Wikipedia

Destroyer (Thor)

TheDestroyeris a fictional magical character appearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byMarvel Comics.Usually depicted as an opponent of the Thunder God and heroThor,it is a suit ofAsgardianarmor created and animated by magic. The character first appeared inJourney into Mystery#118 (July 1965) and was created byStan LeeandJack Kirby.[1]

Destroyer
The Destroyer armor as featured in a panel fromThor(Vol. 03) #5. Art byOlivier Coipel
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceJourney into Mystery#118 (July1965)
Created byStan Lee(writer)
Jack Kirby(artist)
In story information
TypeWeapon
Element of stories featuringAsgard

Debuting in theSilver Age of Comic Books,the Destroyer is featured in over four decades of Marvel continuity and other Marvel-endorsed products such asanimated television series,live-action films,video games,and merchandise such asaction figuresandtrading cards.

Fictional history

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The Destroyer is an enchanted suit of armor forged by the King of theNorse gods,Odin.When it first appeared it was hinted that the Destroyer had been created as a weapon to face some dark menace from the stars. First seen in the Temple of Darkness in Asia, the Destroyer is used by Thor's arch-foeLokiagainst him. Animated by a nearby lifeforce, it battles Thor to a standstill, Loki is forced to intervene and stop the Destroyer using lethal force when Odin threatens to kill him. Thor then buries the armor under a mountain slide.[2][3]

The armor is briefly used again by Loki in a failed bid to kill Odin,[3]before being salvaged byKarnilla,Queen of the Norns, and animated by Thor's companionSif,who attempted to use it to battle the villain theWreckerwhen Thor was temporarily deprived of his godhood and powers. The Destroyer, however, attacks Thor, with the battle ending when Sif breaks her connection with it.[4]

Thor later offers the armor to the World DevourerGalactus,in exchange for releasing his current Herald,Firelord.[5][6]Galactus accepts, and the Destroyer acts as his Herald, detectingCounter-Earthfor the entity before going on to battle theFantastic Four.[7]The Destroyer is finally recaptured for reuse by Loki.[8]

When the menace from the stars is revealed to be theCelestials,Thor learns the Skyfather gods (Odin,Zeus,etc.) pooled their resources a millennium before to create the Destroyer as a weapon to stop the arrival of the so-called Fourth Host of Celestials. At the penultimate moment, Odin enters the Destroyer armor and then absorbs the life essences of all present in Asgard (with the exception of the absent Thor), growing to a height of 2,000 feet (610 m). The Destroyer then draws the Odinsword, and together with theUni-Mindconfronts the Fourth Host. The Celestials, however, dissipate the Uni-Mind and melt the Destroyer armor into slag, scattering the life-forces of the Asgardians.[9]The initiative of the Skymother goddesses pacifies the Celestials, and Thor revives his people via Odin by using a fraction of the gathered power of the other Skyfathers.[10]

Loki eventually finds the remains of the Destroyer and reforms it in a bid to destroy Thor, who has been reduced to pulp after a triumphant but destructive battle against theMidgard Serpent.The Destroyer, however, cannot kill Thor due to a curse induced by the Norse Queen of the dead,Helawhich made his bones brittle and incapable of healing or dying.[11]Thor wrests control of the armor from the host—an enthralledFrost Giantnamed Siggorth—through sheer force of will and goes on to defeat Loki. The Destroyer - depicted as thinking and speaking for the first time - tries to take back control from Thor but fails. Wearing Thor's raiment and wielding his hammerMjolnir,the Destroyer confronts Hela and forces her to restore Thor to human form.[12][13]The Destroyer is left in a crystal in Hela's realm, and is eventually animated by the goddessLorelei.Lorelei battles several Asgardians and subsequently becomes trapped in the dimension of theGreat Beasts.[14]

The Destroyer is later deployed by trolls, who empower it with the spirit of the villainMaestro,an evil future version of theHulk.Unable to physically stop the Destroyer, the Hulk enters the armor on the mental plane- exploiting the fact that the Maestro is still technically him and hence 'tricking' the Destroyer into absorbing his soul as well- and banishes the Maestro back to his weakened original body.[15]Thor has two more encounters with the Destroyer, with the armor almost killing him on the first occasion and breaking his jaw on the second.[16][17]The armor is eventually retrieved by Loki and occupied by the entityDesak,although Thor—equipped with the Odinpower—decapitates it with one throw ofMjolnir.[18]

The Asgardian godBaldertakes control of the armor when Thor was on a quest to locate his missing people.[19]

During the "Dark Reign"storyline,Quasimodoresearched the Destroyer armor forNorman Osborn.He gave Osborn two pieces of advice if he was to obtain the Destroyer armor: keep it from falling into the hands of his enemies and to be hesitant in employing it personally or through his followers although there is no telling where its loyalty is when one of his followers dons it.[20]

During the "Siege"storyline,Doctor Doomlater using a copy of the Destroyer armor to attack the Asgardians.[21]

After Thor loses the ability to wield Mjolnir following the "Original Sin"storyline,[22]and the hammer is claimed byan unknown woman,[23]Odin dispatches the Destroyer - animated by his brother Cull theSerpent- to reclaim it.[24]Queen of the godsFriggaforces Odin to withdraw the Destroyer when she confronts him with the knowledge that he has essentially become the villain with his unprovoked attack.[25]

Powers and abilities

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The Destroyer is forged from an unknown and enchanted metal. The Destroyer armor possesses superhuman strength, stamina and is practically invulnerable. It is capable of energy projection, matter manipulation and when lowered the armor's visor can fire a disintegrating beam.

Although the Destroyer can act independently for brief periods,[12]the construct is typically lifeless until animated by the life-force of a sentient living being. Once animated, the Destroyer retains a rudimentary base personality that will eventually subvert the host unless the latter is a particularly strong-willed individual.[12]Odin is also capable of casting a spell that can force the animating persona from the armor and deactivate it.

Other versions

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An alternate universe variant of the Destroyer from theMaestro's future appears inSecret Wars.[26]

In other media

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Television

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Film

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The Destroyer appears inThor.[29]

Video games

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Merchandise

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References

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  1. ^DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019).The Marvel Encyclopedia.DK Publishing. p. 109.ISBN978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. ^Journey into Mystery#118-119 (Jul.-Aug. 1965). Marvel Comics.
  3. ^abThorAnnual #2 (Sept. 1966). Marvel Comics.
  4. ^Thor#150-152 (Mar.-May 1968). Marvel Comics.
  5. ^Thor#224-225 (June–July 1974). Marvel Comics.
  6. ^Thor#228 (Oct. 1974). Marvel Comics.
  7. ^Fantastic Four#172-174 (Jul.-Sept. 1976). Marvel Comics.
  8. ^Thor#264-266 (Oct.-Dec. 1977). Marvel Comics.
  9. ^Thor#300 (Oct. 1980). Marvel Comics.
  10. ^Thor#301 (Nov. 1980). Marvel Comics.
  11. ^Thor#380 (Jun. 1987). Marvel Comics.
  12. ^abcThor#381 (Jul. 1987)
  13. ^Thor#382 (Aug. 1987). Marvel Comics.
  14. ^Thor#437-441 (Oct.-Dec. 1991). Marvel Comics.
  15. ^The Incredible Hulkvol. 2 #461 (Feb. 1998). Marvel Comics.
  16. ^Thorvol. 2 #1-2 (Jul.-Aug. 1998)
  17. ^Thorvol. 2 #36 (June 2001). Marvel Comics.
  18. ^Thorvol. 2, #79 (Jul. 2004). Marvel Comics.
  19. ^Thorvol. 3 #5 (Jan. 2008). Marvel Comics.
  20. ^Dark Reign Files#1. Marvel Comics.
  21. ^Thor#605 (Jan. 2010). Marvel Comics.
  22. ^Original Sin#7 (Aug. 2014). Marvel Comics.
  23. ^Thorvol. 4 #1 (Dec. 2014). Marvel Comics.
  24. ^Thorvol. 4 #7 (June 2015). Marvel Comics.
  25. ^Thorvol. 4 #8 (July 2015). Marvel Comics.
  26. ^Future Imperfect4-5. Marvel Comics.
  27. ^"The Doomstroyer".Avengers Assemble.Season 1. Episode 10. September 22, 2013. Disney XD.
  28. ^"A Friend in Need".Avengers Assemble.Season 3. Episode 15. September 11, 2016. Disney XD.
  29. ^Chavez, Kellvin (April 28, 2010)."Exclusive: First Look At The Destroyer From THOR!".Latino Review.RetrievedJuly 24,2010.
  30. ^"GameTrailers - YouTube".
  31. ^"MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: THE BLACK ORDER".behindthevoiceactors.
  32. ^Hasbro - Inferno Marvel's Destroyer[permanent dead link‍]
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