To Become An Immortal!

Thor and Jane Foster have just witnessed the High Evolutionary and his New Men leave for the stars. Now reunited with Jane, Thor now wants to take her to Asgard so they can finally be married. Although Jane is looking forward to this, she is not prepared for what is in store for her. She is overwhelmed when Thor teleports them onto the Bifrost Bridge. There, a war party passes them after a conflict with the Rock Trolls. Jane is frightened by one of the sight of one of the trolls that has been taken prisoner. Thor tries to assure her that everything is fine, but she is also frightened when she witnesses Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost Bridge. Thor reassures her that all of these new sights will become easier over time and promises not to leave her side.

Soon they arrive in Asgard where Thor finally introduces Jane to his father, Odin. Odin is pleased to meet the woman who has won the son of his heart. Then, using his scepter, he uses his Odinpower to transform Jane into a goddess so that she can marry Thor. Jane has been gifted with the power of flight and she is encouraged to test out this new ability. However, her lack of faith in her new abilities causes her to panic and fall from the sky, prompting Thor to save her.

Odin then tells them that there is one last test for Jane to pass in order to prove if she is worthy of being among the gods. This is to be face the Lurking Unknown, a creature that strikes fear in the heart of all save for Odin himself. Odin has one of his followers use a special tuning fork to summon the creature and Jane is then left alone in the room with it. The creature feeds on fear and Jane is naturally afraid of the monster. She begins to panic once again and Thor rushes in to save her. Odin then decrees that she failed the test and strips her of her power and banishes her back to Earth. Thor is deeply upset about this, but bows to his father when his indignation incurs Odin’s wrath.

With the Lurking Unknown now on the loose, Odin then dispatches Thor to the realm of Gundershelm to force the creature back from when it came. There he spots a troll using another tuning fork to call the creature.

Meanwhile, Jane Foster appears in a hospital with no memory of Thor, Asgard, or how she got there. That’s when another one of the nurses recognizes Jane as the woman who applied for the nursing position. Jane is then introduced to the head doctor, Doctor Kincaid who is pleased to meet her. Jane suddenly finds herself attracted to Kincaid, who resembles Don Blake, although she only dimly remembers him in her dreams.[1]

Back in Gundershelm, Thor continues his battle against the Lurking Unknown. He is joined by a mysterious sword wielding warrior. After fighting off the creature, Thor is surprised to see that it is Sif, the sister of Heimdall. Sif is glad to see Thor after such a long time and Thor is surprised to see how much she has grown up since the last time he saw her. The pair admit that they have love for one another and soon all the heart-break over Jane Foster is quickly forgotten. Witnessing this from Asgard, Odin is pleased as this was the end result he sought.[2]

Recurring Characters

Thor, Jane Foster, Odin, the Lurking Unknown, Heimdall, Sif, Keith Kncaid

Continuity Notes

1. The Doctor’s first name is revealed to be Keith in Thor #332. It’s later revealed in Thor #415 that Thor’s Don Blake identity was modeled after Kincaid.

2. Thor and Sif act here like they have not seen each other since they were children and they are now expressing their feelings for one another for the first time here. This is not the case. It’s likely a narrative choice to introduce Sif to readers. See Thor: Son of Asgard #1-12 for the best of many examples. If you want an in-universe explanation, Thor: God of Thunder #3 states that the Asgardians have a limited capacity for memory so older memories grow dim and eventually get forgotten.

There Shall Come a Miracle!

From his Universal Mirror, Odin watches as Thor, Fandral, and Hogun battle the dragon Fafnir in the land of Nostrand. Odin tells his advisors that his son must win this battle if life is ever to return to the desolate wasteland.

Fafnir, the former ruler of Nastrand, intends to use his might to slay Thor to get revenge against Odin for decimating his kingdom. Although Fafnir is impervious to harm, Thor manages to defeat Fafnir by slamming Mjolnir onto the ground hard enough to open up a chasm that swallows up Fafnir, ending his threat.[1] With the battle over, Thor and his allies find Volstagg in a cage made of stone.

After freeing Volstagg, Thor and the Warriors Three head back to Asgard victorious. As soon as they leave Nostrand, it begins to rain for the first time in centuries and soon fresh plant life begins to bloom in the once dead wasteland.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Fafnir, Odin

Continuity Notes

1. Although Fafnir appears to die here, the dragon will return again in Thor #287.