The Day of the Destroyer!

Trapped in the temple floor by the Destroyer, Thor is at its mercy when it fires a beam of destructive force at him. Miraculously, Thor suddenly becomes intangible. This causes the Destroyer’s destructive beam to pass harmlessly through him. Thor then uses this new ability to pull himself free and phase through the walls and floors of the temple to put some distance between himself and the Destroyer. Thor then becomes solid again, leaving him to wonder how he briefly gained these powers.

This was all thanks to Loki who, from his prison cell in Asgard, entered a trance so he could use his mystical powers to save the life of his half-brother. The effort to do so causes Loki to black out momentarily but after he wakes up he sounds out a mental summons to Karnilla, the Norn Queen, to assist him further.

Thor’s reprieve is short-lived as the Destroyer quickly finds him again and puts Thor back on the defensive. Remembering that the Destroyer is powered by the soul of the hunter who found it, Thor races back to where his body remains in stasis. Thor then uses the hunter’s body as a shield to protect himself.[1] By this time, the hunter’s spirit has become drunk with power and prepares to use its powerful disintegration ray to annihilate Thor even if that means destroying his body and trapping him within the Destroyer forever.

Meanwhile, back on Asgard, Loki succeeds in contacting Karnilla and pleads with her to use her power to awaken Odin. Karnilla agrees to help her ally and uses a spell to wake Odin from the Odinsleep with a sudden and deep concern for Thor.[2] He races to his visi-crystal and sees that Thor is facing off against the Destroyer. He orders Thor to get away as only he has the power to stop the Destroyer. Thor refuses since he is gambling that the Destroyer will not risk destroying his mortal body. Sure enough, Thor’s gamble pays off and the hunter’s spirit leaves the Destroyer armor to return to his mortal form.

The hunter then reminds Thor that he cannot attack him because it would surely kill him. Sensing trickery, Thor is on the alert. Sure enough, the hunter tries to rush back toward the Destroyer armor. Quick thinking, Thor slams down Mjolnir on the ground so hard it causes the temple to begin to crumble. Fearing for his life, the hunter cowers away from the falling debris allowing Thor to drag him outside. Once they are clear, Thor lets the hunter go deciding that he learned an important lesson about how power corrupts after his experiences controlling the Destroyer. The thunder god then reports back to Odin to inform the All-Father of his victory. Knowing that all of this was Loki’s doing, Odin orders the trickster to be brought to him. As punishment, Odin binds Loki to serve Ularic the royal warlock until further notice. Although his plans have been thwarted, Loki is grateful to be alive as he will be able to continue his schemes to seize the throne of Asgard.

Back on Earth, Thor tries to use Mjolnir to fly back to the United States. Unfortunately, the hammer cannot pull him there because it was damaged during his battle with the Destroyer. Realizing that he needs to repair his enchanted weapon, Thor uses one of the Norn Stones to levitate himself back to America. While in Asgard, Loki toils under the orders of Ularic. However, Loki figures he won’t be doing this for much longer as he has just come up with his next plan to defeat Thor.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Destroyer, Loki, Odin, Karnila

Continuity Notes

1. The hunter is not mentioned by name in this story. However, the Destroyer entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #13 reveals that his name is Buck Franklin.

2. Interrupting the Odinsleep will have grave repercussions later as it will create an evil version of Odin called Infinity that devotes itself to destroying the Asgardians. See Thor #184-188.

Gather, Warriors!

Thor and Loki are about to embark on a voyage to learn what force is causing the Odinsword to begin cracking. As the call to the crew to board their massive ship is called, Balder takes stock and informs Thor that they will be ready to embark on their quest soon. That’s when the last of the volunteers begin boarding the ship. Balder notes that they were all selected by Thor’s co-captain, Loki.

These newcomers include Hogun the Grim, Fandral the Dashing, Kroda the Duellist, and Magrat the Schemer. Balder admits that he does’’t trust them, the last two in particular. That’s when Thor hears the sound of fighting on the pier and goes to see what the commotion is about. That’s when he spots a group of men ganging on the last volunteer, Volstagg the Enormous. Thor quickly frightens off Volstagg’s attackers. Although Volstagg is grateful for Thor’s intervention he boasts that he could have handled the situation himself. Once aboard the ship, Volstagg continues his bragging about his contribution to the ship. However, Thor privately thinks that the real reason Volstagg has joined his crew was to get away from his wife and sixteen children.

As the preparations continue, Odin gathers his trusted advisors into his royal chambers. He has summoned them to show a message that has been written on one of the palace walls. Pulling aside a curtain, Odin reveals that someone has painted “RAGNAROK IS COMING” on the wall. He then tells them to pray for Thor’s success as if the writing is true Asgard is doomed.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Loki, Odin, Balder, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Kroda, Magrat