Journey into Mystery #102
Slave of Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man!
With his power halved by Odin, Thor was easily defeated by Zarrko the Tomorrow Man.[1] In order to spare his own era from destruction, Thor agrees to return to the 23rd Century and do Zarrko’s bidding.[2] Little does Thor know that events have been manipulated by Loki who hopes to convince Odin to disown Thor forever.
Once they arrive in the 23rd Century, Zarrko quickly has Thor use his powers to disrupt society. Since there is no crime and virtually now weapons in this time, Thor is able to carry out Zarrko’s orders virtually unopposed. Eventually, the Techni-Guards, who are charged with protecting the machines that run this futuristic society, are sent to try and stop Zarrko. Per his master’s orders, Thor projects alpha particles from Mjolnir to shatter their weapons. Zarrko is unhappy and orders Thor to completely subdue them. Not wishing to harm innocent people, Thor instead reflects the suns rays off his hammer in such a way that it puts the Techni-Guards into a hypnotic trance.
From here, Zarrko takes Thor to the World Council and orders them to reveal the location of the Master Machine, the device that gives the council their orders. If they refuse, Zarrko threatens to unleash Thor upon them and gives them an hour to decide. On their way out, security activates their octo-bot to try and stop them. Even though Thor only has half of his strength, Thor is able to destroy the robot by plugging a vent emitting a poisonous gas long enough to cause an explosive build-up inside the robot. This is enough for the leader of the World Council to agree to Zarrko’s terms.
Soon, Zarrko and Thor are headed to the secret complex where the Master Machine is located. Zarrko tells Thor that he has one last task for him to carry out and then he will be released from his bond. Their attempts to get inside the facility are briefly hampered by a C-Bomb, which folds out into a cage that imprisons them in a field of heavy gravity. Luckily, Thor is able to muster the strength to take a swing and smash the cage with Mjolnir. Once inside, Zarrko reprograms the Master Machine to follow only his commands. After releasing Thor from his bond, Zarrko then tries to eliminate him with high-tech weapons that are inside the facility. Thor manages to ward off each one, forcing Zarrko into retreat. The villain goes to a computer bank and threatens to throw a switch that will cause the destruction of every city on Earth as well as the space stations that orbit the planet. While Zarrko is explaining this, Thor has been rubbing his hammer on the floor in order to absorb energy that it then channels into the Master Machine so that it can defend itself. Before Zarrko can pull the lever, he is suddenly ensnared in a sphere of solid energy, ending his threat.
Later, the World Council arrives to take Zarrko back into custody, and Thor is thanked for liberating their world. As it turns out, Thor managed to slip a note to the head of the council asking him to let Thor handle Zarrko in his own way. With the crisis over, Thor spins Mjolnir fast enough to break the time barrier and return to his own time. Watching this from Asgard, Odin is pleased to see that his son did not fail him. Loki is furious that his plan failed this time but vows that sooner or later he’ll defeat Thor.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Zarrko the Tomorrow Man, Odin, Loki
Continuity Notes
Thor’s strength was halved last issue. It’s not really brought up again after this.
This is not the future of Earth-616 but an alternate reality. Per All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #12, this reality has been designated Earth-6297.
Death Comes to Thor!
At 18 years old Thor has sought out the visions of the Norns, who can see the future.[1] They tell Thor that he will soon be able to wield the mystical hammer Mjolnir but first he must face death. Thor takes their cryptic vision to mean that he is destined to die soon but refuses to face his destiny with anything but courage.
Returning to Asgard, Thor tries to lift his hammer, and although he can hold it higher than ever before he still cannot claim it as his own. That’s when Balder comes rushing into the room and tells Thor that Frost Giants had ambushed him and kidnapped Sif. Angered by this news, Thor suddenly is able to raise Mjolnir over his head, finally claiming its true power.[2] Thor then rides to the domain of the Frost Giants and fights his way into the throne room of King Rugga. Rugga explains that he kidnapped Sif to give her to Hela, the goddess of death, in order to obtain immortality for himself.
Thor forces the location of Hela out of King Rugga and confronts the death goddess. Hela tells Thor that she will only release Sif if someone takes her place.[2] When Thor offers himself as a sacrifice Hela is so touched. She decides that she cannot take the life of someone so young and brave and allows Thor to take Sif back to Asgard.[3]
Recurring Characters
Thor, Balder, Sif, Hela, the Norns (Urd, Skuld, Verdandi), King Rugga
Continuity Notes
The Norns are not named here but they are identified as Klothos, Atropos, and Laecius in Thor #200-201. They are later referred to by their proper Nordic names of Urd, Skuld, and Verdandi in Defenders #66.
This story depicts Sif with blond hair. This story, depending on the source, takes place prior to the time when her hair was turned black. There are a number of conflicting information on this. See below.
Likewise, there are multiple different tellings of the time Thor first lifted Mjolnir. These differences are detailed below.
Errors
Balder refers to Sif as his sister. This is not correct. She is actually the sister of Heimdall. Although some Norse myths state that Balder and Heimdall are sons of Odin, this is not the case in the Marvel Universe. While Balder was later revealed to be a son of Odin in Thor (vol. 3) #10. Heimdall and Sif, according to Mighty Thor (vol. 2) #2, are the offspring of the Nine Goddesses that personify the sea.
Explaining Thor’s Power Loss
Thor losing half of his powers is never mentioned again after this issue. In fact, Thor is depicted as being able to summon the storms again next issue. One could assume that Odin’s spell wore off or stopped working as soon as Thor was brought to the future.
The Issue With Sif’s Hair
According to Norse mythology, Sif had long golden hair until Loki cut it off as a prank. When he was found out, Loki was ordered to replace the hair that Sif had lost. However, the hair that Loki wove for her was black as night. In the Marvel Universe, there is a bunch of conflicting accounts of this legend.
The first time the tale was told was in Thor Annual #5 and 11. Both of these stories depict both Thor and Sif as adults. However, Avengers Origins: Thor #1 and Thor: Son of Asgard #8 both tell this tale as happening much earlier just after the creation of Mjolnir when both Thor and Sif were still children.
Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Thor’s entry for Journey into Mystery #102 states that at least the account in Thor: Son of Asgard #8 was an error. However, that index was published prior to the release of Avengers Origins: Thor #1, so it does not comment on that. Further, there have not been any Handbooks that have been released to clarify this issue.
There are two possible explanations:
The first is the events of Thor #294 which reveals that Asgard goes through cycles of death and rebirth with the Asgardians reliving lives that are somewhat similar yet slightly different. It is entirely possible that these different accounts are from previous Ragnarok cycles. However, this theory would deeply disrupt established chronologies set out by the Marvel Chronology Project which were (at the time of publication) also used in the Thor Index mentioned above. Those chronologies set all of the above as happening in the most recent Ragnarok cycle that birthed the version of Thor seen in the Modern Age.
Another explanation is provided in Thor: God of Thunder #3, which revealed a cognitive limitation of the immortal Asgardians. According to that source, they have a limited capacity for memory and eventually old memories grow dim and fade. I would suspect that they also get muddled or mixed up, which would explain all of the conflicting stories of Asgardian myth.
Thor Raised His Hammer
Likewise, with Sif’s hair, there are multiple accounts of the day that Thor first lifted Mjolnir.
Thor Annual #11 states that Thor did not wield Mjolnir during his clashes with the Frost Giants nor did he have it when he faced Hela and bargained for Sif’s return. This version of events states that Odin awarded Thor with Mjolnir afterward to reward his son for his bravery.
Thor: Son of Asgard #11-12 depicts that Thor returned home from his visit to the Norns in time to participate in the battle with the Storm Giants and later actually clashed with Hela and won both his and Sif’s freedom by combat. In this account, Sif has black hair.
Avengers Origins: Thor #1: Also depicts Thor arriving during the attack, but catches Loki trying to lift Mjolnir before trying himself. In this account, Sif also has black hair.