Thor Corps #4
What I Did For Love!
Dargo Ktor, the Thor of the 24th Century, has had his wife kidnapped by his foe Demonstaff.[1] The villain is using Salla as a means to force Dargo to rescue Demonstaff’s long lost wife Ellene from another dimension. To help him in this quest, Dargo has recruited the present day heroes Beta Ray Bill and Thunderstrike.
When Ellene proved to be living in Elsewhen of her own free will, Demonstaff then set about tearing down the barriers in order to collapse the entire multiverse. In order to stop him, the Thor Corps have combined their power to summon the one true Thor to lead them into the final battle.
They appear before Warlord Kargul — ruler of Elsewhen — and Thor announces that they will succeed in stopping Demonstaff and restore the multiverse.
In the corridors between time and space, Demonstaff continues shattering the barriers, various dimensions and times to begin merging with one another. His hostage, Salla Ktor wife of Dagor, decides that she is no longer going to play the helpless victim anymore. She tries attacking Demonstaff from behind. He easily overpowers and so she changes tactics by pleading to stop, saying that she would do anything to spare the life of her beloved Dagor. This angers Demonstaff who is jealous of their love because Ellene has rejected him. He has decided that if he cannot have true love and happiness, nobody in all existence will either.
Back in Elsewhen, the Thor Corps question Ellene about the accident that turned her husband Hallan Garko into Demonstaff. This is because they have already heard two different accounts of events already and want to get the story right. Ellene confirms that Hallan was hired to create a dimensional portal for Adcorp. However, her version of events paint a very different picture. Hallan was an absent husband who neglected his wife in order to focus all of his energy on his work. One day she went to surprised Garko at work and caught his boss, Adcorp COO Citizen Dunbar, fiddling with some of the equipment. When she tried to stop him, the explosion that transformed Hallan happened. Seeing how her husband was transformed, Ellene went to work for Adcorp to finish his work in the hopes of finding a cure for his condition. However, that’s when she found herself sucked into a dimensional portal. She remained lost for a while until she was found and rescued by Warlord Kargul. She then convince him to help her find her way back home, which took some time as there were all sorts of myrade dimensions to sort through. Unfortunately, by the time they finally found her home reality, Hallan had already gone mad, started blaming her for his accident, and became Demonstaff.
That’s when Demonstaff appears before them, who denies the truth behind the accident as nothing more than an illusion. He then tells the Thors that he has come on behalf of Salla who has requested her husband return to him. Although the others are reluctant to let him go, Dargo agrees to accompany Demonstaff back to where he is keeping his wife prisoner. Stamping his hammer on the ground, Dargo reverts back to his mortal form. He then hands his enchanted walking stick over to Thor, telling the thunder god to keep it safe for him. Once he is made powerless, Dargo is teleported away along with Demonstaff.
When they arrive in the corridors between time and space, Demonstaff uses his powers to try and tempt Dargo into giving up his love for Salla. Ktor rejects the offer of riches, a kingdom of warriors, and a harem of beautiful women in exchange for his wife. He then tries to drown Dargo in a pool of liquid but even then Dargo refuses to keep fighting for his wife. Angry that his foe won’t give into temptation, Demonstaff frees him and returns Salla to his side. As the two lovers are happily reunited, the madman then decides to kill one of them but gives the couple a chance to decide which one it will be.
However, before a decision can be made, Demonstaff is ambushed by a barrage of lightning bolts. This signals the arrival of Thor, Beta Ray Bill, and Thunderstrike, who were able to lock onto Demonstaff’s energy signature and follow him to his hideout. Upon arriving, Thunderstrike hands Dargo is walking stick so he can change back into his Thor identity. Furious, Demonstaff summons an army of demons to attack his foes. As they plow through this horde, Beta Ray Bill manages to throw his hammer — Strombreaker — at their foe, shattering the weapon he uses to access the multiverse. With his demon horde banished to whence they came, Thor and the others combine the power of their enchanted weapons to try and repare the damage to the multiversal barriers.
However, this is not enough to stop the multiverse from collapsing. Seeing that she has no choice, Ellene leaps into Kargul’s viewing pool, transporting her to Demonstaff’s location. She then reveals to her estranged husband that the staff he used didn’t actually work, that his dimensional powers were within him this entire time. She then offers to sacrifice her life in place of all existence, saying she’d rather die than let all of creation get snuffed out. Seeing that she is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice causes Demonstaff to reassert some of his sanity. He then tells Ellene that no matter what, he will always love her. Demonstaff then transforms into energy and merges with the energies channeled through the Thor Corps’ weapons, giving it the power its needs to repair all reality.
Our heroes then find themselves returned to the points where they were taken from. Eric Masterson appears just in time to push his son Kevin out of the way of a speeding car. Beta Ray Bill returns to his home world and saves some of his people from a carnivorous plant. Dargo and Salla are returned to the 24th century where they try to process everything they experienced. Salla is still horrified by how insane Demonstaff was and wonders what will become of him and Ellene. Dargo admits that they probably will never know.
Demonstaff survived, but has been banished to an eternal void as punishment for the damage he wrought. There he is visited by Warlord Kargul who tells Hallan that he will remain here for all time. However, he won’t be alone, as Ellene has decided to come and live with him. Hallan can hardly believe it. After Kargul leaves, Ellene notices that her husband’s voice is different and removes his mask. They are both delighted to discover that Hallan has been restored back to normal and the pair kiss. Happily reunited at last, Halan and Ellene Garko promise to make the best of whatever time they have left together.
Recurring Characters
Thor Corps (Thor, Beta Ray Bill, Dargo Ktor, Thunderstrike), Demonstaff, Warlord Kargul, Ellene Gorko, Salla Ktor, Kevin Masterson
Continuity Notes
Dargo Ktor’s future timeline exists in Reality-8710 per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3. Salla was kidnapped in Thor Corps #1.
Topical References
References to the present day taking place in the 20th century should be considered topical. The Sliding Timescale has pushed the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward in time enough that it does not begin until after the start of the 21st century.
