Thornado

"I spent my whole life trying to kill them. Now look at me." - Stoick the Vast, Dragon Flower

Thornado (a combination of Thor and Tornado) is Stoick the Vast's Thunderdrum who first appeared in How to Pick Your Dragon. He was named for having the "power of Thor" and the "ferocity of a Tornado" and besides, its the only thing he responds to.

In Dragons: Riders Of Berk
In How to Pick Your Dragon, Thornado is first mentioned as a rogue dragon wreaking havoc on the Hairy Hooligan's fishing ships. Stoick and Hiccup, on Toothless' back, find it while it's battling Mulch and Bucket and blowing their ship to pieces with sonic blasts. Stoick challenges the dragon, and drives it into the water. However, Thornado's tail grabs Stoick, pulling it down with him. Stoick is able to grab the dragon, and Hiccup, Toothless, Mulch, and Bucket watches them wrestle.

Admiring the Thunderdrum's powerful fighting spirit and spunk, Stoick traps Thornado in a net and declares he wants him trained as his own dragon. The next day, Thornado's mouth is muzzled, and Hiccup instructs Stoick to make sure the dragon can trust him. However, Thornado won't let Stoick touch him, and Stoick gets frustrated and wrestles the dragon once again. Stoick tries to ride him, and they tumble away from Berk. Thornado manages to throw Stoick off his back and escapes to an island. Hiccup and Stoick gathers the gang, and they try to find Thornado.



Hiccup and Stoick finds Thornado, and they find out he had been protecting and feeding his friend (why he was stealing their fish), a violet Thunderdrum with an injured wing hidden in a small cave. Though refered to as male by Stoick and Hiccup, it is popular theory among fans that this Thunderdrum is a female and Thornado's Mate. Stoick tells Hiccup to get the gang to help him, while he confronts the dragon. After Hiccup and Toothless leave, Stoick tries to reassure Thornado, but a group of hungry wild boars arrive to prey on the injured dragon. Stoick, later with help from Thornado, fights the boars. After they take out the first wave of boars together, Stoick and Thornado come together to protect the injured Thunderdrum and bond at last. The second wave of boars charge, but Stoick removes the muzzle, allowing Thornado to blast the boars with sonic power. Hiccup and help arrive, and they rescue the injured dragon, bring it home, while Gobber treats its injuries. Thornado then goes on to assist Stoick in his chiefing duties.

In Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Young Man Stoick rides Thornado while searching for Hiccup. Thornado's only appearances are waiting for Stoick and Gobber on the beach, and standing by the other dragons while the kids try to save Hiccup.

In Dragon Flower Thornado appears more in this episode as Stoick rides him to the Shivering Shores while revealing his name. It is also shown that while Stoick has earned his trust, Thornado is very stubborn as he tries to buck Stoick off him, much like Snotlout and Hookfang, but Stoick has the strength and tenacity to stay on and command Thornado. When Stoick and Thornado return, the Thunderdrum goes ill by the Blue Oleanders that Mildew planted. Stoick immediately rushes to Thornado's aid by comforting him, putting a pillow under his head, and gets an anti-venom from the Scauldron. Thornado is cured after the ordeal blows over.

Thornado has made brief appearances in What Flies Beneath, Defiant One, Breakneck Bog, Gem of a Different Color, and We Are Family Part I. In We Are Family Part II, he and the Academy dragons work together to save Hiccup and Toothless from the Outcasts.

In Dragons: Defenders of Berk
In Live and Let Fly, Thronado's saddle was modified by Gobber the Belch - at Stoick's request - to improve manoeuvrability, just in time for Stoick to patrol the island after he created a ban on flight. Both Stoick and Thornado should have adhered to the ban as well but Stoick did not wish to stop riding Thornado so used patroling as an excuse. Thornado chased after the Dragon Riders when Ruffnut and Tuffnut blew their cover in the cluds but only succeeded in tracking Fishlegs and Meatlug. Later, he and Toothless combined forces and their attacks to drive off Alvin and his fellow Outcasts with the help of their riders, Stoick and Hiccup, respectively.

In Tunnel Vision, Thornado and Stoick helped the other riders defend Berk from an attack, conducted by Whispering Death hatchlings. After, initially, succeeding in driving off the Whispering Death, the Screaming Death soon revealed itself and managed to knock Hiccup and Toothless out of the sky, prompting Thornado to save the two of them with his Sonic Blast. He and Stoick continued to handle the Whispering Death's while the other riders gave chase to the Screaming Death.

In Frozen, Thornado stood guard over Stoick in the cove when he had been paralysed by six Speed Stingers, after they crossed the frozen sea and raided Berk. Later, when Stoick recovered, the two of them flew towards the Speed Stinger nest, just in time to save the other dragon riders from getting stung by the Horde after they had captured the Alpha.

In The Eel Effect, Thornado is seen alongside Barf and Belch, Hookfang, and the trained terrible terrors listening to Snotlout's nonsensical speech about a dragon rebellion.

Abilities and Skills

 * Super Strength: Thornado has extreme strength, being able to support both Stoick the Vast and Gobber the Belch without any signs of stress, as well as being used to tow two ships out to sea with Stoick on his back. His tail strength can grab Stoick easily to lift. In Live and Let Fly, Stoick caught a boulder fired from a catapult while flying Thornado, and the dragon did not even flinch.
 * Sonic Roar: As a Thunderdrum it can deliver a powerful sonic blast (see Fire Varieties). This can either be launched as a scattering wave to push smaller objects away, or concentrated to be strong enough to knock down larger foes. It has proven powerful enough to briefly stun a Screaming Death. When combined with Toothless's Plasma Blast, the resulting shower of sparks can disorient a foe and cause widespread damage.
 * Aquatic: Thornado, being a Tidal Class dragon, is fully capable of traveling at great speeds under water.
 * Fighting skills: Thornado is an excellent fighter having fought against Stoick the vast using his headbutt and tailwhip. He was also able to fight wild boars with his tail.
 * Loyalty: Thornado is showed to be loyal to Stoick, seen standing at his side when Stoick was paralyzed from the Speed Stingers venom. This shows his concern about his rider

​Trivia

 * LIke Toothless, Thornado has been shown (inconsistently) with a bridle and saddle, or completely without.
 * Despite belonging to Stoick, Thornado is not a part of the Dragon Academy, and thus does not make as many appearances as the other dragons.
 * Despite the fact that Stoick appears frequently in Thawfest and When Lightning Strikes, Thornado does not.
 * He is the first Thunderdrum to make an actual physical appearance as the ones in Book of Dragons only make cameos, not something to do in a major plot or appear physically and interact with the riders.
 * The tamable Thunderdrum in Wild Skies resembles Thornado in a way.
 * He is the first Thunderdrum to be tamed.
 * Apparently, Thornado is stronger than Toothless. He can carry Stoick while pulling two ships out of the harbor without any struggling, whereas Toothless could barely fly with Stoick riding him because Stoick couldn't fly him.
 * Gobber said he can Stoick riding on a "fire-breathing reptile," but Thunderdrums are one of the few dragons that do not breath fire.
 * The reason Stoick gave Thornado his name is because he "has the power of Thor and ferocity a of tornado, and it was the only thing he answered to".
 * Despite being a Tidal Class dragon Thornado is shown to stay on land for long periods of time while Scauldy could not. It can also be assumed that Thornado is in the water during the episodes where Stoick is present while Thornado isn't.
 * He is much smaller than the Thunderdrums seen in the How to Train Your Dragon 2 teaser.