Marvel’s THOR Helped Hitler Kill Stalin (Yes, Really)

The most obvious World War II hero in Marvel’s Universe is the Hitler-punching patriot Captain America, and rightfully so. But even as Cap and the rest of the original Invaders hero team took on Nazi Germany, one of the most beloved Avengers was actually helping Hitler. Believe it or not, Thor accepted a mission from the Führer to kill one of his greatest political opponents: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Even aside from the comic book versions of the WWII figures, it’s common knowledge that Hitler was completely obsessed with the idea of anything magical or other-worldly, spending resources on the search for mythical objects, and scouring through old mythology in hopes of discovering some great and powerful truth. So it would actually stand to reason that in a universe where Norse mythology is real — embodied by a walking, talking Thor — Hitler would want to use that power as a weapon. But the truth of this Thor/Hitler team-up is even stranger than it sounds.

This odd bit of Marvel history first unfolded back in the pages of Invaders Vol 1 #33, when everyone’s favorite golden-haired God of Thunder was summoned through strange technology by Adolf Hitler’s top scientist, ‘Hans.’ Using manipulation and deception, Hitler convinces Thor that his army serves the gods, and is battling back the darkness of the villainous Red Soviets — and their demonic heroes, the Invaders (the name certainly doesn’t help them). So as Thor heads off to eliminate this blight on the innocent, he encounters the Invaders in Russia… with only one clear objective: kill the Invaders, then kill Joseph Stalin.

The heroes are (understandably) unsure if this man is actually the god he claims to be, and the group launches into battle as a result. Thor is an easy match for all of his opponents, but gets distracted taking on the guns and tanks of Joseph Stalin’s forces, providing Namor the time to grab Joseph Stalin and flee. Thor uses Mjolnir to contact Hitler directly, who is furious with Thor, berating him as he dreams of using all of the Asgardians and their power for his goals of world domination.

Eventually another battle between the group and Thor breaks out, but he is able to quickly slip past them and blast Stalin with lightning from Mjolnir, killing the Russian leader. It’s only after Stalin is killed that Thor is able to hear the ravings of Hitler and his plans for conquering the world through Mjolnir, realizing he has been tricked. Luckily, Hitler isn’t the only one to have tricked Thor, as Stalin is then revealed to have been Union Jack in disguise. In his guilt, Thor uses Mjolnir to pull the lightning back from Union Jack, saving his life (and giving him new electrical abilities). It is soon revealed that Hans secretly broadcast Hitler’s ranting to Thor in an effort to reveal the truth, and is actually Victor Von Doom in disguise. He was simply assisting Hitler to learn how the superhuman community would oppose him when he plots his own world domination.

So while it is technically true that Thor didn’t kill Stalin, as far as he was concerned, he did. It’s not until after he “succeeds” at his goal that he realizes he has been swayed by the wrong side, and if it wasn’t for Doctor Doom it is very likely Thor would have carried on assisting the Nazis. Because as ;out of character’ as helping Hitler, or killing Stalin might seem for an Avenger, it makes a lot of sense. Thor is notorious for rushing into battle, often thinking with his brute strength rather than his brain. He is also famously naive to human ways, so a cunning leader swaying Thor into thinking he’s helping isn’t overly far-fetched. Combine these two traits and you have an easily manipulated, massively powerful weapon of war.

The comic provides commentary and reflection on the war, showing how easily good people can be tricked into doing the wrong thing due to their own ignorance. Beyond just a reflection of the war and its soldiers, this idea of Thor helping Hitler has some other, deeper historical influences. After World War I many Germans regained an interest in their heritage, and Norse mythology became a popular way to unite the people of the country. The tales quickly became a way to celebrate their patriotism, and boost nationalist sentiment. Hitler used this to his advantage just as he does with Thor, heavily referencing Norse mythology in Nazi propaganda, and featuring it throughout campaign fliers as a way to win the trust and loyalty of the people. So perhaps we won’t hold it against Thor for too long.