The different pantheons of gods and goddesses have always been rife with conflict, and these heavenly wars can last for centuries.
Like with Thor, Norse champion of Asgard and son of Odin. And Wonder Woman, divinely-powered princess of the Amazons.
Seeing the legendary feud of Marvel and DC brought to the forefront once again is the thirteenth episode of season four, as the premiere warriors of both comic book companies' trademark pantheons arise to do battle. The hosts will match a hammer of cosmic destruction against a sword crafted by the divine, pure brute force against sheer blinding speed, as both Thor and Wonder Woman, with millennia of experience and strength to their name, must return to a familiar ring and face a new foe in each other; after all, they have faced many opponents and triumphed over them, and likewise, they are no strangers to a death battle.
To start off the episode, Wiz and Boomstick discuss the origins of Thor, born to the Norse allfather Odin in an attempt to break the cycle of destruction and rebirth known as Ragnarok. Ragnarok, an event that occurs every few thousand years, is a cataclysm that befalls the nine realms of Yggdrasil, obliterating everything in the cosmos before life is created anew afterward, with the survivors of this apocalypse having only faint memories of their previous lives; and Thor's conception was intended to put an end to this sequence. Until the day would come that the nine realms would face their impending oblivion, Thor dutifully served as a warrior, protecting and serving his people in the gods' realm of Asgard. Humility, however, was not a trait that came easily to the Odinson, and the allfather cast him to Midgard, that which the gods call Earth, to teach him to shed his arrogance and prove his worth.
The champion of a race of warrior gods benefits from all the feats of physicality that such a position would entail. Thor is quick enough to make contact with the speedster superhero Quicksilver, who can reach speeds of 670 million mph at his fastest, can survive collisions into the sun and with planet-busting bombs, and his strength is great enough to lift the 17 trillion ton Midgard Serpent while it was also exerting upwards of 270 trillion tons constricting the earth, highlighting examples of his physical prowess; his might in particular is further helped with the Megingjörð, enchanted belt of strength. But every god must have a trademark symbol with which to define themselves, and in the case of Thor, that icon is none other than the mighty Mjölnir. Crafted by dwarves using the heat of a star as a furnace that then exploded and killed all the dinosaurs, Mjölnir is crafted with the unbreakable metal uru, and with a magical enchantment, houses a cosmic storm known as the God Tempest within it. The powers of the God Tempest are at the beck and call of Mjölnir's holder, with levitation and weather manipulation theirs to call their own. And just as Megingjörð vastly improves Thor's strength, by holding onto the handle of Mjölnir and hurtling it can Thor fly 350 trillion mph; that is, faster than the speed of light half a million times over. In case such an overwhelming combination of god and hammer fails to secure his victory, Thor can channel a warrior's madness, losing control of himself and improving his strength tenfold.
That Thor is such destructive capability and has an equally deft control over it is no fluke. The son of Odin has faced other gods and fantastic creatures alike and has never faltered in the adversity they pose, but though he has justified his status as an indomitable warrior, even a god may still have flaws. The cockiness that forced his exile is still prevalent in his personality in some measure, and as long as his grip resides on Mjölnir, others are free to manipulate it to their will, including using it to hit himself. But Thor has might to spare and his efforts as a hero have been well rewarded; his travels across the nine realms even led him to become a founding member of Midgard's signature superhero alliance known as the Avengers, and when the time came for Ragnarok, he fulfilled his purpose and ended the cycle of destruction permanently. Truly, there is no god that has made such a greater impact in the realm of Asgard than the son of Odin.
- Thor: (a Kronan marauder roars in his face) I accept your surrender.
Marauding army: (cackles hysterically)
Thor: (twirls Mjölnir before slamming it into the Kronan, reducing it to gravel)
With Thor's analysis completed, the hosts move on to the story behind Wonder Woman, born by the Greek pantheon to the mysterious island of Themyscira as Diana. Diana was just one of the many Amazons who inhabited Themyscira, a proud race of warrior women whose mission was to spread the benevolence of the Olympian gods to an unforgiving world. However, centuries of isolation from man's world left them unaware of life outside of the sequestered isle, until an airplane crashed of the coast of Themyscira, and its pilot, US military intelligence officer Steve Trevor washed upon the sands. When the Amazons were told of the horrors of World War II unfolding beyond their idyllic homeland, the deities' creations chose to reconnect with the outside world, hosting a series of challenges to determine who among them would serve as their delegate; and the young Diana, the only Amazon capable of deflecting a bullet with her peoples' bracelets, was chosen to enter man's world under the identity Wonder Woman.
Ways of combat and how to master them come easily to Wonder Woman, as she trained in numerous martial arts and weapons at a young age. Diana puts this training to use with her Amazonian physiology, literal millennia of experience fighting all manner of enemies to help her hone her abilities and her weapons. Her magical sword was forged by the Olympian Hephaestus; such a skilled craftsman is he that the sword's blade is sharp enough to cut on a molecular level. While her sword has seen her through countless battles, for Wonder Woman, anything can be a weapon; even her trademark attire can serve as her ally in a battle. Her golden tiara is a boomerang in addition to a headpiece, but more impressive than this are her trademark nigh-indestructible bracelets of submission, which are in fact the remains of the Aegis shield owned by the Olympian god-king Zeus. With the bracelets, also reforged by Hephaestus, Wonder Woman can deflect virtually any attack, and summon Zeus' own thunderbolts and a projection of they very shield they were crafted from. The bracelets also serve as a limiter to Diana's true godlike potential, and releases them gives her a tremendous surge in power. Wrapping up Diana's arsenal is the lasso of truth, which, as its name suggests, compels those ensnared in it to confess the truth, giving a promising utility in addition to binding her enemies.
Weak is not a word that can define Wonder Woman in any context, for she is considered the Amazons' champion for a well-deserved reason. With her strength, she obliterated the cosmic scourge Doomsday in a single punch and helped pull the earth while aided by Martian Manhunter and Superman; a feat clocked at 2 quintillion tons. With her durability, she has punched a nuclear warhead and survived the ensuing point-blank explosion. Her speed is an even greater point of pride, as the Flash villain Zoom has been caught unawares by a blind Wonder Woman. A greater feat of speed can be found in Diana's bout with the primordial Shattered God who fragmented himself into trillions of pieces and launched every shard at her from all across the universe; without fail, she used her bracelets to deflect every piece. Despite these impressive displays, Wonder Woman does still have a crucial flaw in the form of bladed weapons; stab wounds are a form of injury which the Amazonian warrior is still vulnerable towards. But the champion of Themyscira would require more than a stab wound to put down given all that has stood in her way before and soon been forced aside.
- Wonder Woman (1975): (spins around in place a few times; in a flash of light, she goes from standard office attire to her classic outfit)
Both fighters have been studied and waiting for another bout of combat. One advertisement for the Blue Apron cooking service later, and now, it's time for a death battle!
Peace reigns supreme in the island of Themyscira, the sounds of rushing waterfalls complemented with the labored grunts of Diana, Wonder Woman herself, practicing her spearplay as the sun radiates upon her figure. As she prepares to head off the cliffside view, a droning blast of noise interrupts her trek back. She turns and finds a brilliant glowing pillar awaiting her, waiting for what comes next as the plants the polearm into the dirt. Once she takes hold of her shield, the pillar dissipates, exposing Thor, the prince of Asgard, having traveled to Themyscira on the Bifrost. Diana warns Thor that no man is permitted to step foot on Themyscira, he brushes her warnings aside. The Amazonian offers a second, not to underestimate her, drawing her sword from the bracelets of submission.
FIGHT!
The two deities charge at each other, Wonder Woman effortlessly vaulting over a strike by Thor. Sword and hammer alike parry each other's impending swings, but Mjölnir gives the Asgardian a crucial advantage early in the fight by destroying Diana's shield. Even as he channels the God Tempest's perpetual storm at the Amazonian, Thor fails to land a strike on his much more agile foe as she catches him by surprise with a spinning strike. The gods' usual fare of swiping away resumes, culminating in Diana struggling to hold Mjölnir at bay with her bracelet protecting her. The spirit of truth musters her strength and for it, she earns the first proper hits of the fight, launching into Thor's chest with a flying kick, kneeing the Asgardian upwards and kicking him with enough force to leave vapor cones in his wake as he crashes towards a stone column. Lightning booms from the rocks as the cosmic storm held within the hammer makes its presence known, a tornado consuming the battlefield.
As Diana enters the eye of the storm, she leaps from boulder to boulder, smashing through the stones in her way to meet the Odinson. Fist and hammer collide, knocking both fighters away, which Wonder Woman follows by conjuring twin swords with which to do further battle. Wonder Woman flies towards Thor, blocking another stream of lightning on her way, and while one strike noticeably connects, further more are easily blocked by Mjölnir, until the speed of Wonder Woman's assault continues, becoming too much for Thor to keep pace with. In the midst of his fall, however, Thor hurtles Mjölnir towards the Amazonian, who barely notices its return to the Avenger's hand, knocking her off balance long enough for Thor to knock Diana off the planet and crash right into the surface of the moon.
Seeing the hammer hurtling towards her, Diana channels the Aegis shield which her bracelets were once made of, the ensuing impact blowing up the moon. Thor beckons Mjölnir back to his hand, watching the flaming debris careen through the atmosphere, and from the smoke emerges Wonder Woman, barreling directly towards the son of Odin, who channels another thunderbolt directly towards his Grecian foe. The spirit of truth shields herself against the lightning as she soldiers on with her charge, striking Thor with a blow that knocks him off focus and a second following it. Wonder Woman twirls the blade, waiting for her weakened foe's next move. Although her back is turned, assuming the Asgardian has been put in his place, his enraged bellowing quickly forces Wonder Woman to change her thoughts. Thor's warrior madness has kicked in.
What brief bewilderment Diana has is interrupted by a blow from Mjölnir that actually manages to stagger her. His aimless bloodlusted flailing poses a challenge for Wonder Woman, whom he quickly navigates around, smashing both her ankles before a third thunder-enfused strike sends her tumbling to the cracked earth. Mjölnir is primed for the killing blow, but the amazing amazon is quick enough to block the cudgel. In his simplistic state, Thor continues pounding away at the bracelets before Diana flips backward, groaning in pain on the landing. Her lasso of truth grips Thor's hammer arm tight, and a firm jerk back sees Thor clonking himself in his helmet-clad cranium with Mjölnir, snapping him back out of his berserker fury. His perplexion as his mind becomes clearer is all the opening Diana needs to run her sword through the Asgardian's nape and stick out of his mouth. Her bracelets cast aside, the empowered Wonder Woman gives her foe a last taunt before ripping the blade out, letting Thor's lifeless remains slump to the ground, Diana keeping a steady footing as she backs away.
K.O.!
Once the fight has drawn to a close, the hosts take time to summarize the two combatants and the key points that ultimately led to the outcome. While both Thor and Wonder Woman had similarly enchanted weapons, thousands of years of experience, and superpowered modes which offered the same benefits, Wonder Woman held crucial advantages in several fields. Her speed, to start the analysis off, was well beyond any feat Thor has accomplished with or without the aid of Mjölnir; in a fight with Hunter Zolomon/Zoom, Diana was able to entwine the speedster in her lasso despite the fact he was ahead of her in time. Thor had a greater showing of durability, the hosts admit, but as Wonder Woman has pulled planets, such a feat of strength is 8000 times greater than Thor lifting the Midgard Serpent, much more than enough to break through his defenses. The final point against Thor's favor would be their signature weapons. Mjölnir, for all its destructive capabilities, is still a bludgeoning weapon, and has no edge with which to cause any lasting damage to Diana. Wonder Woman's sword, on the other hand, can cut through atoms, a kind of ability that Thor had no counter against. The two gods are heroes within their own universes and even beyond, but whereas Wonder Woman had greater displays of skill, Thor lacked the adequate showings to account for them.
- Boomstick: Yep, he was done Thor.
Wiz: The winner is Wonder Woman!
Thor vs. Wonder Woman contains examples of:
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: Wonder Woman's sword, which is sharp enough to cut on a molecular level; justified as it was forged by Hephaestus.
- Back from the Dead: Wonder Woman met her end by Rogue back in the first season; she's one of the few Death Battle losers to come back for a second round.
- Badass Boast: One provided by Thor; Wonder Woman gives him an equally fitting response:Thor: Never shall the god of thunder relent!
Wonder Woman: You will, to me! - Beyond the Impossible: Both gods are capable of ridiculous feats, but the more over-the-top ones of Wonder Woman (such as catching someone who was ahead of her in time) are what help her clinch victory.
- Call-Back: The dubious choice back in the first season of pitting Thor against Mortal Kombat's Raiden, whom he completely obliterated, is brought up here.
- Chekhov's Gag: Boomstick brings up the time where the Hulk hit Thor with Mjölnir by grabbing Thor's arm and making the god hit himself with the hammer. Wonder Woman does this to Thor in the fight proper.
- Chekhov's Gun: A point is made that Mjölnir can still move by the will of another provided Thor is also holding onto it. Wonder Woman uses this to stun him long enough for the killing blow.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Diana takes the overall match quite easily and she does have the upper hand for most of the fight proper, but warrior's madness gives Thor the chance to get a couple of good hits in.
- Detonation Moon: Once Wonder Woman gets blasted to the moon, she doesn't mind blocking Mjölnir with her bracelets, even if it's at the expense of the moon staying intact.
- Dumb Muscle: While more cocky than ignorant, the warrior's madness pushes Thor into this category; the fight portrays him repeatedly slamming Mjölnir into Wonder Woman's bracelets with no effect while under its influence.
- I'll Kill You!: Thor bellows it out while affected by warrior's madness.
- In the Back: While Diana aims for the nape of Thor's neck rather than his actual back, the attack still comes from behind.
- Lady Land: Themyscira, birthplace of Wonder Woman and where she received her training, is where the fight is set; it starts due to Thor warping there by chance.
- Lightning Bruiser: As both fighters were in their previous appearances, Thor and Wonder Woman are portrayed as being extremely quick and heavy hitters; it just happens that Wonder Woman's faster and stronger.
- Loophole Abuse: Once again, it's mentioned in Thor's rundown that other characters can manipulate Mjölnir while Thor is holding it; unlike last time, the fight actually uses this point.
- Mythology Gag: This exchange between Thor and Wonder Woman before the fight starts:Thor: Stand down wayward maiden. This sort of thing never turns out well for women like yourself.
Wonder Woman: Oh, I don't think you've ever known a woman like me. - Shout-Out:
- Sokka briefly facepalms himself after Boomstick mistakes Asgard as "a protector for your butt" (an ass-guard).
- Boomstick sneaks in the Head-Turning Beauty gag straight from Animaniacs while describing how Themyscira is populated entirely by women.
- Another one from Boomstick: he suggests Wonder Woman got the idea for the killing move from binge-watching Game of Thrones.
- Super Mode: One for each of the combatants; Thor has his warrior's madness that increases his strength tenfold, Wonder Woman gets one when the bracelets of submission are removed.note
