To Kill a Thunder God!

In his search for the Norn Stones, Thor had ventured into war-torn Vietnam.[1] Having saved a young woman named Kim from enemy forces, he leaves her with a chopper full of American troops before taking off. Now that he has the Norn Stones, Thor can prove that Loki cheated during the Trial of the Gods.[2]

Thor then pauses to make sure he has every stone, unaware that Loki is observing him from Asgard. Seeking to stop Thor from returning to Asgard with the Norn Stones, Loki finds a trophy hunter not far away and uses his magic to compel him to shoot Thor with an anesthetic shell.[3] It is enough to knock Thor out. The hunter figures he can make a killing by selling him off to criminal organizations back home.

Having his guides carry Thor back to his camp, the hunter has the thunder god tied up. He has discovered Norse artifacts in the middle of the jungle of Vietnam and wonders how this can be. His guides, on the other hand, fear this area because they sense an aura of evil. Annoyed, the hunter goes out looking for more artifacts on his own. Unaware that he is being influenced by Loki, the hunter is suddenly compelled to use dynamite to blow up a nearby plateau. The explosion uncovers a massive and ancient temple of Asgardian origin. Entering the massive structure, the hunter recalls an old Norse legend about an entity called the Destroyer. He is surprised when he discovers the very same armored creature inside the temple.[4] As Loki planned, when the hunter gets close enough to the Destroyer construct, it begins absorbing his life force in order to become operable again.

Meanwhile, Thor has woken up and easily breaks free from the ropes that bind him. From the native guides, Thor learns where his captor went and he soon comes upon the temple of the Destroyer and begins fearing the worst. When he rushes inside he finds the hunter whose body stands rigidly in the center of the temple. That’s when Thor is ambushed by the Destroyer, which is controlled by the hunter’s life force. Thor attacks the Destroyer but he is easily overpowered. Worse, the Destroyer is able to pick up Mjolnir and use the weapon against its master.

Watching from Asgard, Loki realizes that perhaps his plan was too good, and begins to fear Odin’s wraith should the Destroyer succeed in killing Thor. Loki realizes that his only course of action is to tell Odin what has happened in the hopes that the All-Father can stop it. Unfortunately, Loki soon discovers that Odin has entered the Odinsleep to replenish his vast powers and cannot be awoken until the process is complete. When Loki tries to fight pasted the armed guards protecting their liege, he is overpowered and tossed into a dungeon.

Back on Earth, Thor manages to get Mjolnir back when the Destroyer throws the weapon. However, when Thor prepares to attack again the Destroyer fires a beam of energy from its fingertips to slice through Mjolnir’s nearly indestructible Uru metal. Holstering his weapon, Thor remembers that he still has the Norn Stones and uses one of them to try and levitate away. The Destroyer counteracts this by using his magnetic power to pull Thor to the ground. After liquifying the floor, the Destroyer then makes it diamond-hard, trapping Thor.

While Thor struggles to get free, Loki attempts to break out of his cell by hypnotizing one of the guards. The other guards quickly stop Loki from getting free and then shackle his arms and legs in order to prevent him from casting any more spells. With Thor equally trapped, the Destroyer goes and checks on his mortal body to make sure no harm has come to it. Confirming that his body is safe, the Destroyer then fires a beam at Thor, intending to end the thunder god’s life once and for all.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Destroyer, Odin, Loki

Continuity Notes

1. When this story was originally written it was intended the conflict in this story was intended to be the Vietnam War. However, per the History of the Marvel Universe #2, all references to Vietnam in the present tense should instead be considered part of the Sin-Cong Conflict a fictional war created to get around this prickly topical reference.

2. Thor and Loki were made to participate in this trial by Odin, who grew sick of the pair’s constant fighting. This required both men to try and get across the deadly terrain of Skornheim alive. Loki cheated by using the Norn Stones to beat Thor to the finish line. When Thor tried to get the proof of this, Loki teleported the Norn Stones to Vietnam. See Journey into Mystery #116-117.

3. The hunter in this story is not named. He is later identified as Buck Franklin in the Destroyer armor entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #13.

4. As explained in Thor #300, the Destroyer was originally created by Odin as a last line of defense if the Celestial Host decided to destroy the Earth centuries ago. After humanity was spared, Odin had stashed the Destroyer away in Vietnam.

Topical References

• All references to the Vietnam and Cold Wars should be considered topical. Instead, modern readers should interpret this as being the fictional Sin-Cong Conflict.

The Crimson Hand!

The Odinsword is starting to crack and so Odin has charged Thor and Loki with the task of learning why. Thor has come to see Morduk who is procuring a map for his coming voyage. However, the elderly map maker warns Thor that their voyage will take them to lands unknown to the people of Asgard. Before Thor leaves, Morduk gives Thor the Crimson Hand, an enchanted glove that will compel anyone who shakes it to tell the truth.

That’s when Loki enters the room with a warrior he wishes to bring along with them on their voyage, a man named Braggi. When Thor shakes his hand Braggi blurts out that he was selected by Loki to assassinate Thor while they are on their mission. Realizing what he has done, Braggi draws his sword and prepares to fight Thor to the death. However, Thor easily shatters Braggi’s sword with Mjolnir. Overpowering Braggi, Thor kicks Braggi out of the room.

Loki, feigns surprise and wonders who could have paid Braggi to attempt the assassination. Thor doesn’t know and has more important concerns, telling Loki to prepare for their quest to begin. Soon a clarion call is put out for those selected to assist Thor and Loki on their most important mission.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Loki, Morduk, Braggi