Can Yoda Beat Thor?

Yoda was the Jedi Grand Master capable of defeating anyone he faced, even in his old age. Thor, a Marvel Comics hero based on the Germanic God of Thunder, has a qualification Yoda does not: He’s a god. But Yoda can wield the mysterious Force and achieve god-like qualities. 

Is it enough to beat Thor? 

A duel between Yoda and Thor would draw skyrocketing ratings in their respective galaxies. While Yoda can telepathically wield his lightsaber, Thor has a similar gift with his legendary Mjӧlnir. Despite notable size differences, these two match up well. 

About Yoda

Yoda trained many Padawans and, later, Younglings. He also became a Jedi Knight before age 100 and a Master shortly thereafter. While it’s not an impressive feat to reach Knighthood at 100 for most species in the galaxy, Yoda’s species ages slower. 

In Star Wars Canon, Yoda co-served as Jedi Grand Master with Jedi Lahru and Pra-Tre Veter before he became the single Grand Master inThe Prequel Trilogy. 

By 22 BBY, Yoda’s fighting days were seemingly behind him, shown when he walked with a gimmer stick and often appeared hunched over. But when he fought Count Dooku and Darth Sidious in 22 BBY and 19 BBY, he overpowered them both in lightsaber duels. 

It’s also worth noting that he wielded the Force to a stalemate with them both, forcing Dooku to draw his lightsaber and Sidious to turn to clone trooper reinforcements. 

While the latter forced Yoda to retreat, it wasn’t until the arrival of said clone troopers that Yoda realized Sidious outnumbered him.

Yoda’s Abilities

Yoda mastered all seven lightsaber forms, but he was mostly seen using Ataru, or Form IV, during The Prequel Trilogy. Given the offensive nature of Ataru, the fighting style’s goal was to allow its user to end duels quickly.

With Yoda’s small size, the Ataru form made him more lethal. When dueling Dooku and Sidious, he looked like a blur on the screen; it was hard for his adversaries to keep pace. 

Besides Yoda’s lightsaber abilities, he was also an expert at wielding the Force. He easily deflected incoming projectiles, as shown in Attack of the Clones when he redirected pillars from crushing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

Yoda mastered the Force push, something he used against Darth Sidious. He also absorbed Force lightning on multiple occasions via Tutaminis, something few Jedi mastered. 

Force healing allowed Yoda to heal his own injuries and prolong his fighting. Force barriers also let him block and deflect projectiles. He also used his lightsaber to block blasters, indicating he utilized Form III, or Soresu. 

Yoda was also well-known for his telekinetic abilities. He could toss his lightsaber and control it via telekinesis to defeat enemies. And it also allowed him to fling his own projectiles at opponents. 

About Thor

Thor Odinson is the son of the god Odin, who oversaw the Nine Realms, including Midgard, or Earth. Heir to the Asgardian throne, Thor is an exaggerated form of his counterpart from the Old Norse Tradition. 

In the Marvel Cinematics Universe, Thor and Odin didn’t see eye-to-eye and it resulted in Thor’s banishment. However, his stepbrother Loki caused a few problems, forcing Thor to fight and defeat the God of Mischief. 

Shortly after, Thor joined and became one of the most distinguished characters in the Avengers, fighting alongside Captain America and Ironman, to name a few. Here, he again squared off against Loki before ultimately teaming up with him during his battle against the Dark Elves. 

Thor also faced and played an integral role in defeating Odin’s firstborn child, Hela, in Thor: Ragnarok. Following Odin’s death and Hela’s defeat, the Asgardians crowned Thor their king. 

Thor’s Abilities

Thor’s powers and abilities range from super strength to the ability to use his Mjӧlnir like a boomerang. 

Like Yoda’s lightsaber-wielding ability, the Mjӧlnir serves as Thor’s most distinguished weapon. While he uses Mjӧlnir as a weapon, he can also use it to levitate and even teleport to other realms.

Also like Yoda, even without his weapon of choice, Thor’s still powerful. While Mjӧlnir enhances many of his abilities, Thor’s status as a god allows him to retain his super strength. 

However, he’s far more powerful with his Mjӧlnir. The war hammer allows him to not just fly, but enhance his speed, control weather, and even fire Godblasts via channeling his inner-force through Mjӧlnir. 

Without the hammer, he can retain all of the above abilities, but to a lesser degree. For example, his offensives don’t pack as much of a punch strength-wise without the hammer. 

His ability to control the weather remains without Mjӧlnir, but he controls it with less accuracy. He can also still levitate, but to a far lesser degree. He’s also not as fast, nor can he absorb hits like he does with his hammer. 

Side-By-Side Comparison

Can Yoda Beat Thor?

In Return of the Jedi, Yoda told Luke Skywalker that despite his strength in the Force, he was not strong enough to overcome the Force and eclipse death. 

Translation: Yoda was not a god, and Thor is. This places Yoda at a severe disadvantage as, although his species aged slowly and he further prolonged his life via the Force, Yoda still succumbed to death. 

Thor’s race of Asgardian gods do die, as Odin once stated. But, they live substantially longer than 900 years. Thor, in the Marvel Cinematics Universe, claims to be at least 1,500 years old. And he looks like he could live another 1,500 years.

Meanwhile, Yoda’s age showed when he wasn’t wielding the Force. A younger Yoda could match Thor better than his older counterpart. But either way, since Yoda aged substantially faster than Thor, it puts him at a major disadvantage. 

But, that disadvantage could be short-lived. While Thor could use the hammer to his advantage, Yoda could significantly weaken the Asgardian by separating him from his trusty Mjӧlnir. 

Yoda could also use Force barriers to ward off Thor’s strongest attacks like the Godblast. But the question remains, would Yoda eventually tire against someone who, especially with a powerful weapon like Mjӧlnir, possess equal ability in manipulating energy to his advantage?

Overall, Yoda would have a tough time defeating Thor given the latter’s god-like ability that even Yoda would admit may outshine his own. However, if Yoda found a way to take Thor’s Mjӧlnir out of the equation, he has a good chance to emerge victorious. 

Conclusion 

In a hypothetical Yoda versus Thor duel, you have a Jedi Master who can wield the Force to attain godlike abilities. But even Yoda can’t bend the Force to his will forever, especially given his age. 

Thor, since he is a god, has a similar ability. However, his hammer lets him augment that ability, while Yoda does not need a lightsaber to enhance his ability wielding the Force. 

Thor has a natural advantage in this duel and would probably win if he holds onto Mjӧlnir. If Yoda separated Thor from Mjӧlnir, then given Yoda’s ability in Force barriers and telekinetically moving objects, he has a better chance to defeat the Marvel Comics hero.

Sion Fawkes

Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in both Star Wars Canon and Legends. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.