Destroyer

Origin

The Destroyer was originally created by Odin as the choice weapon to be used against the Fourth Host of Celestials. The giant construct is made out of a material enchanted by Odin to be even mightier than Uru. The various pantheons of Earth had previously met with the Third Host, and knew that their next arrival would be to proclaim judgment on the planet. It was magically endowed with invulnerability, and the most powerful gods of Earth (Odin, Zeus, and their peers) poured part of their powers into the armor to give it titanic strength, incredible invulnerability and potent energy blasts. The Destroyer was sealed away on a plateau in Asia in the Temple of Darkness, a temple Odin built himself, the Destroyer would be stored until the time of its purpose. Of course naturally Loki would manage to find out about the powerful artifact and scheme to find ways to use it against Thor.

Creation

The Asgardian Destroyer is a Marvel comics character and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. The Destroyer suit first appeared in Journey Into Mystery #118 released in 1965.

Character Evolution

Designed as much as an armor and a weapon as much as a character, the Destroyer has become one of Thor's most iconic villains. Its origin story coming relatively long after its introduction, its otherwise been used as a foil for Thor's highly vaunted physical prowess. Although the mighty thunder god has encountered many powerful foes, the idea of the Destroyer was to essentially have a character he could not defeat merely with his fists or Mjölnir. In this sense the Destroyer could be charged with being one dimensional which is true to some extent, which usually results in much of the depth and complexity with the characters usage contingent on additional characters and plots. Many friends and foes have occupied the Destroyer armor raising some interesting scenarios. The actual armor does have a degree of sentience, however its motives are simple, pure destruction.

Major Story Arcs

Early History

The armor became the center of several plots by Loki to kill Thor. The first time Loki discovered the armor, he used a nearby hunter called Buck Franklin as the life essence to animate it. Thor and the Destroyer battled, with Thor eventually using Franklin's body to trick the Destroyer into sending its life essence back into the body. At a later date Loki transferred his own essence into the armor to fight Odin in Asgard, and was defeated by Odin forcing his essence to return to his body. Loki joined up with Karnilla to use Sif's consciousness to power the Destroyer. For a short period of time the Destroyer acted as a herald of Galactus. When the Fourth Host arrived on Earth, Odin transferred the essences of the entire Asgardian race (except for Thor) into the Destroyer. With the Odinsword and an ally in the Uni-Mind, the armor attacked the Celestials at their base in South America. The Celestials destroyed the Uni-Mind and turn the armor into a melted ruin. Loki restored the armor in a bid to defeat Thor, who was cursed with a brittle body and immortality by Hela. Thor defeated the armor by expelling its inhabitant, a frost giant named Siggorth, and taking control of it himself. He then used it to threaten Hela, by pretending that the Destroyer's consciousness is in control, into lifting her curse. He trapped the armor in crystal.

After Heroes Reborn

Thor must fight the Destroyer again after the Dark Gods conquer Asgard, and the armored construct is animated to serve the Dark Gods. The Destroyer is sent to Earth where it causes much carnage and destruction in New York city. It is unknown who the person inhabiting the armor is but they refer to themselves as a colonel in rank. The Avengers attempt to stop the animated armor but their attempts are insufficient, even Thor cannot stop the Destroyer and is subsequently defeated and seemingly killed while civilians are given time to escape. The Scarlet Witch attempts to heal Thor but is knocked into nearby waters by the Destroyer. Thor's soul is sent to Hela, but the enigmatic Marnot saves Thor by combining and bonding his life force with Jake Olsen's. Thor returns to Earth and New York to find the Destroyer gloating over the bodies of the Avengers, and wearing Wanda's cape around his arm. Iron Man's chest armor as a shoulder armor and holding Captain America's shield. An enraged and newly revitalized Thor exchange blows with the Destroyer and defeats it by banishing the armor into space using a powerful teleportation vortex. Thor then rescues his fellow Avengers with the Destroyer drifting aimlessly in space. He later seeks it out as an ally against the Dark Gods. Hulk comes into conflict with the armor yet again, imbued with the spirit of Maestro by trolls. After an ineffective battle, the Hulk fights and triumphs over the Maestro for control of the armor. The armor fell into the hands of Loki again, who animates it with the essence of the Designate. Thor fights the Destroyer one last time when he has conquered the Earth as the successor of Odin. Desak challenges him, fused with the armor, but Thor uses the Odin Force to decapitate him.

After Ragnarok

Thor encounters the Destroyer when searching for potential Asgardians who are mysteriously disappearing. He finds them in an underground bunker in the American Southwest, and confronts their jailor: the Destroyer armor. When he liberates the Asgardians from their human hosts, it is shown that Balder was controlling the armor. This is part of Loki's plan to release the 'undesirable' Asgardians (Enchantress, Karnilla, etc) by forcing Thor into a corner. Doctor Doom later uses the Destroyer armor as a template to create his own facsimile, powered by the life essences of Asgardians that he has killed. Doom enters the armor and fights Thor himself. Thor destroys this version in battle with the help of Balder (who severs the power source of the construct). The armor was stolen from the ruins of Asgard by the troll Ulik and Diablo. It was taken by the High Evolutionary in an attempt to make a new god to replace the Norse gods, whom he viewed as outdated. The High Evolutionary planned on fusing the magical power of the Destroyer with Iron Man's technology to create his new god, a hybrid of magic and technology. Thor and Iron Man worked together to stop the plan and the armor was successfully recovered and returned to Asgard.

Fear Itself

The trickster god Loki is reborn as a mere child, and his loyalties to Asgard are unusually strong. Requiring a team to help avert the threat of the Serpent Loki with the aid of Volstagg locates the Destroyer armor intending to use its power. Drafting the Destroyer into his Magic Secret Action Squad, the secret group of Asgard's defender's infiltrate the Serpents stronghold. It is later revealed that it is Volstagg's consciousness that piloted the armor.

Powers and Abilities

The Destroyer was built by Odin as an answer to the Fourth Host of Celestials. It is animated by the life force of a sentient being, although it can be imbued with the essences of many. The Destroyer possesses its own violent consciousness, which usually dominates the consciousness of whomever animates it. However, beings with great willpower or magical ability (Odin, Thor, Loki, Hulk) can force the armor to their whims. Once animated, the Destroyer has enormous physical strength (exceeding even that of Thor) and seems to be indestructible, thanks to Odin's enchantment. The Destroyer has withstood a million tons of pressure without even falling over; while the near-omnipotent Celestials were able to melt the construct with energy blasts, its melted form was easily reanimated to its original state. It is capable of vast supersonic flight as well as firing various beams of electricity, plasma, heat and magnetic force. A disintegration beam is located in his helm that can destroy almost any substance.Technically the armor is not a living being, hence it can pick up and use Mjolnir.

Physical Characteristics

Height: 6'6" to Variable

Weight: 850 lbs

Hair: None

Eyes: None

Other Media

Film

Thor (2011)

In the movie, Destroyer is an automaton consisting of great energy encased in a shell of interchangeable metallic plates; it can lower its face plate to fire the energy in destructive bursts. Kept in the the weapons vault in Asgard, when the frost giants try to sneak in and reclaim their casket of ancient winters, Odin senses the break in and calls upon the Destroyer to do its job in protecting the weapons. Later on, when Loki became king of Asgard, he sends Destroyer to go to Earth and kill Thor, so that Thor cannot return to Asgard and foil Loki's plan to destroy the entire race of frost giants. Destroyer attacks and defeats Sif, the Warriors Three, and Agent Coulson's SHIELD subordinates (who mistake the Destroyer for a creation of Tony Stark), so Thor has to fight Destroyer to save Sif, the Warriors Three and Jane Foster. Thor goes to face the Destroyer as a mortal man. Has he begins walking towards the Destroyer, he talks to his brother Loki, who can hear him through the Destroyer and apologizes to him. Thor pleads with Loki and tries to make peace with his brother. He also wants to spare the lives of the people of Midgard (Earth) by asking Loki to take his life instead of the people of Midgard. The Destroyer strikes Thor with a great crushing blow and kills him. As Jane Foster cradles Thors lifeless body, a flash to Asgard shows Odin in his slumber shed a single tear that rolls down his face. Then the Mjolnir begins to shake and returns to Thor's hand as he is now, once again, worthy to wield the power of the Mjolnir. Then Thor rises and decimates the Destroyer with the power of the hammer.

The Avengers (2012)

After SHIELD captures the remains of the Destroyer, they experiment and use the this knowledge on its power to create an experimental weapon, that is used by Agent Coulson, which he fires upon Loki.

Television

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010)

The Destroyer features in the animated television show The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The mighty metal suit appears in the episode Powerless, after the cunning Enchantress propositions Loki with an offer summoning the Destroyer suit for Loki to inhabit, granted he use it to defeat Thor. The Avengers are also made powerless by an Enchantress spell. Its dependent on Thor's lack of humility, so if he were to show some the spell would be reverted. Inspired by Tony Stark and Captain America Thor is humbled and revitalized and the trio force Loki's spirit from the Destroyer armor.

The Marvel Super Heroes (1966)

The Destroyer appears in The Mighty Thor segment of the 1966 animated television series The Marvel Super Heroes.

Video Games

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)

The Destroyer appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Loki's mind inhabits the armor after tricking the superheroes into releasing it. In addition to possessing great strength and power, The Destroyer armor is invunerable to all attacks. Only by having the Destroyer fire a concussive blast at the crystal containing Loki's body can both it and Loki be defeated.