gods. They possess a vast multitude of powers and abilities, as well as physiological differences that set them apart in major ways.

Asgardians have much stronger and more durable bodily tissues, meaning that they won’t get injured as easily as regular humans. In fact, when it comes to the strongest Asgardians, the damage needed to inflict injury to them in any significant way has to be astronomical. They also have a rather potent and fast-acting healing factor that repairs most of the damage in practically no time. But are Asgardians immortal?

They are not. And this is one of the things that separates them from other mythical races in the Marvel Universe, such as Olympians (Olympian pantheon), that are truly immortal and will never succumb to the effects of old age. 

How long can Thor live for? 

Thor is truly not your average Asgardian. He is much more powerful and much more durable, so there’s a pretty big possibility that he is also relatively longer-lived than the rest of the Asgardians. Still, we can use his grandfather and father (Bor and Odin) as examples to see what the future might hold for him. 

Asgardians age just like regular humans until they reach approximately 20 or 30 years of age. After this, their aging process slows down significantly, and the effects of aging start settling in but at such as slow rate that it’s practically irrelevant. Asgardians can also postpone aging for as long as possible by ingesting the Golden Apples of Idunn, a magical fruit that extends their youth and physical abilities, and postpone aging for as long as possible. 

Thor’s Father, Odin, is millions of years old, and he was regularly known to prolong his lifespan by using the Odin Sleep, which rejuvenates his physiology as well as his powers. Thor, on the other hand, is around 4000 years old, which makes him old but not that much when compared to his father. 

Just like Odin, Thor has access to Thor Sleep, which prolongs his lifespan significantly, and we will assume that he is able to live at least as long as his father, who has been around almost since the beginning of time. Keep in mind that in some stories, Thor is already millions or billions of years old, for example, Old King Thor, who seemingly outlived literally all other gods and godly beings.

The point is, even though Asgardians and Thor, in general, are not immortal, there are only a few limits placed on how long they can live, and it really depends on the writer. The rate at which Thor ages and the fact that he can prolong his via several means translate to him being virtually immortal.

How old is Thor in the MCU? 

Thor’s physiology in the MCU is downscaled, as well as his potential when compared to the comics, but the fact that he is not immortal still stands. In the MCU, Loki mentioned that Asgardians are not truly immortal and that they can live “give or take” 5000 years on average. We know that Thor is around 1500 years old in the MCU, which means that he will keep on living for several additional millennia before he truly succumbs to old age. 

We know that Odin was at least 5000 years old when he died in the MCU, and he was still in relatively good health before his death. 

So the conclusion is Thor is long-lived in the MCU but not immortal and will likely continue to live for a long time. 

Can Thor be killed? 

Now that we’ve summarized what aging might look like for Thor, we can touch upon the matter of Thor dying, for example, in the battle, and yes, Thor can be killed, but the key fact to take into account is the amount of damage needed to kill him. Due to his Asgardian physiology, Thor is able to tank incredible amounts of damage, suffering little to no injuries, which makes it hard to kill him but not impossible. 

Thor died several times in the comics, so he is not completely immune to all damage.

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