The second teaser for Marvel Studios‘ Avengers: Doomsday (2026) revolves not around action but an internal, emotionally rich sequence. Here, Thor, without his armored protection and his ego, kneels in a sunny forest, praying to his long-dead father, Odin. Instead of lightning in his prayers, he asks for strength—more specifically, the strength of the All-Fathers. For series enthusiasts, the import of these scenes would be clear: he is seeking the Odinforce, the ancient strength that once characterized Odin.
In this scene, a turning point is reached in the characterization. Thor’s overall story in the Marvel universe has been one of learning restraint, humility, and loss, though his responses have been generally physical in orientation. Larger enemies require larger responses. Avengers: Doomsday seems to have set its sights on upending this in its entirety. The enemy at this juncture is not something that can be vanquished through lightning or strength.
Why does Doctor Doom alter the rules for Thor?
Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom offers a different kind of villain entirely. For instance, while Thanos had the power of the Infinity Stones to make him invincible, the power of Doctor Doom lies in his ability to integrate and bring together different kinds of knowledge. He may very well be a technological genius and a magician all rolled into one. When it comes to a villain like this, brute force ceases to have meaning.
The teaser implies Thor has already encountered Doom, or at least observed his abilities and decided traditional Asgardian strength will not be sufficient. Lightning bolts, which staggered Hela or opposed Thanos, may not be worth beans against Doom’s chaos magic. For Thor to survive against Doom, he needs to progress into a god-king or a magician.
Just how that is reflected is clear in the Odinforce, a heavenly energy being transferred from one Asgardian leadership role after another. In the MCU, the actual realm of Valhalla first appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder, leaving the way for Thor to tap into knowledge of the All-Father’s past in a manner that clearly suggests reaching out between realms for not only Odin’s strength but also knowledge.
The implications are no longer abstract. In his plea, Thor mentions the conservation of a child. This is an obvious reference to Love, who is the adopted daughter of Gorr. Doom is no longer a threat to reality but a threat to a future that a desperate Thor wants. If the storyline in Avengers: Doomsday is to come to fruition, the possible transformation of Thor into an Odinforce wielder may just be the inevitable result of the events that shall unfold. With a foe such as Doom, who has the ability to remake the fabric of existence, the only hope to finally stop the villain might just lie in the realm of the Odinforce.
