In a shocking change to Avengers lore, a classic Marvel hero is now considered one of the founding members of the team. It’s a bold change, altering the entirety of the history of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and one which is sure to have shockwaves for years to come.
The Avengers debuted in 1963’s Avengers #1, with Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man and the Wasp banding together to stop a rampage by the Hulk, who ultimately joined the nascent team against the real villain – Thor’s brother Loki. The team discovered Captain America soon after, cementing the iconic roster and investing each hero with immense authority over the team’s legacy and formation, with off-shoots like the Secret Avengers, Avengers A.I. and Avengers Inc. each launched under the aegis of the founders.
Now, as of Al Ewing, Jan Bazaldua, Justin Greenwood, Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth, Romulo Fajardo Jr and Joe Sabino’s Immortal Thor #25, there’s a new founder at large in Avengers mythology.
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Beta Ray Bill Just Became a Founding Avenger
The Alien Hero Replaces Thor in Marvel Lore
In Immortal Thor #25, Thor is murdered by Loki and the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard is shattered, severing the Norse gods from Earth. However, this separation doesn’t just apply to the present and future – it also erases them from human memory and history. Thor is no longer a founding Avenger, with the issue showing that he’s been replaced in official lore by his closest ally and blood brother: the Champion of Korbin, the Stormbreaker, the Godhunter, Beta Ray Bill.
While Thor is no longer a god, he has been reborn as a human named Sigurd Jarlson. His adventures will be depicted in The Mortal Thor, launching August 27.
Beta Ray Bill is an alien hero from the world of Korbin, cybernetically enhanced to battle against the fire demon Surtur. In his quest to protect his people, Bill proved himself worthy of lifting Mjolnir and was gifted his own hammer, Stormbreaker, by Odin in recognition of his heroism. Bill has remained a cosmic hero ever since, taking on staggering foes like Galactus and Asteroth, while also founding the incredibly powerful cosmic team known as the Annihilators.
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Bill has two forms – a muscular, horse-like appearance enhanced by Mjolnir, and his natural humanoid appearance, shown below. Recently, Beta Ray Bill’s hammer Stormbreaker was shattered during a quarrel with Thor, and he replaced it with Twilight – the mighty enchanted sword of Surtur. Twilight has a range of powers, including generating fire and light, as well as enhancing the strength of its wielder.
While Beta Ray Bill hasn’t appeared in the MCU yet, his likeness was used in Thor: Ragnarok in a statue showing past gladiatorial champions of Sakaar.
It’s unclear how Beta Ray Bill’s lore will change with the removal of the Asgardian gods from Marvel continuity, since much of his life has been tied to Odin and Thor. However, even without their influence, he would still be a cybernetically enhanced alien warrior, making him a good fit for the original Avengers roster, distinct from the other members in origin and abilities.
Beta Ray Bill Could Actually Stay a Founding Avenger, Even When Thor Returns
The Team Set a Precedent with Captain America
Thor’s removal from Marvel lore will almost certainly be temporary, however that doesn’t mean Beta Ray Bill’s new status will be. If all of history has changed, then Beta Ray Bill has been a founding Avenger for decades, literally taking Thor’s place across history. Beta Ray Bill’s new history isn’t an illusion: he has been with the Avengers since day one and even fought against the galaxy’s greatest villains alongside them, including Thanos, Ultron and Kang the Conqueror. While he got it in a weird way, Beta Ray Bill has now earned founder status.
It’s therefore possible that the Avengers will decide to acknowledge him as such even when Thor returns, especially because they’ve done it before in the case of Captain America. Steve Rogers wasn’t there when the team formed – he only joined in Avengers #4 – but the team canonically wrote it into their charter that he’s considered a founder, with Iron Man arguing the team didn’t truly come together until the Hulk left and Captain America joined.
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With the precedent of codifying influential heroes as founding members already established, it’s possible that Beta Ray Bill’s new heroics will be recognized in the same way. It will be fascinating to see how Marvel history changes with Beta Ray Bill’s new status, and this is likely something the new Mortal Thor series will explore.
Thor Has Also Been Replaced in the Modern Day
The Hero Declares Storm His Successor as the Avengers’ Thunder God
While Beta Ray Bill has replaced Thor as a founding Avengers hero, the God of Thunder has also been replaced on the roster in the modern day. In Jed MacKay and Valerio Schiti’s Avengers #18, Thor asked Storm to take his place on the team, asking her to “ensure that a God of Thunder rides with the Avengers still.” At the time, Thor was trying to make sure that the Avengers weren’t affected by a false accusation of murder against him, but as Marvel rewrites continuity, it means he also lifts right out of their modern adventures.
It will be interesting to see how Storm’s place on the team is altered by her becoming the God of Thunder who serves on the Avengers, rather than filling Thor’s shoes. There’s also potential for novel interactions between Beta Ray Bill and Storm – previously bonded by being two of only a handful of people worthy of Mjolnir, even if neither of them now remembers it.
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This Isn’t the First Time Marvel Introduced a New Founding Avenger
Voyager Was the Ultimate Infiltrator
The reveal of Beta Ray Bill’s new status will stir the memory of anyone who read 2017’s Marvel Legacy #1, where the hero Voyager (aka Va Nee Gast) altered the Avengers’ memories so that they believed she was a founding member of the team. Capable of teleportation and time travel, Voyager is the daughter of the villainous Grandmaster, but was ultimately inspired by the heroes and came to fully believe in them as a force for good.
While Voyager eventually freed the Avengers from the ways she’d warped their memories, this time the change is far more serious. Voyager altered the minds of a few people, but Thor’s death has literally rewritten history and reality. It’s not just that Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-Man, Wasp and Captain America remember Beta Ray Bill as a founding hero, he actually was.
Marvel lore has just been rewritten in a huge way, altering the entire Avengers timeline to remove Thor and insert Beta Ray Bill. The team now have a new founding hero, altering everything fans know since the very first day Earth’s Mightiest Heroes came together. It’s likely that Mortal Thor will run for around two years (if the saga is set to match Ewing’s companion series, Immortal Hulk), meaning that fans will have a lot of time to get to grips with Thor’s replacement as a founding Avenger.
The Immortal Thor #25 is available now from Marvel Comics.
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- Alias
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Thor Odinson, Eric Masterson, Kevin Masterson, Beta Ray Bill, Thordis, Throg, Red Norvell, Jane Foster
- Created By
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Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby
- Franchise
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Marvel
- Race
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Asgardian, Human
- First Appearance
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Journey into Mystery
- Alliance
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Avengers, Warriors Three, Thor Corps, God Squad
Associated with the mythical realm of Asgard, Thor is a Marvel Comics hero who channels the power of thunder to slay their foes. Though the name is chiefly tied to Thor Odinson, several other characters also take on the role of God of Thunder, including Odinson’s love interest, Jane Foster. Odin is portrayed as a physically imposing hero with incredible strength and typically wields the dwarven forged hammer, Mjolnir.
