The Replacement Thor, Part 1

After venturing into Hades to rescue his father, Hercules has succeeded — in a sense. After drinking the waters of the River Lithe, Zeus has been transformed into his younger self with no memory of his past. Driving back from Atlantic City, Hercules and Athena get the confused boy up to speed on what happened and who they are.[1] Thats when their SUV is attacked by Harpies sent by Hera. Athena dives into battle, ordering Hercules to get Zeus to safety with the Avengers, as they planned.

However, Hercules stops down the road to make a pit stop and use the can. There, Zeus is upset that they ran from battle and tries to exert his authority over his adult son. The two argue until they are interrupted by Balder the Brave who is being chased Dark Elves of Svartalfheim. Hercules uses their ride to smash the attackers. Hercules then harangues Balder for not using the elves weakness to steal against them, pointing out that he is dressed in steel armor and carries a sword. So much so that Balder can’t get a word in edgewise to warn him that one of his attackers is actually a troll. It attacks Hercules, but before he can win the fight, the troll is struck down by a bolt of lightning. Fearing that Thor has arrived, the Dark Elves flee from the scene of battle. However, the lightning wasn’t caused by Thor at all, but young Zeus, who has just discovered that he has control over the weather.

With the battle now over, Balder says that he needs Hercules’ help as Thor has been banished from Asgard after murdering his grandfather.[2] When seeing the animosity between Zeus and Hercules, Balder suggests that Herc use an adventure to forge the boy into worthiness. He then suggests that he bring the boy on the mission ahead. Herc tries to explain how he needs to put Zeus somewhere safe where Hera can’t get him, but Zeus refuses to be left behind. Hercules figures the problem with the Asgardians probably involves Malekith the Dark Elf, and looks forward to getting a rematch.[3]

However, Hercules is instantly taken aback when Balder’s sorcerer conjures up an image of the threat. It is the beautiful Queen Alflyse, ruler of the Eastern Spires. They claim that she is developing new engines of destruction that threaten Asgard. Hercules and Zeus both want to get involved just to meet the attractive elf and both agree not to tell Athena. Since the Dark Elves only fear Thor, Balder has is magician cast a spell that transforms Hercules’ clothes into the armor currently worn by the thunder god. When presented with a replica of Mjolnir, Hercules crushes it in his bare hands as it will not suffice to maintain this ruse.

Instead, they head to a storage locker in Paterson, New Jersey, where he has stashed his most prized possession: His Adamantine mace.[4] It is nigh indestructible and a suitable replacement for Mjolnir. With that, another spell is cast to make the mace look the part.

To begin their journey, the travel to Washington, DC, where the Axis Mundi or center of the world exists. There, Zeus can see the phantom image of Atlas holding the sky aloft on his back as well as the center points of various other religions that exist in this spot. This reminds Hercules of his recent battle with the Amazons over the Axis Mundi, which brings up memories of Amadeus Cho. Hercules is still raw about Cho leaving him and doesn’t want to talk about it.[5]

From here, they access the Nine Worlds of Asgard via the roots of the World Tree Yggdrasil. As they follow the root system to Svartelfheim, Hercules spots a goblin called a Kallikantzaroi, who spend most of the year trying to cut down Yddrasil. The first one they see is small and cowardly and runs away. However, as they round the trunk of the World Tree they come across a party of even more imposing goblins. Combining his strength with Zeus’ lightening, Hercules manages to trounce the goblins. Soon they reach the gate that will take them to their destination. Unable to read the runes and not knowing how to open the gate, Hercules thinks about what Amadeus would do in this situation. He gets bored thinking of this as he would listening to the real Cho and instead decides to smash the gate open with “Mjolnir”. On the other side they find a war party of trolls waiting for them.

This is all observed by “Balder” through and enchanted mirror. He boasts about how he has so thoroughly tricked the Olympian. As it turns out, this wasn’t Balder at all, but Malekith the Accursed in disguise. He laughs over the fact that he will soon rule over the Nine Worlds!

Recurring Characters

Hercules, Zeus, Athena, Malekith, Alfyse, Atlas

Continuity Notes

1. Zeus was killed when Olympus was invaded by the Japanese god known as Amatsu-Mikaboshi in Ares #1-5. Hercules ventured to Hades to resurrect him in Incredible Hercules #129-131. He will remain in as a child until Incredible Hercules #141.

2. Thor was tricked into slaying Bor in Thor #600. Here, Hercules scoffs at the idea of being punished by this. This is because the Olympians have a long history of sons slaying fathers and grandfathers. Ouranos was slain by his son Cronos, as told in Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica #1 (it has not been depicted in the fiction) and we saw how Zeus and his brothers slew Cronos in Incredible Hercules #130.

3. Hercules has issue with the fact that Malekith essentially cock blocked him with the Cask of Ancient Winters. See Avengers #249 and Thor #350-353.

4. Hercules mentions the fall of Olympus (Ares #1-5) and the super hero civil war (Civil War #1-7) here.

5. Hercules fought the Amazons over control of the Axis Mundi in Incredible Hercules #121-125. Amadeus Cho left Hercules last issue to search for his long lost sister and because he suspects that Athena knew she survived and told him nothing. We won’t see his sister, Maddy, until Totally Awesome Hulk #1.