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In Infinity War, Thor arrives in Wakanda to help the Avengers defeat Thanos and his army.

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Thor, Groot and Rocket standing where the suface is burned much like after Bifrost travel.

According to an answer for the question How did Thor return to Earth in The Avengers?, Thor gets back to Earth in the last movie using a newly created Bifrost bridge.

But in Infinity War, Thor is not in Asgard so he can not use this technique.

According to this question How did Thor know exactly where to show up?, the OP states that:

Thor, Rocket, and Groot use the Bifrost ability of the newly forged weapon to go to Wakanda.

But even when Thor had his Hammer he needed Heimdal's help to get into earth and other realms. Does the new Axe have the power to send Thor wherever he wants?

So my question is, how exactly did Thor get into Wakanda?

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    Bifrost ability is the ability to travel, Heimdalls sword had it and Heimdall had the vision so he can see all realms. Thors hammer didn't have that Bifrost ability.
    – Plexus
    Commented May 11, 2018 at 11:06
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    An additional question would be how did Thor bifrost through Wakanda's shield without damaging it. I'm sure the New York Sanctum would like to know.
    – Oliver_C
    Commented May 11, 2018 at 18:51

2 Answers 2

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Eitri the dwarf states that the new weapon is theoretically capable of Bifrost travel when discussing it with Thor and Rocket. Thor evidently has tested this and it works this is how he gets to Wakanda - as you note, the ground is "branded" by this form of travel and that is clear in the image you have posted.

Also, there was no need to be on Asgard to channel the Bifrost, as shown near the start of the film when Heimdall channels the Bifrost sufficiently to transport Hulk back to Earth. He pleads with the All-Fathers to give him enough strength to manage this successfully before he is killed by Thanos.

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    I may be remembering incorrectly, but I'm fairly certain we actually see Thor activating the bifrost once he gets Stormbreaker. In any case, it seemed pretty clear to me from the visuals that he used the bifrost via his new axe to get there.
    – Herohtar
    Commented May 11, 2018 at 14:16
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    @Herohtar - After Groot makes the handle we only see a close up of Thor's hand slowly opening (he is still lying on the floor), with some faint lightning between his fingers.
    – Oliver_C
    Commented May 11, 2018 at 18:54
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    The All-Father was Odin’s personal epithet; did he plead with Odin, singular, or with the ancestors or earlier gods or something? Or did the MCU broaden Odin’s title to others?
    – KRyan
    Commented May 12, 2018 at 19:09
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    @CrowTRobot Numerous sites are citing the quote as "All-Fathers": screenrant.com/… screenrant.com/avengers-infinity-war-plot-hole-thor-dark-magic independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/… quora.com/… en.wikiquote.org/wiki/…
    – AAlig
    Commented May 14, 2018 at 1:22
  • @KRyan Thor Takes up the mantle of All-Father in several story-lines and alternate universes, though he is not often referred to by the full title. In the comics his aliases include: Thor the Father, All Black the All Father, and AllFather Thor. imgur.com/gallery/waO1A He's also referred to as old-king thor, and the Odinforce has been renamed the Thorforce, as it is the force of the All-Father.
    – AAlig
    Commented May 14, 2018 at 1:33
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A bit of background: Thor's Hammer, Mjolnir, does not have the power to open the bifrost, it was smithed by the dwarves at Odins command. It was not the kings weapon and did not have the power or authority to open the bifrost bestowed upon it by Odin, in fact, Odin has prohibited Thor from using the bifrost on several occasions and giving him the ability to activate it himself might be considered counter-productive.

Heimdall(or Heimdallr) wields Hofund, also called the bifrost sword, which has the power to open the bifrost, and was given to him when Odin made him the keeper of the bifrost, as a key he could use to open it.

Odins spear, Gungnir is the weapon of the king, and is able to open the bifrost as well, as the weapon of the king and carries his authority.

Now onto the axe: When Eitri introduces us to the mould of Stormbreaker he mentions that it "is a weapon for a king", and as the weapon of the king of Asgard, Stormbreaker is capable of opening the bifrost.

Your second point: Heimdall and Thor are able to access the bifrost while not in Asgard, which was possible but not shown onscreen in previous movies. At the end of Ragnarok, Asgard is destroyed, and the bridge with it. Similarly, the Bridge was destroyed in Thor, making it impossible for Thor to return to earth. He still manages to get there in time for Avengers, thanks to the All-Father (Odin)'s use of dark magic to activate the bifrost and transport him there (The official Thor: The Dark World prelude comic goes in to this in more detail).

Heimdall is able to summon the bridge on the Asgardian ship by making a plea to the previous All-Fathers (Odin, Bor, etc...) using dark magic: "All-Fathers, let the dark magic flow through me one last time". Thor himself is the All-Father now, and once he has forged Stormbreaker, he can use the dark magic to open the bifrost himself.

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