Final Jeopardy!

The gods of Asgard have been restored to their former glory. However, they still need to prevent Seth — who has grown to giant size — from destroying Yggdrasil and thus all life in the universe. To this end, Odin has matches Seth’s titanic size. However, the Egyptian death god still believes he will be victorious as, despite having all his godly powers back, Odin’s mind is still that of an booze addled mortal.[1]

As the two battle it out for the fate of the universe, the Enchantress and Sif work together to defeat the last of Seth’s invading army. However, there is not much else they can do except hope that Odin can best their foe.

The battle is so titanic that its reverberations can be felt be seen on Earth as a bright flash of light in the sky. The danger is so strong that it makes Peter Parker’s spider-sense go haywire. While Doctor Strange mystical senses can tell that this conflict will cause a great deal of upheaval that could affect the very fabric of the multiverse. Elsewhere, a group of being shrouded in darkness become aware of the battle and decide to keep close watch of this battle, ready to strike against which ever combatant survives the conflict.[2]

Meanwhile, in Utah, the process of restoring the Asgardians has also freed Red Norvell from Seth’s control. Reorientating himself, he joins up with the Warriors Three and the other Asgardians to head back to Asgard to join the fight.[3] While back at Seth’s fortress, the eyes on the petrified statue of Loki begin to glow with arcane energies.

This whole time, the battle between Seth and Odin carries on. The death god mocks the Asgardians for always fearing the coming of Ragnarok, saying that they are the laughing stock of all the other pantheons in the universe. He also believes that once the gods of Asgard learn how Odin manipulated them all, they will turn against him. Odin insists that he did what he had to in order to keep his people safe. When Seth finally strikes Odin with a blast that brings him to his knees, the agony is felt across the universe by the Silver Surfer.

Seth then turns his attention to Yggdrasil, but only manages a single blast upon the World Ash before the combined forces of Asgard come to stop him. Although he is outnumbered, the titanic Seth is able to blast everyone aside with such force it causes the X-Men’s Phoenix to shriek in pain. However, the hero’s distraction allows Odin time to fully recover. Grabbing Seth from behind, the All-Father begins draining Seth of his energies. Unable to kill the embodiment of death itself, Odin does the next best thing: Using his tremendous power to banish Seth from Asgard forever more.[4]

With Seth defeated, Odin then uses his power to return everyone to Asgard. At that moment, the mysterious beings who have been watching the battle decide that now is the time to act. As the people of Asgard celebrate their victory, a powerful storm blows in, shattering the Bifrost bridge and devastating the realm even more. When the dust finally settles, all that’s left of the Asgardians are their discarded weapons.[5]

… This story continues in Avengers (vol. 3) #1.

Recurring Characters

Sif, Odin, the Enchantress, Heimdall, Balder, Hermod, Frigga, Grand Vizier, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Loki, Red Norvell, Ulik, Mroht, Pyllar, Seth, Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, X-Men (Cyclops, Phoenix, Beast)

Continuity Notes

1. Up until last issue, the Asgardians have all been trapped in mortal form. This all part of a complex plan by Odin to protect his people while Yggdrasil was tricked into thinking Ragnarok had already passed. Seth was attempting to use this to destroy all life in the universe. See Thor #491-494 and Journey into Mystery #511 for lal the details.

2. These mysterious beings are the so-called Dark Gods who have an axe to grind against Odin and Asgard for imprisoning their master Perrikus. This is all explained in Thor (vol. 2) #9.

3. After getting killed by Seth’s minions in Journey into Mystery #504, Red was resurrected by Seth to fight against his friends in issue #508.

4. This is not the end of Seth (obviously), he’ll turn up again haunting the dreams of Moon Knight in Moon Knight (vol. 3) #1-4.

5. The Asgardians have been kidnapped by the Dark Gods, and will eventually be rescued by Thor as seen in Thor (vol. 2) #12.