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Cypher’s success offers a preview of what Thor could accomplish if he takes full advantage of his newfound mastery over tongues.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Thor #16 on sale now from Marvel Comics.
With the ability to control lightning and mastery over the mighty Mjolnir, Thor has stood toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful foes ever faced by the heroes of Marvel, with some of his more notable opponents being the Mad Titan Thanos, the Symbiote god Knull, and Galactus, the would-be devourer of the universe.
However, it’s only recently that Thor has demonstrated what might very well be his most powerful skill: he can fluently speak every language on Earth. While this peculiar power may seem a little lackluster in comparison to others in the son of Odin’s arsenal, it has the potential to become the most useful ability the God of Thunder will ever wield.
Thor’s new ability has revealed itself during a particularly low point in the Asgardian’s life. Recently, the Odinson has found it increasingly difficult to lift and control Mjolnir, which Thor attributes to his fresh ascension from the warrior prince of Asgard to its king and All-Father. Even more upsetting, several other characters have recently proven themselves worthy of wielding Mjolnir, including his anti-heroic brother Loki. By the time Thor #16 rolls around, by Donny Cates, Michele Bandini, Elisabetta D’Amico, Matthew Wilson, and Joe Sabino, Thor is being haunted by visions of Thanos beating him to death with his own hammer.
While he is discussing his dream with Jane Foster, the current Valkyrie, Thor reveals his gift with tongues when he attempts to copy a nearby hot dog vendor’s dialect, right down to their accent. When Jane asks him why he was trying to talk like a born-and-bred New Yorker, Thor reminds her that he’s been visiting Earth since the dawn of human civilization, and in that time he’s been able to learn every language ever spoken. This explains why Thor didn’t have to learn English when he first met her or the Avengers.
Thor isn’t the first superhero in Marvel gifted with the power of universal speech. The veteran X-Man Cypher possesses the mutant ability to understand all languages, although his power also allows him to comprehend other forms of communication like body language. Despite Cypher himself initially holding some major misgivings regarding the “usefulness” of his power in his early days, he has since gone on to prove just how useful the ability to understand any form of language can really be. Cypher is instantly able to understand secret codes and computer languages, which makes him an excellent codebreaker and hacker. Additionally, his ability to read body language allows him to counter an opponent’s attacks and act as a living lie detector.
Cypher’s power has also been a major boon to his personal life; his ability to literally understand everyone has helped him build a strong and diverse friend group over the course of his career, with his most famous friends being the anti-social alien Warlock and the sentient island Krakoa, who he gives voice to.
Cypher’s success offers a preview of what Thor could accomplish if he takes full advantage of his newfound mastery over tongues. While it hasn’t yet been revealed if Thor is naturally fluent in languages that don’t originate on Earth, the ease with which Thor picks up new languages could give him an edge in his newfound role as the king of Asgard. Thor’s transition from a warrior to a ruler has been a difficult one, but the skill could help him when it comes to the unfamiliar arena of diplomacy, which he will certainly have to engage in when representatives from the Nine Realms seek an audience with Asgard’s new ruler.
When compared to his other impressive abilities Thor’s status as a universal translator might seem a little underwhelming. But with a little practice and a bit of creative problem solving, this power has the potential to become the greatest ability the God of Thunder has ever had.
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