Summary
Stormbreaker’s origin inAvengers: Infinity Warwas almost very different, and this abandoned plan could have made the weapon’s role inThor: Love and Thundermuch clearer. The Russo brothers split up Earth’s Mightiest Heroes inAvengers: Infinity War, each fighting Thanos in their own missions. For Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy members Rocket and Groot, this involved forging a brand-new, Titan-killing weapon, Stormbreaker, and the original plans for Stormbreaker’s origins in theMCUwould have changed Thor’s following Phase 4 adventure.
For most of his MCU history, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor wielded the enchanted hammer, Mjolnir.Mjolnir was destroyed by Hela inThor: Ragnarok,however, prompting Thor to travel to Nidavellir to forge a new weapon capable of taking down ThanosinAvengers: Infinity War. The ax, Stormbreaker, was given a pivotal role inPhase 4’sThor: Love and Thunder, but its purpose and true nature in the 2022 movie was confusing. Stormbreaker could have become an even more powerful weapon if Marvel Studios had kept in exhilarating scenes cut fromAvengers:Infinity War.
Stormbreaker vs. Mjolnir: Which Of Thor’s Weapons Is More Powerful
Marvel’s Thor wields both the hammer Mjonlir and the axe Stormbreaker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - but which weapon is the strongest?
Stormbreaker’s Role In Thor: Love & Thunder Was A Complicated Plot Point
After it was forged inAvengers: Infinity War, Thor used Stormbreaker to kill Thanos inAvengers: Endgame, and later wielded the ax during his battle againstGorr the God Butcher inThor: Love and Thunder.Stormbreaker had a huge role inLove and Thunder, as the ax’s ability to harness the Bifrost gifted Thor and his allies, including Valkyrie, Korg, and Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor, the ability to travel great distancesin mere moments. This also made it a coveted tool for Gorr, however, as he intended to use Stormbreaker to access Eternity.
Stormbreaker is usually depicted as the weapon of Beta Ray Bill in Marvel Comics, while Thor continues to wield Mjolnir.
TheGates of Eternitywere opened by the Bifrost inThor: Love and Thunder, and while any number of powerful tools could have been used to harness the Bifrost, Gorr wanted Stormbreaker.Drawings inLove and Thunderseemed to imply that Stormbreaker had been seen to be the key to Eternity for many millennia, despite only being created inInfinity War. Even though Stormbreaker was incredibly new, the apparatus was in place to use it at the Gates of Eternity, creating some confusion about the weapon’s true nature.
Avengers: Infinity War Almost Made Stormbreaker A Much Older & Much More Powerful Weapon
Stormbreaker has been depicted as a very powerful weapon in the MCU already, especially through its ability to open the Bifrost. However,Avengers: Infinity Waralmost made Stormbreaker even more formidable, as abandoned plans for the weapon’s origins would have made it an ancient relic.Avengers: Infinity Warconcept artreleased inThe Art of Avengers: Infinity Warin 2018 revealed thatThor, Rocket, and Groot almost went on a more adventure-based mission to find Stormbreaker, rather than forging it from scratch.
These original plans saw Thor and his Guardians of the Galaxy allies travel to an undisclosed location to find the ancient Stormbreaker buried in the skull of a World Serpent, which would have been theMCU’s depiction of the Norse beast, Jörmungandr. As explained by Senior Visual Development Artist Rodnet Fuentebella,Stormbreaker was originally forged"way back when,“and one of Thor’s ancestors had used it to kill the World Serpent(viaComicbook.com). This would have made Stormbreaker considerably older, perhaps allowing it to make more sense inThor: Love and Thunder.
This was going to be the introduction of Stormbreaker. It was forged way back when, and one of Thor’s ancestors had wielded it to destroy the World Serpent… You can see it buried in the skull of the World Serpent. We wanted to create something that was interesting and different but still feel like you could tell that it’s buried in something. There was also an idea of how, after they got Stormbreaker, as they were escaping, the children of the World Serpents would attack them and they would have to fight their way out.
Infinity War’s Abandoned Stormbreaker Origin Makes More Sense For Love & Thunder (& Could Have Debuted A Powerful Thor Villain)
If this original sequence had been retained, audiences would have known Stormbreaker as an ancient weapon from its very first appearance. This would have made its greater purpose inThor: Love and Thunderless jarring, asit would have been more believable for Stormbreaker to be the key to the Gates of Eternity. Gorr the God Butcher may have known about Stormbreaker from myths and legends, instead of it never being explained how he became aware of the powerful ax.
BringingStormbreaker into the MCUin this fashion would have also introduced the World Serpent to the franchise.The World Serpent, otherwise known as the Midgard Serpent, made its Marvel Comics debut in 1952’sMarvel Tales #105, debuting a full decade before Thor, and was prophesized to battle the God of Thunder during the epic Ragnarok event. The World Serpent hasn’t made an appearance in live-action yet, so it would have been great to see Thor battle the giant creature inAvengers: Infinity War, but perhaps this could occur in a possible sequel toThor: Love and Thunder.
