In the decades since his Marvel Comics debut, Thor has had countless victories over alien threats, distinction-level events, and even other gods. Whether it's through teamwork, guile, or just brute strength, the God of Thunder has almost always found a way to come out on top. One of his more unusual victories, however, didn't require any of those traits. Instead, it was Thor's ability to hold his booze that saw him reign victorious.
In 2014's Thor Annual #1, three different stories were told across the title character's centuries-spanning timeline. The third of these stories, titled "Young Thor," took place centuries in the past, before Thor was even deemed worthy of lifting Mjölnir. Coming from writer CM Punk (of WWE and UFC fame), and artists Rob Guillory, and Joe Sabino, the story serves as a fun, effervescent divergence from the life-or-death-stakes tales often found in Marvel comics.
The story sees the eventual king of Asgard centuries in the past at "Ye Olde Tavern," where he's already drunk the Warriors Three, Hercules, and the Frost Giant Ignar into a stupor. Arriving from the future, Mephisto, the Marvel Comics version of the devil, wants to capitalize on Thor's inebriated state to seize control of Asgard, but before things come to blows, it's decided that the confrontation will be settled with a drinking contest. Mephisto nearly taps after his first sip, but soldiers on through the next four rounds of drinks, each of which is a cheeky nod to past Marvel comics - "The Gamma Slamma," "The Cosmic Ray," "The Ultimate Drunkifier." But it's the fourth drink, "Odin's Beard," that spells Mephisto's undoing. The drink is "Literally Ale-Soaked Hair" and apparently too much for the devil to stomach.
It's a fun story, but this isn't the only time Thor's considerable drinking abilities have come in handy. In Hercules: Fall of an Avenger, the two gods team up to take down a group of Frost Giants in a drinking contest. Thor's drinking habits are even on display in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In an early scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron, at a party celebrating the team's latest victory, Thor is seen sipping a flask of Asgardian booze. When Stan Lee, in one of his customary cameos, asks to try some, Thor resists, saying the quaff is, "not meant for mortal men." But Lee's character is relentless. Thor obliges, and moments later Lee is shown being carried away from the party, slurring his signature "Excelsior" catchphrase.
Long predating Marvel, in Norse mythology, it's said that Thor's drinking is what caused the ocean's tides. The Son of Odin's ability to knock one back is, quite literally, the stuff of legends. Thor may be better known for Mjölnir, but he's proven many times that he's just as deft with a pint glass as he is an enchanted hammer.