Why Party Thor Is Most Scared Of Frigga (Not Odin)

Warning: This article contains spoilers for What If...? episode 7.

Marvel's What If…? episode 7 comically reveals why Party Thor is most scared of his mother, Frigga, rather than his father, Odin. Seeking to explore the timeline where Thor was raised as an only child, this episode shows just how much the God of Thunder would have changed: He turns into a vain, obnoxious brat who loves partying a bit too much. When Frigga decides to visit her sister right after Odin enters the Odinsleep, she instructs Thor to read his books, even warning him that he is under the watchful eye of the all-seeing Heimdall; however, in typical teenager fashion, the Asgardian takes advantage of his parents' absence to throw a rager — in Las Vegas, the Entertainment Capital of the World (and now, the Nine Realms).

Unsurprisingly, the God of Parties sends invitations across the entire galaxy, with his guests including Yondu, The Grandmaster, Nebula, Korg, Valkyrie, a group of Skrulls, and even Howard the Duck. Sometime amidst all the chaos, even the Frost Giants — led by their Prince Loki — walk in and join the festivities, and a night of drunken destruction is unleashed upon Midgard. Jane Foster, believing Thor's antics went too far, takes control of the situation by calling Frigga. Right on time, the Queen interferes by confronting her son about his whereabouts. Surprised and scared, Thor lies about his purpose of going to Earth — that he is on a cultural exchange — prompting Frigga to go and see it for herself. Immediately after receiving that news, Thor attempts to stop the party and clean up his mess.

While much of the plot in What If...? episode 7 is a fun subversion of the "wild teen party" trope, Thor's reaction suggests an interesting angle: The only person who can really control Party Thor — the God of Thunder and the Crown Prince of Asgard — is his mother. The episode heavily suggests that this version of Thor is most afraid of Frigga, and not Odin. In this timeline, Thor grows up without any competition for his mother's attention and affection, forcing him to see her from a different perspective.

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Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe established that before Thanos, Thor feared nothing and no one. His relationship with his mother is founded more on adoration and unconditional love. On the other hand, in this What If…? episode, Party Thor fears Frigga's wrath, probably because he knows what she is truly capable of. He is visibly in awe seeing Frigga intervene on Earth, even wondering how much Dark Magic she must be using just to reach him. This arguably shows that Thor knows how powerful Frigga is. In fact, even the entire galaxy appears to know that, as the mere mention of her name is enough to send them away from the party.

Additionally, with no brother to share his mother with, Party Thor might also be afraid of disappointing her, especially since she is meticulously guiding him to be the next king. No doubt the Sacred Timeline Thor saw Frigga forgive Loki many times, which would have taught him the depth of his mother's unconditional love for her children. Furthermore, although Party Thor's wild antics suggest an active social life, this variant was likely profoundly lonely; the MCU established that young Thor and Loki would frequently adventure together, even sometimes accompanying Odin. Without a brother to share those experiences with, Thor developed a different dynamic with each of his parents.

Earlier in the What If...? episode, Thor describes Odin as boring, citing that the most interesting thing the king did was go to sleep. This implies that Thor questions the power and authority his father has, hinting he doesn't have the same respect for his father in this timeline. Even Frigga and the entire Asgard seem to undermine the great Odin, too, evident by their nonchalance the moment he falls into the Odinsleep. In the end, making Party Thor dramatically scared of his mother might also be What If…?'s way of humanizing the character without all the trauma he went through in the Sacred Timeline.

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