WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of Record of Ragnarok, now streaming on Netflix.
In Netflix's Record of Ragnarok, the legendary Zeus signals his intent off the bat to stop Brunhilde's human representatives from Earth, using Thor as his first warrior. He wants to set the tempo and get the gods to seven tournament wins ASAP so they can raze the planet and wipe mankind out -- but shockingly, Thor finds his opponent, the Chinese warlord known as Lü Bu, to be quite a handful.
The warlord has a mystical halberd powered by the soul of the Valkyrie, Randgriz, and it cuts the Thunder God up badly in their bout. However, Thor proves that no matter how much resistance he faces, he's better than his Marvel Cinematic Universe counterpart in one frightening aspect.
Chris Hemsworth's Thor botched the kill against Thanos in Wakanda at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. He had the Mad Titan at his mercy but when he flung Stormbreaker, the axe plunged into the villain's shoulder. Thanos taunted him about how he should have gone for the head, but Thor simply wanted to gloat.
It was sweet revenge as Thanos had killed many Asgardians, but Thor's bit of ego came at a huge cost. Thanos had time to then enact the Snap, taking half of all life out in the galaxy. This would lead to the time-heist in Endgame, where the Odinson did take Thanos' head off after realizing he burnt out the Infinity Stones. Still, it was too little too late, and this guilt drove Thor to an eating disorder.
Record of Ragnarok's, Thor, while haughty, doesn't joke around as he realizes Lü Bu can kill him with his weapon. It culminates in the god using his iconic throw to generate momentum before dropping the Thor's Hammer move down, generating an electric storm. This time, he employs the more powerful Geirröd version as he wants to be done with Lü Bu. The warlord suffered broken legs in the fight but was able to mount the steed, Red Hare, and charge in for a final missive, making this the perfect chance for Thor to end things.
As such, the blast leaves Lü Bu without an arm. Thor then rips the other arm off with his mouth to show he's a true savage who can't be underestimated. But as the warlord rushes in on the horse once more, Thor cracks him with the hammer, with the swing taking Lü Bu's head clean off.
It's a gory, shocking scene, scaring Lü Bu's human supporters in the arena as well as Zeus' pantheon. It's methodical, calculated and totally unforgiving, ensuring Lü Bu's essence dissipates. Thor didn't want to risk any more Valkyrie power-ups, ending the fight emphatically and respectfully. It sends a message to Brunhilde that -- unlike his Marvel counterpart -- Record of Ragnarok's Thor doesn't miss or kid around, while giving the Chinese hero a perfectly honorable death.
