Destroyer

The Destroyer is a magical suit of armor built by Odin, but is used by Thor's brother, Loki.

Thor
The Destroyer is a powerful Asgardian weapon, used to guard Odin's weapons' room. It's activated by the king's sceptre.

When some Frost Giants manage to enter the weapons' room in Asgard, using a secret passage between the realms discovered by Loki, and try to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters, Odin, who's seen them through his omniscient eye, activates the Destroyer, which appears from behind a wall and annihilates the Giants, vaporizing them with his optical beam.

Some time later, when Thor has been banished to Earth, Loki, who's obtained the throne of Asgard since his father has fallen into a regenerative coma, the Odinsleep, sends the Destroyer to the world of mortals, giving him the task to kill Thor and destroy everything on his path. Once on Earth, the Destroyer starts a rampage in the small town in New Mexico in which the god has been sent. At first, the Destroyer is confronted by the Warriors Three and Sif, who have come to Earth in order to take Thor back. Volstagg is punched away, while Sif manages to pierce the Destroyer where his troath should be. The Destroyer, after a brief time inactive, rebuilds himself inverting front and rear, and attacks Sif, knocking her down. He then starts to use his optical blast to annihilate his enemies, making the Asgardians flee. Thor alone, with nothing but his human body, approaches the Destroyer, and through it he talks to Loki, who's watching the scene from Asgard. When Thor offers his life for protecting his friends' ones, Loki with no hesitation has the Destroyer attack and kill his stepbrother. His sacrifice, anyway, made Thor worthy of wielding Mjolnir once more, and so he comes back to his god status. Once he has his powers back, Thor creates a tornado, lifting the Destroyer in the air. When the weapon charges another blast, Thor electrifies Mjolnir and puts it on the Destroyer's helmet, thus making it explode once the blast is shot.

Fury's Big Week
The Destroyer was collected by S.H.I.E.L.D. after Thor defeated it and is kept in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. A year later, scientists from SHIELD, managed to reactivate the energy of the Destroyer, after that, Phil Coulson ordered them to disband, and it turned into weapons.

The Avengers
During Loki's escape from his prison on the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier, Phil Coulson attacked the god with a gun made from the Destroyer's body, actually sending him flying through a wall on his second attempt, proving its effectiveness.

Character traits
The Destroyer is a mindless weapon, which completes every task assigned by the ruler of Asgard, whoever he might be. It has enormous powers, among which superhuman strength and durability, energy projection from the head, and the capability of remodeling itself during battle. Once the Destroyer is engaged in a task, it completes it, whatever the cost.

Powers
While not as powerful as the comic version, nonetheless, the Destroyer is one of the most powerful non-living weapons in the MCU. The Destroyer operates at the behest of whomever holds Gungnir, the Asgardian ruler's spear, and can therefore be used for good or for evil depending on who sits on the throne. It can also therefore be stopped by an attack on its vulnerable master. The Destroyer is programmed solely for battle and destruction.
 * Strength: The Destroyer's large size and construction gives it a formidable physical power, enough to bat away a car hurled at it with apparent ease and swat Thor back several feet with one hit (although Thor was temporarily human at the time).
 * Durability: The Destroyer is constructed of alien materials that makes it highly resistant to damage. Even when pierced by an Asgardian lance it was able to continue functioning and remove it from its body and showed no signs of damage from it.
 * Energy Blast: The Destroyer has an unknown internal power that can be unleashed through an aperture in its head. When it does this, part of the facial structure retracts downward into the lower face and the energy discharge lances out in an orange-white beam. The touch of this beam is enough to blast a car to pieces or vaporise a living being. At full power, it nearly devastetd half of the town.

Relationships

 * Odin - Master.
 * Loki - Master.
 * Asgardians - Allies.
 * Frost Giants - Enemies.

Trivia

 * S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson mistakes The Destoryer as one of Tony Stark's armors, in the comics Stark designs The Thorbuster armor which is to be used against Thor if he turns evil.
 * In the comics, the Destroyer needs a soul to possess it to be activated, like an armor, while in the movie is more like a robot who acts on his own once given a comand.
 * The film version of the Destroyer is a lot less durable than in the comics. In the film, the Destroyer is run through with a sword by Sif and later is demolished by Thor at full power. In the comics, it is totally indestructible, only able to be stopped once the person controlling it is.
 * It is interesting to note that Tony Stark's "Mighty" armor from the ongoing Fear Itself storyline, bears a striking resemblence to The Destroyer.

Behind the scenes

 * The portrayal of the Destroyer in the movie is a homage to the alien robot Gort from the science fiction cult  The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Appearances

 * Canon (1 films)
 * Thor (First appearance)
 * The Avengers (mentioned)