Journey into Mystery #90
Trapped by the Carbon-Copy Man
On a distant planted Warlord Ugarth tells his son Zano that this will be his last campaign before making his son the new lord of Xarta. As an invasion force leaves the planet, one of the Xartans worries about what might happen if Ugarth leads them to defeat, however, he is reminded that the Xartans are the greatest power in the universe.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Don Blake once again laments over his inability to tell Jane Foster how he feels. Changing into Thor, he decides that he cannot keep putting this off and decides that he will tell Jane the truth about his double identity. Reverting back to Don Blake, he is about to tell Jane his secret when he is suddenly contacted by Odin. Through a vision that only Don can see, Odin warns him that he is to never reveal his true identity to any mortal. Unwilling to disobey his father, Don instead tells Jane that he is going to work at the hospital’s charity ward all afternoon.
Out on the street, Don witnesses a strange scene. Police officers are ordering people to walk in the gutter while cars are being directed to drive on the sidewalk. Apparently, this strange new law came directly from the mayor’s office. He also witnesses a crew putting up a billboard advertisement over the windows of an apartment building while crews are painting polka dots on a nearby bridge. When he arrives at the hospital he is sent home because treating charity patients has been outlawed. When he tells this to Jane, she surprises him by saying that the poor don’t deserve medical treatment. She then decides that she will no longer work for such a soft-hearted fool and storms out.
Wanting to get to the bottom of things, Don changes into Thor and goes to see Mayor Harris about things. There the mayor denounces Thor as a public menace and orders the police to arrest him. Fleeing to the outskirts of the city, Thor tries to figure out what's going on. He remembers an old lesson taught to him by his father. Back then, Odin told Thor that often the simplest explanation is the obvious, no matter how impossible it may seem.[1] Thor deduces that the mayor and Jane have been replaced with impostors and begins searching the city for clues. He eventually finds that Xartan ships in a nearby forest. However, when he approaches the alien ship its magnetized hull pulls Thor against it, making him drop his hammer. After a minute away from Mjolnir, Thor reverts back to Don Blake.
When two Xartan warriors go out to check what they captured, they bring Blake inside where he finds the real mayor and Jane Foster. He is greeted by Ugarth who reveals that his people are a race of shapeshifters that conquer worlds first by replacing important citizens of a planet and sowing chaos, leaving the planet ripe for conquest. He goes on to reveal that an invasion force is waiting outside of Earth orbit waiting for the cue to attack. However, the mayor and Jane are confident that Thor will stop the invasion. Seeing this an opportunity, Don offers to lead them to Thor. Once they are outside, Don sends them into the bush so he can reach Mjolnir and become Thor again.
When Ugarth and his minions return, he orders Zano to deal with the thunder god. First, Zano turns into an ice creature that freezes Thor in a block of ice. When Thor breaks free, Zano then changes into a massive warrior armed with a net and a sword. Thor once again bests Zano in battle. Ugarth then challenges Thor and makes himself invisible. At first, the alien has the advantage until Thor summons a storm. Once the rain gives away Ugarth’s position, Thor quickly pummels him. Then, after wrapping Ugarth in Zano’s net, throws him into space. Seeing their leader fly past their ships, the invasion force retreats to save their master.
This leaves Thor with the task of figuring out what to do with Zano and the two remaining Xartans. Deducing that the aliens adopt the abilities of whatever they change into, he orders them to change into trees. When the mayor asks how he can be sure they aliens won’t threaten them again, Thor points out that trees cannot think and therefore they will never be able to return to their true forms.[2]
Later, when Jane returns to the office she finds Don. She tells him everything that happened and how Thor told her that Don helped him defeat the aliens. Jane doesn’t see how Blake could have helped other than staying out of the way. With a smirk on his face, Don suggests that not everyone can be as brave as Thor.[3]
Recurring Characters
Thor, Xartans (Ugarth, Zano), Jane Foster, Odin
Continuity Notes
This is the first instance where Thor recalls something that happened prior to Don Blake becoming Thor. Prior to this, it has been implied that Blake assumes the power of Thor. It’s later clarified in Thor #159 that Blake is Thor and he was banished to Earth in human form by Odin to teach him a lesson in humility.
Zano eventually escapes his prison and will plot revenge against Thor as we’ll see in X-Factor #32.
This story is expanded upon in Thor: First Thunder #3.
