Contains spoilers for A.X.E. Judgment Day #4!While Thor has always been one of Marvel's strongest characters, a recent bout with the Eternals shows that even the God of Thunder can meet his match when it comes to Marvel's most secretive heroes.

Thor was one of the earliest characters introduced by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby during the Silver Age of Comics, in Journey Into Mystery #83. The pair could not have expected that the mythological character would become one of Marvel's most popular and enduring, with the Thunderer appearing in over 700 issues of his solo series and hundreds of issues of other books. Throughout that time, while Hulk has been traditionally known as "the strongest there is," Thor has always been shown to be in the highest echelon of Marvel heroes in terms of pure power. As the threats and corresponding power levels grew over the decades, Thor's full power has kept in step, forever pushing the ceiling of what seems possible.

Related: Marvel's Two Strongest God Avengers Are Heading for a Fight

In A.X.E. Judgment Day #4 by Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti, the X-Men and Avengers combine efforts to stop the Eternals from eradicating mutantkind, who they now see as having 'excessively deviated' from acceptable human biology. As part of that effort, the Eternals have unleashed the towering Hex Eternals - superpowerful members of the species designed to carry out war on their behalf. While Eternals like Ikaris and Ajak were already powerful heroes who could hold their own in a fight with Thor, the Hex take things to the next level, and one member, Themex, is seemingly the Thunder God's equal.

The Eternals Have Multiple Thor-Level Members

thor vs eternals themex

The Hex are six giant beings of untold power, revealing that the Eternals have members who aren't just equal to superheroes, but equal to Earth's literal gods. The mightiest of the combined X-Men and Avengers teams have struggled to take on the Hex, especially as due to their Eternal status, they quickly return from death. Thor takes on one called Themex, battling them in orbit as "mutual powers like dueling suns." Prior to this, if anyone had asked for the Eternals' closest match for Thor, Ikaris would have been the likely candidate, but it turns out Thor's power level isn't quite as exclusive as it seems.

eternals hex themex thor

This storyline reminds readers that Thor is a cosmic-tier hero when it comes to power levels, but that other factions in the Marvel Universe have members who can match him. Just one Hex Eternal fights Thor as an equal, suggesting that all six at once would crush even the Odinson. With the exception of the Hulk, Thor is often thought of as a uniquely powerful hero, but A.X.E. Judgment Day #4 confirms that the Eternals have always secretly been able to match his power with a single member, showing that being a god isn't an automatic win. As Judgment Day continues, the Eternals are being redefined as powerhouse heroes, and Thor is discovering that the children of the Celestials are far mightier than he'd ever have guessed.

Next: Thor’s Worthiness Was Just Taken to The Next Level in The Marvel Universe

A.X.E. Judgment Day #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.