Thor is a fictional character from the Marvel comic series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The God of Thunder first burst onto our screens in 2011, and since then he’s had a pretty rough go of it.
Over the course of his MCU history, he’s faced some enthralling battles, and lost both of his parents, his adopted brother Loki, and his right eye.
But how did the mighty Thor lose his eye in the first place? And did he ever get it back? We’re going to answer these questions and more…
In Thor: Ragnarok, the Asgardians had already lost so much from the outset, but the real tragedy was yet to come. Following the death of Odin, his secret daughter Hela – the Norse Goddess of Death – lays waste to Asgard, seeking revenge for her father locking her away.
We’re quick to see why Odin had locked her up, as her vicious fury sends hundreds of Asgardians to their graves, as she also decimates the Warrior Three (elite Asgardian warriors).
In the meantime, Thor has been exiled to the faraway world of Sakaar, but he must hurry back to reclaim the throne and free his people from the wrath of Hela.
When Thor escapes from Sakaar, he returns home to Asgard with Hulk, Valkyrie, and his brother – the God of Mischief – Loki. Upon his return, he battles against his evil sister, whilst trying to help the Asgardian people flee from the fight.
Thor and Hela’s battle takes place in Odin’s Throne Room, where she cuts out his eye with a blade. After slashing his eye out, Hela reminds Thor that their father had also lost an eye during battle, which is why he wore an eye patch.
When Thor realizes he can’t defeat Hela on his own, Loki unleashes Surtur (a fire demon) which unleashes Ragnarok. Thor, Loki, Valkyrie and Hulk flee with the Asgardians in tow, and Thor watches from afar as Hela goes up in flames along with Asgard.
The loss of his eye fulfills the arc of the movie, and shows that Thor has completed his transformation into the mature king his father had once asked him to be. As Thor leads his people into an uncertain future, he is seen wearing an eyepatch, just like his father.
How Does Thor Get His Eye Back?
When Avengers: Infinity War begins, the Asgardians are the first casualties we see. Their ships lay to waste as Thanos and the Black Order came to recover the Tesseract, which Loki is in possession of.
Thanos kills Loki personally, as well as Thor’s close friend Heimdall, but not before Heimdall opens up a portal to Earth so that Hulk can escape.
Thor sends out a distress call from the Asgardian ship, and the Guardians of the Galaxy team responds. Upon arrival, they discover the shipwreck, and the bodies of the Asgardian dead floating through the atmosphere.
By some miracle, Thor is still alive. When he wakes and tells the Guardians about Thanos’ attack, Gamora reveals her connection to Thanos, and tells Thor of his grand plan to eliminate half of the universe.
Distraught over the attack on the Asgardians, and the death of his brother, Thor swears to avenge his people by killing Thanos. However, Thor’s mythical hammer, Mjölnir, had been destroyed by his sister Hela during their battle in Ragnarok.
Thor is joined by Rocket Racoon and Groot as he sets off for Nidavellir – the homeworld of the Dwarves – to replace Mjölnir. As the three of them fly through space, Thor laments his losses, and discusses his plan to decimate Thanos.
Rocket notes that “if fate wants you to kills that crapsack [Thanos], you’re gonna need more than one stupid eye,” as he hands Thor a prostethic eye.
According to Rocket, he got the eye from some guy he beat in a bet on Contraxia. Thor inquires if the eye was the reward and Rocket replies that 100 credits was the prize, but that he snuck into the guy’s room at night to steal his eye.
If there’s one thing we know about Rocket Racoon is that he has an affinity for stealing prosthetic body parts from people.
The prosthetic eye that Rocket hands over has some incredible capabilities and durability. It almost immediately adapts to Thor’s physiology, and he is able to see once again.
The eye is also pretty sufficient at withstanding powerful shots and trauma. Even when Thor is hit by superhuman strength across the face by Eitri in Nidavellir, the eye doesn’t sustain any damage.
Prosthetic Eye Capabilities
As mentioned previously, the prosthetic eye that Rocket Racoon gifts to Thor has some significant capabilities.
Sight: Almost immediately after being placed in the user’s eye socket, the eye immediately adapts to their biology – regardless of the severity of the prior damage. The user is granted almost immediate sight.
Enhanced Durability: The eye is able to withstand an increased amount of strength and damage. As well as surviving the force of Eitri’s hit, when Thor attempts to keep the forge open long enough to craft Stormbreaker (his replacement for Mjölnir), the eye remains fully functional.
You can tell the difference between Thor’s real eye and the prosthetic eye by looking at the color difference. Thor’s natural eye is a blue color, whereas the prosthetic eye is brown.
Will Thor Lose His Eye Again?
As director Taika Waititi returns to the helm of Thor: Love and Thunder, we’re not quite sure yet what lies ahead for the God of Thunder. However, Waititi is a self-proclaimed fan of Jason Aaron’s comic book run on Thor.
However, the MCU Thor has had nothing but hard-luck since his debut, and as with his love interest Jane Foster back in his life, the Asgardian King still has a lot to lose.
Does Thor Lose His Eye In The Comics?
In recent years, the loss of Thor’s eye has been hinted at in the comics. Towards the start of Jason Aaron’s run on the character, there is a vision of the future which shows the incarnation of Thor, and the God of Thunder is missing his left eye.
In the comics, Thor’s sacrifices are far greater than the MCU, as he surrenders his left eye in exchange for knowledge about how to beat Malekith the Dark Elf.
However, in a recent crossover event with War of the Realms we see the exact events that occured. In the final issue of the series, Thor nails himself to the World Tree Yggdrasil, so that he can gain the greatness of the All-Father.
It was a fiery process which proved to be excruciatingly painful as it burned his eye out. Despite the pain, it did give Thor the knowledge he needed to defeat Malekith and take the Asgardian throne.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does Thor’s Prosthetic Eye Light Up In The Battle Of Wakanda?
When Thor summoned lightning in the Battle of Wakanda (Avengers: Infinity War), many fans were confused as to why his fake eye was also aglow. There are a few different theories as to why that happened, so let’s take a look.
The first theory is that Thor’s eye is a high-tech, space prosthetic. As the eye runs off of electricity, when lightning surges through Thor, it lights up the electronic eye too.
A second theory is that the eye would light up anyway as it has now become part of Thor’s body – it clearly can’t be easily removed, and is supposed to function like a regular eye.
Another theory is that it’s not actually Thor’s eyes that light up, but his brain, which is what lights up his eye sockets. This argument is justified by the fact that both of Thor’s eyes light up in Thor: Ragnarok even after Hela has cut one out.
The final, and much more likely argument, is that having both eyes light up looks better for cinematic effect – it is fiction after all.
Why Is One Of Thor’s Eyes Brown?
As noted previously, Thor’s natural eye color is blue, but the prosthetic eye Rocket Racoon gives to him in Infinity War is brown. The color difference actually helps the audience differentiate between Thor’s real eye and the prosthetic eye.
It also adds more of a rugged look to the character, as if all of the trauma, grief and battles Thor has gone through in recent years are finally taking a physical effect.
