The Thunder God Strikes Back!

While battling Cobra and Mister Hyde, Thor’s hammer has been plucked away and hidden inside a machine. He now has sixty-seconds to get his hammer back otherwise he will revert back into Donald Blake. Realizing that there is no way he can get his hammer back in time, Thor rips up the floor to trip up his enemies. He then runs into the nearby crowd which covers his transformation back into Don Blake.

As the Cobra and Mister Hyde look for Thor, Don Blake tries to recover his walking stick but can’t reach it inside the machine. Meanwhile, outside, the police surround the convention center and order the Cobra and Mister Hyde to surrender. The two villains then threaten to harm the crowd trapped inside if Thor won’t show himself. This forces Don Blake to come out and offer to show them how to find Thor again. The people in the crowd then begin shaming Blake for helping the villains out until Hyde orders them to be silent. Blake asks them to retrieve his walking stick from the machine first.

The Cobra crawls into the machine, contorting his body to fit in the tight spaces inside. Unfortunately, the walking stick is out of reach and he comes back to report his failure. Mister Hyde is less delicate, using his great strength to rip the machine to shreds. Getting his cane back, Don then races back into the crowd using the cover to once again change into Thor. The thunder god goes after the Cobra first. Throwing Mjolnir he snares Cobra’s foot in the hammer’s thong and it pulls the villain into Thor’s grasp. By this time Mister Hyde has activated a machine that begins blasting Thor with a powerful burst of air. Anchoring himself by smashing Mjolnir through the floor, Thor then channels a lightning bolt from the hammer to the machine, causing the device to explode. He then tosses the Cobra into Mister Hyde.

That’s when the police come rushing into the room to arrest the two villains. Mister Hyde manages to break free and — unknowingly taking a page from Thor — uses the crowd to cover him while he drinks his counter-formula and changes back into Calvin Zabo. While the Cobra is taken into police custody, Calvin Zabo decides to follow Thor and wait for a chance to strike again. As Thor walks down a deserted alleyway, Calvin drinks the formula that changes him into Mister Hyde. Ambushing Thor from behind, Mister Hyde manages to knock Mjolnir out of Thor’s grasp again. Thor stops himself from recovering the weapon deciding that if he can’t beat Mister Hyde in sixty seconds then he is not worthy of being the god of thunder. Sure enough, Thor manages to overpower Mister Hyde with his bare hands, defeat him, and turn the villain over to the police, all within sixty-seconds.

With the situation under control, Thor returns to his office and resumes the guise of Donald Blake. There he finds Jane Foster watching the news coverage of Thor’s battle with the Cobra and Mister Hyde. She is upset with Don because his “betrayal” of Thor was reported on the news. Unable to believe that Don could do such a thing, Jane can’t believe that she once loved Blake and storms out of the room. Blake can hardly believe that he lost the woman he loves. He laments that even when he wins he gets defeated and wonders if this is the price he has to pay for being Thor.[1]

Recurring Characters

Thor, Cobra, Mister Hyde, Jane Foster

Continuity Notes

1. Blake states here that he is forbidden from having a relationship with Jane Foster as Thor. Odin decreed that Thor is forbidden from marrying a mortal woman in Journey into Mystery #97.

Topical References

• Jane is depicted as watching the news on an old black-and-white television.

Balder the Brave

Odin has summoned Balder into his royal chambers to answer some questions. The All-Father wants to know why during their last battle against the Storm Giants did Balder deserted the fight. Balder explains that he saw a bird fall from its nest and stopped to the hatchling to its mother. Odin cannot believe that Balder would abandon his post for such a trivial thing and decides that he must face the test of mortal death as punishment. This leads to objections from the other assembled warriors who insist that Balder is the bravest among them. Odin silences them, saying that his will is not to be defied.

Taken outside and stripped of his weapons and armor, Balder is made to stand in a field as various warriors attempt to put an end to his life. The first is Tyr, who is ordered to fire an arrow into Balder’s heart. However, before the arrow can strike Balder, a hawk swoops down and snatches the arrow out of the air. Odin next orders Honir to throw a spear at Balder. This is an order that Honir obeys Odin’s command without question.[1] This time, a large plant suddenly sprouts in front of Balder, shielding him from the spear.

Thor is called up next and although he will follow Odin’s orders he prays for a miracle to save Balder. When he raises his hammer to strike, Odin suddenly stops Thor from continuing with his attack and orders Balder to come forward. Odin then reveals that he was the one who summoned the hawk and the plant to save Balder’s life. He explains that the test was not intended to kill Balder, but to see if he was worthy of the gift of invulnerability. As he has passed the test, Odin decrees that from this day forward nothing can harm Balder. Later, Odin explains to Thor that Balder was worthy of this gift because despite all his power he still has love for the humblest and weakest of creatures.[2]

Recurring Characters

Balder, Odin, Thor, Tyr, Honir

Continuity Notes

1. The narrative here states that Honir is Balder’s brother. However, Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition #29 questions this by saying Honir is allegedly his brother. It seems even less likely since it was revealed that Balder was a son of Odin in Thor (vol. 3) #10, something that has been kept secret for centuries. Moreover, Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica #1 doesn’t list Honir as a relative at all. One could assume that the narration was in error. Alternatively, Honir could view Balder as a brother due to their bond as warriors, a common custom among Asgardians.

2. Balder isn’t entirely invincible. He is vulnerable to mistletoe as we’ll learn next issue.