Gods and Monsters, Part 1

Three Weeks Ago

SHIELD director Maria Hill watches news footage capturing the Hulk helping shut down a terrorist cell in the nation of Moldavia. Now that the general public is aware that SHIELD has the Hulk in their roster, the organization is starting to be scrutinized. Hill dumps a bunch of pills into a glass of water. She considers drinking it, but she is distracted by a ping alerting her of an e-mail. She sees that it is regarding Bruce Banner's assistant, Patricia Wolman. Maria slams the glass down and reads the confidential communique.

Now

Bruce Banner has started a personal journal to keep track of his work and his thoughts, as a private way of sticking it to Director Hill. He comments on the reason why he selected the assistants that he did, and it was because each has their own secrets to hide. At first, he wasn't entirely certain the full scope of Patricia's secret but eventually, he figures out that she clumsily almost spills a cup of coffee and makes Banner drop his tablet on the ground. However, Bruce keeps his emotions in check and has the group get ready for their next experiment. He uses the sliver of Uru taken from Thor's hammer and uses it to power a device that opens a portal to Asgard. Elsewhere, Thor is awoken from his sleep by a discharge of energy from Mjolnir. Having everyone suit up in SHIELD bio-suits he leads an expedition through the portal, leaving Melinda Leucenstern behind to keep an eye on things there.

Soon, Banner is leading his team through the portal and they have a rough landing in the middle of Jotunheim. Their arrival does not go unnoticed, as the Frost Giants that live in the region become aware of their presence immediately. Bruce then goes over the mission with his assistants, telling them that they have come looking to get a sample of Eiderdürm, a liquid that he hopes to use as a coolant for new superconductors that will leapfrog humanity ten years ahead of completely abandoning fossil fuels. When they arrive at a waterfall of Eiderdürm, they are approached by Thor, who was drawn there by his hammer. Banner explains that it was likely because of the Uru they used to open a portal to Asgard. Bruce is shocked to discover that Thor doesn't recognize him. When Thor demands to know how they got ahold of Uru, Bruce questions if that is truly what he is upset with, or the fact that mortals were able to create their own bridge to Jotunheim. Hearing that they are mortals brings the Thor a great deal of joy, as he has not interacted with any for some time. This confirms to Bruce that they not only traveled to Asgard, but they also traveled to the past. Still, Thor warns them of the Frost Giants and how they are incredibly protective.

No sooner has Thor said this that they are suddenly ambushed by a group of Frost Giants. Thor tries to fend them off with Mjolnir, telling the humans to stay back. When Banner tries to help, he is trapped in a block of ice by one of the Frost Giants. When the others try to free him, another Frost Giant tries to stop them. They shoot at it but to no avail. Thor shatters its hand with his hammer and warns the humans to run for cover. One of the giants manages to sneak up on Thor and strike a blow that separates him from Mjolnir and sends him flying across the snow-covered wastelands. By this point, Banner has turned into the Hulk and busted free from his icy prison. The Hulk then lashes into the Frost Giants and when he sees Mjolnir resting in the snow he attempts to pick the enchanted weapon up. Much to the surprise of the Frost Giants, the Hulk is seemingly able to lift Thor's hammer and proclaims himself worthy to hold the hammer of Thor.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, SHIELD (Maria Hill, Randall Jessup, Daman Veteri, Patricia Wolman, Melinda Leucenstern), ROB, Thor, Frost Giants

Continuity Notes

• An explanation as to how Thor could have met Bruce Banner/the Hulk centuries before they "first" met (in Avengers #1) is given in Thor: God of Thunder #3. In that story it is stated that even though the Asgardians are practically immortal, their brain capacity is limited, causing some memories to fade with time.