The Domination Factor

This story continues from Domination Factor: Fantastic Four #4.7….

The Avengers and the Fantastic Four were sent on a mission across time to recover the slices of a Golden Apple in order to preserve the timeline. While they succeeded in their mission, Thor’s younger self was killed in the process, altering history. Our heroes now find themselves trapped in a world where Knorda, Queen of the Mountain Giants, rules the planet Earth thanks to her Praxis Corporation.[1]

Taking possession of their counterparts in this reality, the two teams are racing against time as their minds conform to this new reality and they forget the one that they came from. This job made all the more difficult without their powers and abilities. To make matters worse, Loki has become aware of their plans. However, the trickster god mocks them and their futile attempt before disappearing once more.[2]

They know that the change to history has something to do with someone named Thor, a member of the Avengers that they no longer remember. The group then splits up into two teams: One using Steve Rogers’ access to government records to learn what happened to Thor in the past, while the other group try and commandeer the time machine that is being developed for Praxis by Victor Von Doom. They are guided by the Vision who doesn’t have an analogue in this era, but is able to briefly take possession of machines to help them on their mission.

Meanwhile, Loki tries to get Knorda to accept this new reality and the fact that she is the queen of Midgard. However, she rejects his offerings and tells him to begone. That’s when the trickster becomes aware that the mortals are trying to undo his work and tries to interfere with their plans. The heroes succeed in getting the information they need and securing the time ship, even briefly regaining their former powers to get the job done. Loki then steps in by summoning the two Mountain Giants he turned into wooden statue to attack them. Suddenly, a statue of Thor arrives and begins fighting the giants on behalf of the heros. Knorda then appears and uses the power of her Golden Apple to banish Loki.

Knowing how history was changed, Knorda sends the heroes into the time stream while she sends her spirit into the past and prevents Loki from orchistrating events that will see Thor get killed thousands of years before his time. In this era, she obtains the assistance of Odin and the pair combine their magic to trap Loki in a tree until the day someone sheds a tear for him and release him from his prison.[3]

With the timeline restored, Knorda returns to her body in the present day, which has been reverted back to a dying old woman. This time she embraces her death and accepts Hela when she comes to claim her soul. Meanwhile, events are interrupted to prevent the hunt for the Golden Apple from ever happening as instead of a Golden Apple, the King of Norway gifts the President with a statue of Knorda instead.[4]

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Vision), Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Odin, Loki, Hela, Knorda

Continuity Notes

1. The death of Thor thousands of years in the past is the cause of the timeline change, as seen last issue. This reality is designated Earth-1000 per Marvel Encyclopedia: Fantastic Four.

2. As explained in Domination Factor: Fantastic Four #4.7, Tony Stark is wearing a mask over his face because the Fantastic Four don’t know his true identity. This is not entirely true, as Reed Richards learned Tony’s true identity years earlier through their membership in the Illuminati, as revealed in New Avengers: The Illuminati (vol. 2) #1. Since this is a secret group that the others don’t know about, Tony and Reed are likely keeping up appearances.

3. While this seems like the prison Loki will remain until he is freed in the present day circa Journey into Mystery #85, it is not. Loki won’t end up in that final prison until after the events of Journey into Mystery #-1.

4. This story runs parallel with Domination Factor: Fantastic Four. Ultimately this series ends with history diverging Earth-616 with Earth-8921. From the perspective of the Fantastic Four the divergent point in history is at the moment where Tony Stark asks Reed to observe the golden statue on the plane as seen in Domination Factor: Fantastic Four #1.1 and Domination Factor: Avengers #4.8.