NOTICE: This is a Recap page, so all spoilers will be left unmarked, per wiki policy. Read ahead only with caution! You Have Been Warned.
The gods of thunder may endure eternal rule, but in the ring together, they are anything but immortal.
The Mighty Thor, prince of Asgard. And Lord Raiden, defender of Earthrealm.
The twenty-first episode of the first season sees two thunder gods from differing mythologies, made popular by legacies in the media, going at it. With trillion-ton hammers versus millenia-old martial arts, pure Norse strength versus sheer Japanese cunning, Thor and Raiden will show no mercy towards one another, for only the stronger of the two will survive a death battle.
Wizard and Boomstick set the stage by analyzing the history of Thor, whom in his home of Norse mythology, is the god of thunder, strength, healing, and oak trees; the latter not being enough to deter Stan Lee from giving the god his own comic book. In the mythos of Marvel Comics, Thor was conceived from the allfather Odin, and Gaea, elder goddess of Earth, in the hopes of creating the strongest man in the universe. After Odin left Thor exiled on Earth to teach him humility, he found himself worthy of wielding Mjölnir, and became one of the mightiest heroes of the planet.
Even without Mjölnir, Thor is still a force of destruction, thanks in part to the powers granted him as a result of, as Boomstick phrases it, "God banging the Earth." Amongst Thor's powers are his strength which allows him to lift over a million tons, movement at hypersonic speeds, durability enough to withstand planetary levels of destruction and intense temperatues, and the ability to talk to frogs. Thor's arsenal is noticeably smaller than most other combatants, but perhaps far more devastating. The unbreakable hammer, Mjölnir, despite its less-than-intimidating size, was forged by dwarves using the same supernova that killed the dinosaurs, and made a far more potent weapon by Megingjord, a belt that doubles Thor's strength and physique. On top of all this, his lineage allows him control over both the weather and earth, which he has put to good use.
However, as with all characters, even a thunder god like Thor, born into a legacy of deities of immense power, has his fair share of weaknesses. Though not lacking in any form of physical attributes, Thor is arrogant and proud, charging into battle whilst ignoring any form of risk. These glaring flaws in his character have yet to stop him from conquering some of the strongest warriors within the Marvel universe and be hailed as one of its greatest heroes.
- Thor: (swings Mjölnir into a Frost Giant, smashing the monster into pieces) Next?
Having studied the Norse god of thunder, Wizard and Boomstick move on to that of Japanese lore. Raiden, in the legends of old, was the god of thunder who would devour the stomachs of children when enraged. His move to the Mortal Kombat franchise lends him some more fulfilling hobbies, such as defending Earthrealm from the forces of the series antagonist Shao Kahn as he has done in the series mythos for centuries thus far.
To keep himself ready to fight the forces of Outworld whenever a Mortal Kombat tournament arrives, Raiden excels in a variety of martial arts, such as taekwondo and judo, all of which complement each other to create a style that can combat any foe. Augmenting his repetoire are the powers befitting a thunder god, which he can channel into his martial arts, if not creating new techniques with which to fight his foes; these moves range from hurling himself across the air like a bullet to a grapple that discharges lightning into his opponent; culminating in firing massive amounts of electricity into them until their head explodes. Even then, he has extra techniques to work with, such as teleportation and weather control.
That being said, Raiden too has his own pitfalls. Despite his status as a god, in order to defend Earthrealm, he must take a form susceptible to damage; on top of that, though he is indeed a brilliant mind, he has a tendency to use others' losses as stepping stones to the greater good. Through it all, though, Raiden is a hero, albeit one prone to making many, many blunders.
Nothing beyond another Netflix advertisement for YouTube watcher stands between the hosts and the winner. It's time for a death battle!
In a clearing surrounded by mountains on all sides, Thor stands and quietly waits for his opponent. As if on cue, Raiden warps in to the stage and the two thunder gods stare each other down.
FIGHT!
Raiden takes the initiative in the fight, firing lightning bolts at Thor. The founding member of the Avengers has none of it, using Mjölnir to block the strikes, but Raiden teleports away from what would have been the end of the fight as he narrowly avoids the hammer's tossing at him. The fight soon stays in Raiden's favor afterwards, warping behind Thor and catching him in a frenzy of melee strikes, culminating in a blast of electricity hurtling Thor across the field. Thor has soon had enough of Raiden's onslaught and unleashes a mighty spark of lightning at the defender of Earthrealm, who redirects it back at its master. Just moments after he lets Mjölnir absorb the lightning, Thor hurls a tree at Raiden, who, using his physics-defying powers, blows up the insulated wood.
The fight leans more into Thor's favor at this point, as he summons a grand fissure in the ground; Raiden barely avoids tumbling into the abyss before launching himself off the battlefield and into the skies. In return, Thor's hammer-based flight grants him the momentum to meet Raiden's challenge. The two thunder gods charge at each other, their collision releasing a massive shockwave that chars the land. Their duel sees Thor knocking Raiden to the ground, but again does he fails to land a hammer toss on his Japanese adversary. Raiden's blasts of lightning fail to give him the distance he needs, for shortly after, Thor charges him and pummels him across the landscape.
In the climax of the battle, Thor pins Raiden to the ground before leaping a vast distance away. Swinging Mjölnir in a frenzy, a vast tornado rises above the ground. Raiden, slowly recovering from Thor's assault, warps himself over to Thor's position before returning fire with a barrage of lightning bolts and a strong uppercut that launches the crown prince of Asgard into the sky. The offensive doesn't end there, as Raiden meets Thor's presence with an onslaught of strikes from all directions. A final discharge of electricity gives Thor enough time to knock Raiden back to earth and prepare the killing blow. Generating energy inside Mjölnir, Thor gives the hammer one final swing, unleashing a godly thunderbolt upon Raiden. The defender of Earthrealm stares down the God Blast.
- Thor: FEEL HEAVEN'S WRATH!
The entire battlefield is illuminated for a brief second as the God Blast makes contact with its target. But yet, Raiden still stands. Imbued with a newfound power, Raiden crackles with a blue energy, rushing towards his foe. The pillar of energy he leaves in his wake ends only as Raiden reaches Thor. As time itself seems to slow down, Thor readies the hammer...
and with a final strike, unleashes a fountain of blood as Mjölnir rips Raiden clean in half. Thor grabs the upper half of Raiden and hurls the decimated husk of his foe into the sun, but not before bidding farewell to the once-proud Japanese god. As the sun burns the shell of Raiden alive, the last remnants of him become a flickering blue spot that fades out; and just as Raiden meets his end, so too does the battle.
K.O.!
In the wake of Raiden's very overkill demise, Wiz and Boomstick reflect upon Thor's victory. While Raiden is indeed far more clever compared to his Norse opponent, both he and Thor are immune to all manner of electricity. All Raiden could have to offer in offense beyond it are his martial arts, while Thor is far more physically adept and possesses Mjölnir; which, being forged from a supernova, weighs more than a million tons, far more than anything Raiden could be able to withstand. The gods of thunder are indeed powerful beyond measure, but the strength his foe has that he himself lacks keep Raiden from claiming victory today.
- Boomstick: Well, it seems like Raiden finally found his place in the sun.Wiz: The winner is Thor!
Thor vs. Raiden contains examples of:
- Artistic License – Physics: It's pointed out that Raiden can channel his electricity through insulated wood; which comes in handy during the fight itself. Or as Boomstick notes, "Take that, physics!"
- Bond One-Liner: As Raiden meets his end in the heat of the sun, Thor sends him off with a noble "farewell!"
- Excuse Plot: Thor and Raiden just randomly find each other in the middle of an open field and start their battle.
- Good Versus Good: Both Thor and Raiden are stalwart protectors of mankind. No reason is given why should they ever come to blows.
- Kung-Fu Sonic Boom: The aftermath of Thor and Raiden hitting each other mid-flight.
- No-Sell: Both Thor and Raiden can absorb the other's lightning, putting the latter at a disadvantage.
- When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Literally in Thor's case, but it's enough to win the day for him.
