Why Thor ISN’T Immune to Electricity

Being the "God of Thunder", many fans assumed this naturally meant Thor should be immune to all forms of electricity. However, in the film, Thor: Ragnarok, we saw several instances where the hero is not only effected, but fulled incapacitated tasers and other electricity based weapons. This aspect of the film left many fans scratching their heads, but does this shocking development actually make sense for everyone's favorite Asgardian? Kyle summons the Bifrost and hunts for answers in this week's episode of Because Science!
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Because Science every Thursday.
Learn More:
FIVE WAYS LIGHTNING STRIKES PEOPLE: www.weather.gov/safety/lightn...
WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING: mosaicscience.com/story/what-...
LIGHTNING STRIKE: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightni...
THE SKIN EFFECT: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_ef...
HOW LIGHTNING KILLS: www.washingtonpost.com/news/c...
LETHALITY OF TASER WEAPONS: www.charlydmiller.com/LIB07/20...
VEHICLES AND LIGHTNING: lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/v...

[@becausescience]

Thanks for watching Super Nerds! *Immediate correction* (yay): around 12:40 I meant to say "low frequency, high voltage" space taser. Apologies. What you may not know is that I film these episodes all in one go, and so sometimes I get tired enough after 3 hours or so to make simple mistakes. See you in Footnotes. -- kH

[@pablodanieljiang961]

well, no subtitles....................

[@Matthew_Klepadlo]

I will see you there KH! --MK

[@senorstyx3011]

Nothing is immune to all things,as God of thunder he is immune to a point (as they say energy is energy) thus thor is not immune also as many of his opponents are not electrical based, he himself has no opportunity to condition himself to all forms but he could if he so chose to.

[@kianturner6222]

Your mistakes are forgiven Kyle you are the dopest. And I didn't know you did it all at 1 go so more props to you for that man. Your channel is the only KZbin channel I consistently watch.

[@johnnylindstedt3645]

Q: Since lighting is basically "just plasma", could that also answer how Thor could survive the blast from "a dying star"? Also, are you wearing a contact lens about 9:00 in?

[@metalspider7735]

Wow thor explaining why thor can get shocked Great job thor

[@tehaxor69]

The other Thor is a big boy now.

[@terrybullspellr8319]

He must be super confident, not worrying about somebody taking advantage of his weaknesses.

[@terrybullspellr8319]

@Andrew Gray tho its not inconceivable that its a toxin thats hurting thor, I was assuming the video was right. With that said, ur right electricity itself is not really a weakness. But assuming the video is right, it also points out that he can be hurt by it given the right conditions. If a super villian were to take advantage of this, given the amounts of electricity thor can normally channel, and kill Thor with his own powers. It maybe possible that a relatively weak display of his own powers maybe enough to kill him in that instance. Tho that last part is just speculation on my part.

[@christianheichel]

Wait,!!!!,!!!!!!! Kyle's real name is THOR! Mind blown

[@christianheichel]

@Andrew Gray interesting idea it'd be worth finding out wether that's the case or not. FYI I never noticed the skin thing till you pointed it out good eye

[@AnnaCurser]

"We'll go into the cave of the Electric Eels!" "Oh?! But ..." "Don't worry. That is just a name." "Oh ... phew." "They are not really eels."

[@darkphoenix2]

Why does this sound familiar but I can't find anything on the internet

[@decimation9780]

Tyler Rogers I know, Futurama perhaps?

[@leftadin]

Reminds me of Princess Bride and the fire swamp, but I know it's not and just memory tricks.

[@NinjaBearFilms]

Simpson’s. Lisa’s imagination of the future after she’s failing Gym. Gets elected president and a reporter announces he just found out she failed Gym while she’s being sworn in. Judge doing the swearing in immediately strips her of being president and sentences her to monster island. But he comforts her by telling her it’s just a name. Cut to her and others fleeing monsters, “I thought he said it was just a name!” Random guy: “What he meant was, it’s actually a peninsula”

[@MasterMalrubius]

@@leftadin The Screaming Eels.

[@kirbyhypno2522]

The hair of Thor, The face of Cap, and the brains of Banner/Iron Man. He's got it all!

[@jamesbizs]

Thor is actually very smart. Easily as smart, if not smarter than Kyle. Banner/Tony are some of the smartest people on the planet.....

[@z7983]

@@jamesbizs Bs. Thor is one of the dumbest superheroes in Marvel, we already saw that from his interaction with Dr Strange and people who read comics already knew. But yeah Tony and Banner are some of the smartest people on the planet. In fact, according to Marvel's Official list, Tony Stark is the smartest person on the planet after Reed Richards Source - www.marvel.com/articles/comics/10-smartest-super-heroes

[@danieldimitri6133]

@@z7983 yeah but Thor speaks groot. That's got to count for something.

[@jonathandugan1881]

@@jamesbizs He was just trying to be nice. Why must you be a dick?

[@awesomeanbar9402]

@@z7983 yeah Thor is dumb but Hulk is dumber (or atleast old Hulk not the professor) also Thor is quite powerful, one of the most powerful beings in the universe I should say

[@drei-rg9zc]

i like how Thor talks in third-person

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Thor doesn't have Volt Absorb Jolteon > Thor

[@the4thElement88]

Just Some Guy without a Mustache Thor himself is having a confession for this

[@GundamFranxx]

Ironman does

[@aaronmorgenstern8705]

Dude check your inbox this is the gajillionth time I'm replying to your comment!😮

[@KainaX122]

Just Some Guy without a Mustache Jolteon doesn't have Lightningrod Raichu > Jolteon

[@Trident007]

Natalie Portman also shocked thor in the 1st movie 🙄

[@darthsidious6111]

"But then he got strangled by an eggplant emoji"

[@bouhhgz1969]

🤣😂🤣

[@palpatinethesenatehog7086]

His Thor Impressum is almost perfect.

[@K..C]

@@palpatinethesenatehog7086 Wdym? I think Thor just has a really good impression of Kyle

[@palpatinethesenatehog7086]

@@K..C fucking autocorrect ruind my comment cause i meant to say "impression" but it says "impressum" for some reason

[@derekhunter5040]

@@palpatinethesenatehog7086 that's not auto correct, that's just your inability to type.

[@FangvsCrow]

There's something I think several people tend to forget about the scenes with the "taser", and it's the way it makes Thor's veins stand out the way they do and the convulsions, neither of which is caused by something that produces laser-like effects. Instead, I would posit that it's some sort of neurotoxin that causes Thor's nervous system to shut down, and that the sparks and electrical noises are his body and powers struggling to fight it off, as we do not see this happen to Loki later in the movie. While this explanation covers the little neck implant, it wouldn't cover the shock net, but unless I'm mistaken the science presented here works well at discussing that particular piece of cinematic license.

[@desuwa1994]

0:44 "First we must understand what Thor is the god of" Me: HE'S THE GOD OF HAMMERS

[@patnaikunidivijprithvime6982]

Why thor cant swim, he is a hammer

[@phantomminer3293]

Phil Swift is the god of flex tape

[@lvbboi9]

@@phantomminer3293 JonTron is the god of game reviews Robbie Rotten is the god of villains Sans is the god of puns And so on Moto Moto and Ricardo are the gods of gayness

[@PapaBear_Gaming]

To be fair, his sister is the goddess of spikes

[@just_a_strange_traveler]

@@PapaBear_Gaming I thought she was the goddess of green. I thought my favorite color had a cool character😞

[@irishpolyglot]

"would blow his clothes off, which...." [shrug] Laughed out loud properly at that joke :D

[@skylx0812]

But isn't there a video of a Japanese guy running down a street in the rain and he gets struck twice (he even leaves behind two dark scorch marks in the road) and lost none of his clothing. ...or is it just a case of you know you're having a bad day when even mother nature dosen't want to see you nekid?

[@velasco9210]

Same lol.

[@Klespyrian]

@@skylx0812 He wasn't talking about Rain water in the video though, he was talking about oils and other possible more conductive liquids used to make their muscles shine.

[@jamesbizs]

@@Klespyrian are you really trying to say, that oils, would be more conductive, than water??? You know that they have computers filled with mineral oil, used as cooling.....

[@cathy_moss7w786]

That video is fake lol

[@K..C]

Thor has a really good Kyle impression throughout the video!!! Nice job Thor!!!

[@dkwhattoputhere]

"Knowledge is power".

[@echbruh6598]

Now that you bring it up, Kyle could be a voice actor for Thor in a marvel animated show.

[@sageoftruth6748]

Hahahahahah

[@sageoftruth6748]

@@echbruh6598 or a young thor at least. ...

[@That80sGuy1972]

You just explained why I lived through 3 indirect lightning strikes and only had my skin have burns. I'm sending this video to a couple friends, one of which saw me hit by two and thinks I'm somehow having some abnormal electrically insulating skin... who makes fun of me for being really electrical-shock phobic. I'm rational in my fear, he's the dipsh^t.

[@timohara7717]

Wow danger

[@That80sGuy1972]

@@timohara7717 🤣 Now you sound like my one friend who thinks I ATTRACT lightning.

[@timohara7717]

@@That80sGuy1972 what it's not dangerous? Your skin heated up

[@That80sGuy1972]

@@timohara7717 Ah. Now I know what you meant. Briefly, almost instantly, but it was hot enough in that time to burn.

[@diablo.the.cheater]

Some people that survive a lighting strike develop the characteristic of attracting more lighting and to be sliglithly resistant to them

[@malcolm32]

4:00 The stomach detour is critical, Kyle. You must not allow the lightning to pass through your heart or the damage could be deadly.

[@lordderppington4694]

Fucking Iroh

[@hazeltree7738]

@@lordderppington4694 Am I correct in thinking that's an Avatar reference? Airbender avatar not blue avatar.

[@lordderppington4694]

@@hazeltree7738 the good avatar yes

[@hazeltree7738]

@@lordderppington4694 Yup, it's a bit toph to tell them apart by name.

[@CazialsChannel]

My jokes aren't funny I *see* what you did there.

[@lavarball939]

Love the chris impersonation, you know you actually might be a good voice actor 👏

[@nadyicolon0122]

He even had different colored eyes at one point lol

[@terrybullspellr8319]

It not an impression of chris. Its chris doing an impression of kyle.

[@SuperZX49]

@@nadyicolon0122 Wait, what?

[@ginoyesano5649]

@@SuperZX49 One of his eyes is red at 8:59

[@beccag2758]

I know right? Have you ever heard his Gollum impression?

[@rpgtimefire]

Lighting strike Survivability 90% is prolly why Azula from avatar the last air bender only killed like 1 person.

[@izzyv830]

that or it was a kids show

[@uzzwalkumar253]

Bitch

[@fenrir7065]

Plus people know how to defend against it using water bending technique.

[@kachucho872]

@@izzyv830 yeah such as when telling of the monk temple being massacred, showing the literal corpse of aang's mentor. What a kids show!

[@AlexssandroMeneses]

Hi, maybe. I'm still waiting for a Azula episode from Kyle, because I don't think her powers aren't only electrical but also radioactive. It would be more effective to "burn" the Avatar with "blue fire" (ionized air) than with a lightning strike!

[@mitchellphillips9166]

Kyle: Can’t call it magic but can’t call it an exact science. Thor: where I come from they are one in the same

[@gregfreddy6691]

I can’t believe nobody replied to this comment it’s amazing

[@shantilkhadatkar1195]

This comment rocks bro

[@alexviol1587]

But Kyle = Thor

[@Saimeren]

I mean.. In the comics at least, Thor doesn't generate actual lightning/electricity. It's all magic. And therefore REAL electricity/lightning can harm him. (But it can't because he's too tough.) There's a comic panel where Thor and Storm are hanging out together comparing lightning. Thor remarks that Storms lightning is so warm, and that his is so cold because it's just magic in the form of lightning. So there you have it. Thor, the God of magic that has the outward appearance of lightning!

[@retropie7087]

I'm is not sure if that would be the case in the MCU because in the first avenger's movie when thor strikes Iron man his suit gets powered up and I'm not sure how magic would power his suit instead of lightning/electricity.

[@thefollower89]

I’m pretty sure the movies are different from the comics in that aspect, I mean in the first Thor movie he mentioned that what humans called magic is just very advanced science, he specifically said they’re one and the same

[@UCannotDefeatMyShmeat]

So magic is....cold?

[@angelmendez-rivera351]

Saimeren He isn't talking about comics Thor, he especifically mentioned MCU Thor.

[@mighty_kul8264]

Mythologicaly speaking that makes sense because thor's father is literally the god of magic

[@lordvader4089]

@12:47 Thor: immune to lightning but not pretty girls. We have more in common than I thought.

[@TheBluePhoenix008]

LordVader lol

[@copycat7685]

Maybe you should've learned when you reflected that energy from the emperor in ROTJ

[@TheBluePhoenix008]

@@copycat7685 r/woosh

[@seraphin01]

"because ethics" brillant Kyle thank you ❤️

[@ursosexmachina]

Except, ethics aren't universal. So I will try it. :)

[@encounteringjack5699]

YES!!! That is what the next sub-channel will be. Because ethics.

[@angelmendez-rivera351]

Dean Nah, ethics in the modern era are pretty universal. Human attitudes towards said ethics aren't. You can choose to agree or disagree with ethics. It doesn't make them not universal.

[@skylx0812]

_"Is it Thor?"_ _"...well it stingsth a little."_ -Robin Williams

[@ajh3461]

You're Thor? Well it hurth. kzbin.info/www/bejne/equZgpxrjpdkZqM

[@nwallace]

Anyone else notice that he has 2 different colored eyes at about 9:00?

[@raytttc9636]

Spoiler alert! Thor had got a replacement in infinity war, so one is real and one is mechanical.

[@garthe6631]

@@raytttc9636 not much of a spoiler anymore

[@renaultluk6376]

@@garthe6631 r/wooosh

[@capitaldeecolon4819]

@@renaultluk6376 Found that one person who "r/" outside of Reddit

[@jamesbizs]

@@renaultluk6376 r/ woosh yourself. Both commenters were joking

[@shinjiji5537]

There's a fundamental problem with this one.. And that's the fact that the 'taser' in Ragnarok isn't actually a taser. It's a device which uses neurotoxins to subdue a person. If you look at it going off, you'll see veins bulging and being generally discolored, which isn't something a shock would do. Yes, it makes an electric sound.. but that just makes it confusing. Tbh that stuff is strong enough to subdue the Silver Surfer too. Edit: To address the other points in Ragnarok, such as the net and what not.. It's shown that he lost his mojo and isn't actually the God of Thunder at that point. He tries to conjure electricity and falls flat. So he has no control over it by then. Anyways, the main point of this was to explain the taser that people often reference. Pretty much the hammer is his training wheels.

[@albertschoise8091]

Wait what??

[@firebrandgaming4704]

Thor still tazed in the first movie 🎥 by a broke girl (two broke girls)📺

[@nt9382]

@@firebrandgaming4704 he was a human at that time or at least reduced to mortal level.

[@firebrandgaming4704]

Still also ragnrock tazed on a plane by air marshal still in God form ......or maybe that was the second film

[@travismurtland3257]

@@nt9382 he survived the impact from landing face first off of the Bifrost, survived getting the absolute crap beat out of him by the Destroyer, and threw a human across a room multiple times, once while being pinned down. When is the last time you saw someone get slapped across a room by a human pinned to a gurny?

[@almondpotato9483]

8:59 Oh my god. His eye is so red.

[@damon3459]

Omg lol

[@ruinaderoma]

420 bro

[@adityarupalidarshan2604]

Thor explains why he is not immune to electricity BTW love your show

[@slohand8034]

I could see Thor all Lebowski like sayin "Dont taze me bro"

[@brianl8481]

That's like, just your opinion, man.

[@NinjaBearFilms]

First off, Valkyrie didn’t create the Taser Disks. The game master says he invented them. And they don’t require special knowledge of Asguardian physiology. As long as the space taser disk can puncture the “cotati metal fibers” Gamora compares his muscles to, then it would be easy to overwhelm the electrical pulses the muscles use contract in order to trigger spasms you see. But still require a large charge to affect more than the localized muscles it is attached to. Which would drain the battery on that little disc fairly quickly. And should have been easy to pull off if it’s only piercing the skin. But if we assume that he couldn’t pull it off because it was embedding deeper into the body. Perhaps micro fibers extending into the body to connect directly to his nervous system. Then it would require a very small charge to overwhelm the natural charge in the nervous system and cause spasms throughout the body. And the disk would remain effective longer without losing a charge.

[@NinjaBearFilms]

His muscles and nervous system would still need to receive and send electrical signal to contract and move. This is the system that the taser disk would take advantage of in order to cause him to go into convulsions. So even if his body has a natural means of creating/absorbing/directing an electrical pulse. If you bypass that system and induce random electrical currents directly into his muscles and nervous system his body would still convulse and spasm as it interferes with the natural process of moving.

[@pewdieyay5579]

@Andrew Gray My guess is that the skin affect is different as compared to Lightning than a taser. So the magnitude of the frequencies as a result from the skin effect would have been what incapacitated Thor.

[@NinjaBearFilms]

Andrew Gray I don’t think it demands that he has a innate ability to control electricity through his entire body. It just requires the body to direct the electricity he “summons” through channels paths of least resistance away from muscles and nerves. Like wearing a grounded chainmail next to a Tesla coil. You can have electricity arcing all over your body. But the path of less resistance of the chainmail prevents it from ever entering your body. (Also I’m not assuming his nervous system works like a humans but like every known from of life with a nervous system. And I’m only making that assumption because I’ve never heard of a theoretical non-electric charge means a complex nervous system could work. But I do give you props on challenging assumptions when it comes to fictional aliens. 😺)

[@NinjaBearFilms]

Also, we have seen him negatively react to electricity before in Age of Ultron. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6bRq6d4oLehqc0 But it could be argued that it’s not him being shocked but his power being released uncontrollably because of the vision.… 🤷‍♂️ I guess the biggest challenge is to explain why the taser disks works, but lightning doesn’t affect him with Science and not having to say “a wizard did it.”

[@cringekiller348]

NinjaBearFilms It's nerve toxin

[@johnelmartagbago3764]

*I always see the **_"Thor-being-electrocuted"_** as his own insecurity causing him to fall down.* It's not just the device's doing, but his state within also.

[@TheGangstersniper1]

I always imagined that Thor had a sphere of ionised air surrounding him at all times which behaves like a faraday cage (negative charge so providing high resistance) which protects him from lightning but not other attacks that move through this air forcefully (tasers or electric spears). This could be an alternative to the idea his skin is resistant like you mentioned in the video.

[@isthisskyrim2862]

Kyle's spooky red right eye @8:58 lolol

[@kurts.5140]

I was shocked by it too

[@gustavosaomarcos602]

What the hell was that? LMAO.

[@isthisskyrim2862]

makes sense....but what if....naaa it cant be lol

[@thanos3784]

Yay science! We do see lighting crackling through Thor's eyes though...

[@patrickprins9557]

Wait so he just has two lamps in his eyes? Because of the lighting

[@gch3359]

He's the god OF THUNDERRRRRRRR!!! *sparkles*

[@KainaX122]

Yea, science! . . . . Bitch!

[@LordofSyn]

Plus, you know... He kind of shrugged off the current from a Neutron Star!!!!

[@thanos3784]

@@patrickprins9557 you can literally see the current, not just light. VFX do not need to be scientifically accurate lol.

[@TheCaptainstupendous]

I love that little shrug at the end. I felt that so hard 😊

[@dgxcodex]

6:08 Wow!, I haven't studied this in my class. This is new to me.

[@Durfast76]

8.59 red contact lens. great vid and info as always, thank you.

[@WooMaster777]

I caught that, too!!😆

[@yashketharam9082]

I was just about to say 😂😩

[@derekhunter5040]

You really can't tell the difference between a contact lens and a visual effect?

[@nejx8711]

Durfast76 8:59 ...for future referencing, use this symbol : between the minute and second mark (not sure what it's called, not english so I don't care) instead of a period . so people reading your comment can immediately go to the timestamp instead of searching for it manually...

[@nejx8711]

Derek Hunter I think it is a lense... Not sure how you could tell the difference, then again, I'm not that knowledgeable in special effects

[@barrybend7189]

Hey Kyle this video is SHOCKINGLY good. But can you please do a video on Falcon's MCU flightpacks and the EX-Gear from Macross Frontier.

[@firestorm165]

Barry Bend a vid on my favorite avenger? Yes please

[@dead_shot_475]

he is just using a jetpack..what's so magical and requires a full episode about a piece of technology?

[@barrybend7189]

@@dead_shot_475 standing start flight and small size as well as power to carry 2 people.

[@dead_shot_475]

@@barrybend7189 its made by man and not the ancient gods of Egypt..its not like the infinity stones or doctor Manhattan's powers..its a tiny jet..in a backpack

[@barrybend7189]

@@dead_shot_475 what he did do a video on Grappling hooks in videogames.

[@user-oq8vp2di1v]

Finally I asked for this episode months ago glad they finally got around to it great episode

[@AprilMoon7]

Okay but it's clear that in Ragnarok that disc thing had a neural effect on Thor. Does no one notice the blue veins that pop up every time the disc is activated?

[@sirshelton6978]

a better question is why Kyles right eye is red ? 9:00

[@sushinushi2370]

Thor is not immune to electricity because He is the god of thunder Thx for likes

[@futurestoryteller]

Amusingly Wikipedia says that Thor is the god of "thunder," "lighting," "storms," "strength" and.... "oak trees" Mythology is weird like that. - Also the protection of mankind and... fertility, of which I'm sure many lady fans of Chris Hemsworth will concur.

[@armorhide406]

God of Hammers

[@thefracturedbutwhole5475]

Thunder is just the sound of Lightning, . . . . So as the god of thunder Thor would be able to create thunder at will and the only way to do that would be to be able to create lightning at will

[@hodeyfu7617]

I didn't watch the whole video, but it was a chemical reaction to generate the stun, supposedly. So that's it.

[@beccag2758]

You mean criminally seductive god of thunder?😂

[@anchovybushwack472]

8:39 Genius.

[@XpideRG]

Dude. I have been struck by lightning 3 times and counting. It is the most confusing think that can happen to a person. The side effects; a Parkinson like shake that happens intermittently, a tremor which is also intermittent, arrhythmia, memory loss, mood changes and an overactive nervous system.... Just to name a few. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.

[@warfruins5897]

Are you serious?

[@julianarnold5499]

Hm I just searched and based on the average rates, a couple of his Subscribers should be struck by lightning every year

[@boreddrawer0428]

5:22 wait DC in a marvel movie What is this a crossover episode

[@mdrgames9649]

Yo was that a Bojack Horseman reference

[@ingydegmar2060]

How does Thor survive the white dwarf star beam though. Could science explain that? Love that scene.

[@sungod9797]

Was a neutron Star

[@KiithnarasAshaa]

@@sungod9797 That doesn't make it better...

[@Boeing_hitsquad]

im just wondering how this video corrects itself to Thors lightning filled eyes in Thor 3 .. the EYEs are the largest nerves in the nervous system .. LOL

[@darthvader0219]

A neutron star doesn’t produce fusion, therefore it’s temperature is bound to be much lower than that of a main sequence star like the Sun. So Thor only experienced a small fraction of the power of an active star.

[@SSJRadioBluth]

@@darthvader0219 that's not true at all. Thor was hit by the FORCE of the star. Aka the mass x acceleration of the star. A neutron star rotates between 1.4ms & 30s. The sun takes 24 days to rotate... In second form. (576 hours * 3600 s/hr) 2.0x10^6s almost 1000000 times slower. So absolutely false statement. Without even accounting for mass. Which let's say 1.5 solar masses. Yes fusion is a lot of quantum packets of energy. Which travels near light speed as almost massless photons of gamma. But this is near light speed high density matter. It's like being hit with a keychain laser vs being hit by a falling space ship.

[@StanGardner4815]

Didn't the taser disk have prongs that attached underneath his skin? Wouldn't that solve the skin effect problem and direct the current through Thor's body?

[@jamesbizs]

yes

[@daronrice9931]

Dude your a damn good science teacher....I would be a hell of a lot smarter if I had a teacher this excited about science...excited you love what you do, your passion will show once asked about it...the excitement of explaining in a understandable simplified way will intrigue others...good job man...keep up the good work kale

[@derriklayton4115]

You shocked Thor in the balls like four times. Why you gotta do that to him, man?

[@derekhunter5040]

Because science!

[@awe-fullanimations4737]

Nay, pleasure

[@dhelm80]

Thank you Kyle for finally getting to my question about Thor and his electrical resistance.

[@jessicagalvin4598]

And thank you for asking an interesting question. I enjoyed watching it.

[@GhettoJohnWick]

In ragnarok, the shock that stopped him was not just a shock. It hit his nervous system directly. The control disc on his neck went beneath the skin into the spinal cord.

[@joshbradley569]

Hey love your videos! I was wondering if you’d consider doing an episode on how the rappel arrow would work from the series arrow?

[@scottdaniels2500]

That wasn't a electric taser it was a nerve neutralizer

[@theBoarSkinner]

Yeah man I've been trying to find someone else that knew this!

[@khartog01]

Not many people read Planet Hulk it seems.

[@zaczane]

KYLE = Me “Electric Eels”= “Okay” “They are electric”= “sick” “But not Eels” = “oh ok...WAIT WHAT???”

[@Zayats_MW]

zaczane This is genuinely the most retarded way to formulate a dialogue or a reaction I have ever seen

[@derekhunter5040]

@richard conaway r/woosh

[@Zayats_MW]

richard conaway Nigga I'm just talking about the "=" format, not the contents of what he wrote. And no, I meant "seen". I don't hear written text

[@badrunnaimal-faraby309]

way to formulate a dialogue ≠ dialogue Conaway missed the point, but not due to undetected sarcasm. Not the most conventional wooosh, but not really inappropriate either.

[@mrfaade304]

this whole reply section is cancer 😂

[@kireischonbeau7485]

Kyle: "... It would blow all his clothes off." My internal fangirl: [intense, ear-piercing squealing] Me: Hm... Cool.

[@Justin.Franks]

I have a small piece of the original 287 kV transmission cable from the Hoover Dam. It is a ~3 cm diameter hollow tube made from interlocking "strips" of copper, with a wall thickness of just a few millimeters.

[@deathsyth8888]

The name TASER is based upon the title of the book 'Tom (A) Swift and his Electric Rifle'.

[@erbgorre]

12:52 "a space taser that is high frequency, low voltage" - said it the wrong way around there. you want low frequency, high voltage. small slip up ;P also, there could be something more technical going on. the best kind of going on.

[@KainaX122]

Gotta love technical stuff Like how you can make 10,000% Fortify Enchant potions in Skyrim

[@LordofSyn]

High Voltage? #SuddenACDC

[@becausescience]

Yeah I slipped up, sorry -- kH

[@Eparker09]

Thank you! I wondered this.

[@mohammed0almasri]

'The way he called thor a wide handsome Australian car' someone's got a crush 😁😂

[@shinyzoroark4506]

Thor explaining why he isn't immune to electricity. Star Lord coming for you

[@Spirito2008]

"and then he got Strangled by an eggplant emoji" that hurt the stomach LMAO

[@questocanale]

Hey Kyle, great content as always. I have only one tiny remark: at 6:44 you talk about the associated magnet field produced by the el. current, shouldn’t it go counterclockwise (you drew clockwise) because of the right-hand rule? That’s how I was taught, correct me if I’m wrong;)

[@dgxcodex]

13:33 that's Steve Roggers of "Because Science" verse.

[@CyberianFaux]

Why is Kyle's right eye (from his perspective if we assume it isn't a flipped image) blood red in the iris at 8:57?

[@meg0ros300]

was wondering the same just now.

[@scotth5114]

Illuminate confirmed. Kyle is a lizard person.

[@CyberianFaux]

@@scotth5114 'o'

[@1Liamthegod]

12:52 "high frequency and low voltage" Didn't you say the skin effect only worked at high frequencies? :P

[@Guust_Flater]

Yes, I wanted to ask the same question...👍

[@kumuluhutuku]

he probably switched this two. Not big deal. Wait for footnotes ;p

[@Leonlion0305]

9:06 I can't tell if that's accident, after effect, or does Kyle actually have different color eyes lol but nice video, you even cover skin effect which wasn't explicitly explained to us in my second year E&M

[@jacobholman4235]

Could part of why the taser worked be from some sort of chemical or electrochemical effect because the blue seems to travel along his veins or is there some other reason for this

[@taserface7710]

What !? even here on Earth? I need to change my name, that badger will pay for this.

[@edwardteach3000]

You sir win the internet today

[@SirLoLo]

You know what would be a badass name, TASER FACE!

[@billycranston5481]

Glad to see you survived the exploding space ship.

[@qt31415]

hahahahhaha taser face...

[@Cipher_Paul]

I had personally *theorised* that it had something to do with *bioelectricity* because Thor can't be immuned to it, otherwise he wouldn't be able to move. And since (I assume) bioelectricity and lightning aren't the same thing I would say this *theory* should make (some) sense. I have to admit I didn't really looked into it, it's just that I remember my biology teacher precising all the time that what travels through our nervous system is bioelectricity like if it wasn't just regular electricity which makes sense since say are meant to be transmitted by neuroreceptors like Acetylcholine.

[@Cipher_Paul]

@Andrew Gray ok, thanks. I was confused because to me when two things are called differently it's because they are meant to be different different and so their names show it and to the contrary, when two things share the same name they are meant to be similar according to the definition of this name. But apparently here scientists created the word "bioelectricity" where they should have used the word "electricity" 😅 It's like when different scientists work on different subjects and name totally different things/concepts by the same word, it's quite confusing 😅

[@pegdude6125]

Okay dude its 3am here and you freaked me the hell out by thanking me for watching because my name just so happens to be Glen. Then I remebered you do this for the purpose of freaking people out. Well played Kyle, well played.

[@dgxcodex]

14:20 great, thansks for the more questions

[@BlazeStorm]

The talk about electromagnetic makes me interested in how those floating magnetic trains work.

[@jeffersonian000]

BlazeStorm, spinning Aluminum disks, oddly enough.

[@iveharzing]

The material used to repel the train is a superconductor, which is a diamagnetic material, which means that the atoms inside of the material align their "spin" (their magnetic field) in the opposite direction of another magnetic field. The reason why they align antiparallel to a magnetic field, I don't know yet (a bunch of quantum mechanics). Here's the Wikipedia page about it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamagnetism

[@katieblade7083]

it works on the same principles that have yet to yield a true hooverboard. the ones at current(haha) need a ground(double pun) that can be induced by an electrical source (i.e.) the board. Then it creates an atmosphere between the board and the ground similar to lighting strikes, from here (because the ground is positive charged) the board inverts the protons (+) closer to the ground , and in the magnetism realm opposites attract and similar repels. So by changing back and forth protons and electrons closer to the ground you get magnetic lift and tethering, which is important because the lift only provides the magnetic repulsion until it drifts out of the effected area causing the board(or train) to adhere to gravitational forces once again.

[@BlazeStorm]

@@katieblade7083 I see, thank you. Also love the puns. I'd call you a Supernerd if I were Kyle

[@katieblade7083]

and like i said we dont have a true hooverboard yet so it is likely the trains and the "track" are negatively charged (electrons) for their lift. And if you have a cylinder the skin effect can suspend your train in one directed path. Elon Musk is working on a tube people transport system with this same principal.

[@mr.b.7244]

Love the show. But if Thor's clothes got blown off from his lighting, as said in the after comments, it would be a very different kind of show. And not PG-13.

[@TankHunter678]

He likely has very special materials in his armor to prevent that from happening.

[@bernat_CustardCream]

they can watch people due by dozens but can't see a guy naked.

[@lagvaldemag8593]

It can remain PG-13 if he covered himself. What's more, Eric Selvig was naked in Thor: the Dark World, remember?

[@bernat_CustardCream]

@@lagvaldemag8593 true, but that's the same as wearing underwear. I think my statement is still right (except I wrote "due" instead of "die")

[@CadleGomani]

Hey, Kyle. Firstly, love the show. And secondly, while I do agree that Thor may be susceptible to falling victim to various forms of electricity i.e. lightning or AC/DC (queue guitar solo), one could argue that there's many references in the MCU films and the comics where it appears as though Thor inherently generates lightning that seems to be flowing outwardly from him and around him/to any suitable conductor whenever streaks do leave his body. Ragnarok alludes to such phenomena several times mid-movie and in the final battle against the goddess of death. So with that said, it seems unlikely (or at least to a debatable extent) that his manipulation of lightning strings from his body's natural tolerability to a skin effect. Even when considering an electric eel's muscle and tissue configuration against the effects of the excitation of its electrocytes, that would at least suggest that if Thor's body did follow a similar cell/tissue configuration, he would still be affected by the very lightning that he himself creates and exudes. But as can be seen from Ragnarok, it doesn't appear to be the case because of how he seamlessly channels it (at one point during the end battle) from his body and through the bodies of undead soldiers. If Thor wasn't immune to his own lightning then the very lightning he seems to generate would have at least found its way back into his body somehow via the conducting objects that come into contact with him whether by direct body contact or otherwise and he would feel the effects of his own lightning in a similar way that the electric eel does, but that doesn't appear to be the case. I theorize that it could a combination of factors maybe? One of those could be the ability to manipulate magnetic fields around him. That would cause him to be able to generate and direct a flow of electric current at will. As far as him being immune to those electric fields as a result of his ability to manipulate magnetic fields? Idk, perhaps a secondary power maybe? Idk, but one of the most important things I feel is worth mentioning that I've taken so far from your shows about why certain supers powers aren't as glamorous as they're portrayed in pop culture is that few (if not none) of the superpowers we see superheroes have should come as a 'single-bundle'. They're coupled with secondary abilities like how with teleportation as your primary ability, you would need to have the secondary ability to navigate safely to wherever you wish to teleport to by taking into account the predefined conditions of the target location... or how living underwater like Aquaman would require your body's muscles and cells and ORGANS to be configured a certain way. So perhaps it could be a similar case with Thor? Perhaps his primary ability would be magnetic field manipulation and his immunity to certain kinds of electric currents could be solved by a secondary ability...maybe? idk Anywho, you're legit awesome, bro. I can't stop watching your videos. Absolutely great stuff

[@angelmendez-rivera351]

Venancio Gomani There are several flaws with the suggestions you make in your comment. *one could argue that there's many references in the MCU films and the comics where it appears as though Thor inherently generates lightning that seems to be flowing outwardly from him and around him/to any suitable conductor whenever streaks do leave his body.* 1. The MCU and the comics are different canons, and those canons furthermore contradict each other and are incompatible. Since the video specifically is referencing the MCU canon, nothing that happens in the comics is relevant to whether it makes sense, logically, for MCU Thor to not be immune to electricity. 2. People can *try* to argue that Thor inherently generates electricity flowing outwards from him, but they would be completely wrong if they did this, as it presents ignorance both of how lightning actually works as well as ignorance of the MCU Thor canon. A) Lightning does *not* flow from one place to another. It is not a fluid of any sort. In fact, lightning is defined as an electrostatic phenomenon, not an electrodynamic one. Nothing is actually moving, other than electrons. Lightning is simply what happens when the electrostatic potential difference between two objects insulated by the air is sufficiently high for a nonzero amount of electrons to flow from the power source. As such, INHERENTLY, any formation of lightning that Thor creates comes from the surface of whatever material the power source is made of. If the power source is himself, then the electric potential difference is between his skin and the skin of his target. That is simply it. There is no electricity he could generate from inside his skin because that is simply not how potential differences occur. And this gets me to the second point. B) Thor himself is NOT the power source. Despite the moniker of "God of Thunder," which more accurately SHOULD be "God of Lightning," we know canonically, from the very first Thor movie in the MCU, that he is not the source his own godliness, and therefore, not the source of his powers. In reality, we know Odin and Mjolnir are the source of those powers, and we know this because Odin has been shown to freely take Thor's powers away at will. And we know Mjolnir has to choose whether Thor is worthy at any time to wield him or not, and furthermore, most of the battles Thor wins invove Mjolnir. Thor's main strength is his ability to wear Mjolnir, without which we know he is weaker, almost by his own admission. Thor is more accurately described as the wielder of lightning, not the source of it. When he uses the powers, it's very clear he is telling the source of lighting to abide by his will. He isn't actually directly controlling it, though. He wouldn't classify as an electricity bender, if you catch my drift. He wills lightning, he doesn't control it. So, ultimately, what his power amounts to is to manipulate the polarity of objects to create electric potentials. More specifically, to create electric potentials between Mjolnir and the target. Yes, this is completely different in the comics, since he states in the comics that his power is not actual lighting, but literal magic powder just taking the form of lightning. But, let me repeat: that's irrelevant. This discussion is about MCU Thor, for whom it intuitively makes less sense to be shockable than comics Thor. *it seems unlikely that his manipulation of lightning strings from his body's natural tolerability to a skin effect* Not at all. In fact, it's the opposite: it's impossible for you to be hit by lightning without the skin effect coming into play. It just is. And again, there is no such a thing as "generating lightining from within himself." That only happens in the comics, because as I said, in the comics, there isn't actually any lightning involved, it's canonically just generic magic. In the MCU, which is what this discussion is about, this is never observed. His powers always are seen coming from Mjolnir, which form one end of the electric discharge, or from his skin, in the rarer occasions. *that would at least suggest that if Thor's body did follow a similar cell/tissue configuration* The video literally shows the opposite, making this conditional point moot. Sure, the consequences would contradict the movies if he had the body of an eel. He doesn't. The video made that very clear. Eels work very differently than lightning, which is why they probably wouldn't be immune to it. That's precisely what is being explained in the video. *One of those could be the ability to manipulate magnetic fields around him.* Which we know he doesn't have. If he did, he would be able to do MUCH more than just channel currents between objects. Besides, I hate to break it to you, but while you can generate small currents by manipulating magnetic fields, it is basically impossible to generate any form of lightning by manipulating magnetic fields. And as we established earlier, the canon makes pretty damn clear he only wields the lightning, he doesn't generate it. Unless you are suggesting that he would be able to make those fields through Mjolnir, but that's an unprovable assumption. And an explanation that relies on very nontrivial assumptions that would involve lore that wasn't given on the supernatural aren't valid. Sure, you could call it a hypothesis, but the goal of the video is not to provide a hypothesis about Thor's hidden powers, the video simply explains scientifically why being able to withstand lighting doesn't make you immune to subdermal high currents that go through conductirs. So it's a bad suggestion through and through. You either would have to change the laws of physics fundamentally, or you would have to observe a new variety of powers that Thor is very clearly implied to not have. *perhaps a secondary power maybe* One which is never observed in the series and is also not really implied to exist as there are not even hints? Yeah, sorry, no. Again, explanations are built from facts, not unprovable speculation. We can talk about superheroes having secondary powers which may make sense, but at the end of the day, those are just speculative. Thor has not been shown to have any secondary powers other than having superhuman physical attributes, which doesn't cover what we are talking about. *few of the superpowers we see superheroes have should come as a "single-bundle."* Keyword: *should.* Yes, I agree with you. But just because they shouldn't does not mean they don't in the actual canons. And that's the thing. *or how living underwater like Aquaman would require your body's muscles and and cells and ORGANS to be configured a certain way.* First of all, muscles are organs, so I don't understand why you group them separately. Second of all, that's not a secondary superpower, that's just the cause of the superpower itself to begin with.

[@inversionfn5005]

@Because Science..So what your saying is, with a lighting strike, it will go through the medium with the least resistance, but with a taser it is a more focused current so it can go through organs and organic material.

[@dragonweyr44]

Darcy in Thor 1 also tased Thor with a human made taser so Valkyrie's taser disc can't be THAT special but then again, he was depowered at the time

[@becausescience]

Good point! -- kH

[@NinjaBearFilms]

He was also getting knocked out by a car. But powered up he can take the full force of a dying star… so…

[@dragonweyr44]

@@NinjaBearFilms And, nigh indestructible enemies like the Destroyer, Surtur and Hela

[@DavidTheGamer27]

Darcy tased "human" Thor. Remember, at that point he had been stripped of his powers.

[@dragonweyr44]

@@DavidTheGamer27 That's what I said

[@NelielSugiura]

As an Electrical Engineer, I approve of this video. :)

[@hectorj.romanp.]

In the game Bioshock 2 there is a tonic that protects the player against electricity damage (loss of health) but electricity still hurts (the character groan and the controller vibrates indicating that he feels pain).

[@ajotti9037]

The device that was planted on Thor is called an "Obedience Disk" and not something as simple as a shock collar, it not only shocks the subject but it also deprives the subject of their powers, it has been used on the likes of Hulk, The Silver Surfer, and even Beta Ray Bill. The grandmaster is nearly 14 million years old in the comics so it's conceivable that he has technology far beyond our understanding of physics, to quote Arthur C. Clarke "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" or in this case, it looks like a simple device. Great Video Kyle, keep up the awesome work!!!

[@Seinari]

Seeing how powerful lightning strikes are and the survivability they have was quite shocking.

[@georgebourner3819]

Kyle, why is your eye red at nine mins in? secret super villain confirmed.

[@tuffnerd1605]

George Bourner I noticed that too. ???

[@Momentie13]

Reference to the eye thor gets in infinitey war

[@georgebourner3819]

@@Momentie13 makes sense, but not as fun as the idea of the void capturing Kyle and making a secret body double to spy on our reality.

[@LordofSyn]

@@georgebourner3819 Confirmed: Kyle Hill is Sentry?

[@rillegas08backup]

This video answers a question that's been bothering me since I first watched Ragnarok, but it makes a lot of sense. It seems that some of the most interesting powers have very similar weaknesses. We see it here with Thor and alternating current vs direct current, but I remember seeing a video years ago (might have been a Because Science video, but I can't remember) saying something similar about Magneto. That video mentioned that Magneto can control both positive and negative magnetic fields, but only one at a time. It was a nice tidbit that gave some interesting context to Magneto's powers.

[@dustyprater7884]

Great video! I have a question: What is the difference between the Skin Effect and the effect from a Faraday Cage? Thanks, keep up the good work. 😁

[@theinternet2116]

At 6:34 you drew either the direction of current wrong or you drew the direction of magnetic field wrong Because it doesn't follow right hand thumb rule Or It's simply because you drew it right but the final version of the video we see is a flipped version of the video

[@packaday266]

At 6:30, that is the PERFECT thor impression, it's actually crazy how good it is. Also, yes, I agree. He is an eggplant emoji.

[@thehalo2guy638]

@@doomsdayrecovery425 no need to be such an ass.

[@khartog01]

The shock discs from Sakaar target the nervous system directly.

[@timelord9532]

Hey Kyle love the show. Was wondering what happened with your right eye (Our left) during 8:58 to 9:06 minutes into the episode. I'm assuming its a contact but was just wondering.

[@graylinshowell7051]

This video would have been an ideal time to perform a practical demonstration of what a taser does. What, are you afraid of a few thousand volts?

[@becausescience]

I am. -- kH

[@PhilDockery]

Some of us would be interested in seeing if the current blew your clothes off..

[@TheMightyFoxxy]

Loved the swap on your right eye contact from 9:00 to 9:10 XD.

[@BelgorathTheSorcerer]

I almost got hit by lightning once. It struck a tree a few meters away from where I was standing. It was one of the most awesome and terrifying things I ever experienced. A few seconds before the strike, I could feel the energy building up in the air all around me. Every single hair on my body stood up just like if you were holding a static charged balloon next to them. Then it struck a big limb of the tree, which literally exploded. I don't know how I wasn't impaled by any of the slivers raining down. The flash was blinding and when my vision did return, the section of the tree that got hit was glowing red hot. I think it would have burned down the whole tree, if everything wasn't so wet at the time. The worst part was the deafening thunder clap. It was painfully loud, and I could feel the sound waves rippling through my whole body. My ears didn't stop ringing for weeks. If you ever played a shooter game, and been hit by a flashbang, that's pretty much the sensory effect it had on me. I'm not ashamed to say, I peed my pants some.

[@KingBongHogger]

"Strangled by an eggplant emoji" I'm fucking dead.

[@DemonButler16]

I think you should make downloadable worksheets to go along with your videos.

[@icecoldchilipreppers6496]

Could totally sell them for a small fee. Peeps would pay a couple bucks to follow along with the math themselves I bet.

[@DemonButler16]

@@icecoldchilipreppers6496 I sure as hell would!

[@aidenmiller3832]

Well, the taser in Thor Ragnarok probably released electricity subdermally, which would bypass his Skin Effect

[@angelmendez-rivera351]

Killteam65 Gaming Well, yes, that's basically what he said

[@Aguila1138]

Great video! Missed a chance for a Taserface reference 😉

[@exactlyexactly]

so if i’m inside a body of water and it gets struck would i die instantly? also why doesn’t thor die if lightning travels through the hammer and onto him?

[@shaggy4439]

Why is Thor talking about himself in third person?

[@theironmaster9917]

9:00 just thought I should point this out, your eye is red

[@JCintheBCC]

Yeah, what happened there?

[@becausescience]

Was it? -- kH

[@JCintheBCC]

@@becausescience, your right iris went solid red; not like a red-eye reflection in the pupil or something. At first I thought it was a reference to Thor losing his eye, but it wasn't mentioned and then it changed back.

[@theironmaster9917]

@@becausescience Some bright light entered your eye causing you to bleed then you healed quick or that scene was filmed last.

[@jaredfarmer4821]

I always thought of the "shocker" not as a taser but rather a little machine that injects a serum ur something that temporarily disables thor (note his veins becoming noticeably blue indicating something running through them). Just a thought

[@Mr.Indigo26]

6:13 is the best thor I've heard and seen

[@swanclipper]

stun gun and taser are the opposite to what you'd expect. a stun gun doesn't fire a projectile.

[@Nyteshift84]

Kyle goes half Scott Summers at 9:00 Minutes in? One eye glowing red? :P

[@heroichitsuji]

Sylverstarr That's a reference to Ragnarok, Infinity War, and Endgame. Spoiler warning, despite the fact you should have seen all these by now... But Thor loses his right eye in Ragnarok to Hela, rocket gives him an eye he stole in Infinity war (it was light brown) and he keeps this through Endgame.

[@Nyteshift84]

@@heroichitsuji Yeah, saw all these. I just didn´t make the connection to Thors Eye, because, as you said, it was light brown, almost amber, not red. Good call tho :)

[@KnightFallProd]

I fricking love this channel

[@Sentox24]

Nice use of Sigrun there!

[@verticalisland]

But lightning in his eyes? Is that how he can call his hammer? He is magnetic on a certain level? So, Thor and Magneto would be unstoppable.

[@tonuahmed4227]

As I remember he did pull a sword and helas minions with lightning from thor ragnarok

[@verticalisland]

@@tonuahmed4227 A sword might magnetized by a bolt of lightning, but he would not be able to pull it using lightning or minions. Also metal does not attract lightning.