Thor & Captain Marvel’s Greatest Fears Make Them Total Opposites

Of the members of the Avengers’ roster, Captain Marvel and Thor rank among the strongest, effectively coming close to godhood in their might. Carol Danvers was once an expert Air Force pilot until her human-Kree DNA was finally activated by an alien device. Since then, she’s harnessed overwhelming amounts of strength, speed, endurance, stamina, and durability (among other energy-based abilities). Carol is even more powerful in her Binary persona, in which she unlocks the power of a star.

Meanwhile, Thor is the literal god of thunder and wields the mighty Mjolnir, one of the most powerful artifacts in the galaxy. As the current All-Father of Asgard, Thor has faced down the greatest powers the Marvel Universe has to offer, and single-handedly slew Galactus after taking possession of his power. However, while Captain Marvel and Thor may be among the most powerful beings in the galaxy, their very different lives have left them with totally opposite fears for the future.

Related: Marvel Officially Reveals Thor’s Secret Phoenix Origin & True Parentage

In Marvel Action: Avengers #9 by Matthew K. Manning and Marcio Fiorito, everyone on the team finds themselves faced with their biggest fears thanks to a mystic invasion. When it comes to Thor, he’s afraid that he’ll one day lose all control of his powers, bringing about death and destruction around him. Meanwhile, Captain Marvel is afraid that she’ll lose her abilities. It’s fascinating that two of the most powerful Avengers both have a greatest fear relating to their powers, but that those fears are so definitively opposed in how they manifest.

Captain Marvel’s Worst Fear Is Losing Her Powers

Captain Marvel didn’t have her powers at birth, as they weren’t activated until later in life. She understands what her limitations are as a mortal without powers. It’s understandable as to why the idea of losing those powers may be scary, but it’s even scarier under the danger it presents for the earth. Her fears become realized as her teammate, Captain America, is under attack, suggesting that as one of the planet’s strongest protectors, Carol knows how vulnerable Earth becomes once she no longer has the power to protect it. This is actually something she faced in the past when Rogue stole her abilities – a devastating event in Captain Marvel’s life that she’s still coming to terms with.

Thor’s Worst Fear Is Losing Control

On the other hand, Thor’s fears encompass the opposite. Thor was born into power and royalty and on top of knowing the true potential of his power as a birthright, he’s only gotten stronger the older he gets. Thor’s youth included a great many mistakes caused by arrogance (it’s the reason Odin sent him to Earth in the first place), and so like Carol, he’s not simply hypothesizing about the worst case scenario – he’s extrapolating from what has happened before.

For both Thor and Captain Marvel, great power comes with great fear, but it’s incredibly telling that as a god who fell to Earth, Thor most fears becoming a danger to others, while as an empowered human, Captain Marvel fears not being able to protect them.

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