But Dr. Blake Can Die!

In Karnilla’s cave, Thor has just defeated Ulik the Rock Troll. However, while he was fighting his foe, Loki managed to steal Mjolnir and escape. Thor can’t understand how since his enchanted hammer can only be lifted by one who is worthy. That’s when Karnilla reveals that she boosted Loki’s power with her own, allowing him to lift Mjolnir. With 60 seconds about to pass, Thor insists that Karnilla send him back to Earth to recover his hammer.[1] Sif insists on accompanying him and the two lovers are teleported away.

Loki is already on Earth and disguised as a mortal. His suspicious behavior attracts the attention of a police officer who starts questioning him. Loki decides to amuse himself by having the cop try and lift Mjolnir. When he can’t, Loki picks it up with ease. When the hammer suddenly turns into a walking stick, Loki knows that Thor has reverted back to Don Blake. Looking around the area, he witnesses as Blake and Sif arrive on Earth. Loki drops his mortal guise and attacks the pair. Since Don is defenseless in his mortal form, Sif lunges into battle. Loki quickly grabs the woman and tosses her into Blake. He then blasts them both with a bolt of mystical energy. Sif shields Don from the brunt of the blast and she is seriously injured in the process.

Taking a risk, Don Blake rushes at Loki and catches his walking stick in his coat, and wrests it away from Loki’s grip. He quickly taps his cane, transforming into Thor once more. Loki believes that with the addition of Karnilla’s power he can defeat Thor. However, the thunder god manages to overpower his step-brother and wrap him up in a lamp post. He then rushes to Sif and orders a nearby police officer to call an ambulance. Once alone, Thor changes back to Don Blake so he can begin giving Sif medical attention.

Back in Asgard, Balder decides that it is time to go now that the battle is over. Karnilla now looks upon brave Balder with favor for defending her from Ulik. The rock troll has been tossed down a seemingly bottomless pit. However, some distance below, Ulik manages to grab an outcropping just in time. Crawling into a cave, Ulik is shocked to discover that the rocks inside a glowing with some kind of strange energy.

On Earth, Donald Blake has had Sif rushed to a nearby hospital. There he begins the delicate surgery needed to save his life. While Blake is busy, Loki breaks free and makes himself invisible to human eyes. Searching for where Thor had gone, he reads the mind of a police officer and learns that he and Sif went to a nearby hospital. When Loki crashes into the operating room, Don orders one of the other doctors to spray Loki in the face with a canister of anesthetic. This allows Don to finish the surgery and clear out the operating theater so he can change back into Thor. Their fight soon takes them up onto the roof of the hospital where the battle is observed by Odin in Asgard. Sensing a great danger coming to the kingdom, Odin decides that now is not the time for Thor and Loki to fight among themselves and orders them to cease fighting. Loki tells Thor they will finish this some other time and teleports away. Noticing that his father sounded trouble, Thor decides to wait for summons back to Asgard.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Loki, Odin, Sif, Balder, Karnilla, Ulik

Topical References

• Don Blake states that the anesthetic used is identified as ether. This should be considered topical since ether was phased out in favor of more effective anesthetics.