Thor #172
The Immortal and the Mind-Slave!
Thor returns to the medical practice he works as Doctor Donald Blake to find a man waiting for him inside. Going up to the roof to change back to his mortal form, Don Blake goes down to see who this man is, and what he wants. It turns out to be Jim North, the doctor who hired Jane Foster after she quit Don’s practice.[1]
North tells him that Jane is in deep trouble and hands Don an envelope sealed with the imprint of a ruthless billionaire named Kronin Krask. The letter is demanding that North perform a forbidden experiment in exchange for Jane’s freedom. When Don asks why Jim didn’t go to the police, he tells Blake that he knows Don can get the aid of Thor and wanted to get the thunder god’s help because it is too dangerous for the authorities to handle. Don tells Jim to leave, saying he’ll do what he can to get the thunder god.
As Don’s thought makes a payer to his father, Odin, the All-Father can sense the payer. He has his counselor use the Enchanti-Scan to probe the cosmos to see what danger might be afoot. First he sees Loki, who is gathering an army to his side for a new evil scheme. While in the realm of the Norns, Karnilla continues to heal Balder following his recent battles.[2] Lastly, the device pulls up the horrifying visage of Kronin Krask. Odin is shocked by the level of evil that is coming from a mortal mind and hopes that Thor is up to the task of stopping this threat.
Meanwhile, Doctor North has been instructed to go to the mansion of Kronin Krask and pretend to be complying with the billionaire’s orders while waiting for Thor to arrive. Allowed inside by the Krask’s private army, Jim is brought into the lab where Kronan Krask is holding Jane Foster hostage. Krask explains that he has sought North’s surgical expertise because his body is failing him and he wishes to obtain immortality by transplanting his mind into a new body. Jim thinks this is an insane scheme, he has no choice but to comply with Jane a prisoner.
While back in the city, Don Blake changes back into Thor and heads to Krask’s mansion. There he clashes with the billionaire’s private army. They prove to be no match until a hallucinogenic mist cannon rises from a secret panel in the ground and blasts Thor into unconsciousness.
Inside, Jim and Jane are prepping for surgery, and when they re-enter the lab to see that Krask and his new body are also ready for surgery. That’s when it is revealed that Jim will be implanting Krask’s brain into the body of Thor. However, rather than a physical surgery, Jim has to use a device that will transfer their brain patterns electronically. With his only salvation now a prisoner, Jim agrees to carry out the procedure. When Jane protests, she is ordered out of the room. When Jim activates the machine the energies leaping between the two bodies take on the form of Krask and Thor and lock in a physical battle of the minds. Suddenly, there is a bright flash of energy. Kronin suddenly screams out in agony and appears to collapse dead on the floor.[3]
Thor then gets up from the operating table no worse from the experience. He explains he was only pretending to be knocked out to see what Krask was trying to accomplish. Ultimately, the billionaire was no match for the mind of an immortal. With the battle over, Janet is reunited with Jim and Thor congratulates them for finding each other and departs.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Kronin Krask, Jane Foster, Odin, Loki, Karnilla
Continuity Notes
Jane Foster worked for Don Blake dating back to Journey into Mystery #84. Later, after failing a test of godhood set by Odin, Jane’s memories of Thor and Don Blake were erased and she was returned to Earth and started working for another doctor. This happened in Thor #136. That story states that Jane went to work for Doctor Kieth Kincaid, not Jim North. Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Thor notes this but does not provide an explanation for this discrepancy. One could assume that Jane worked for more than one doctor, formed a romance with North first, and then later opted for Kincaid.
Balder was injured during the battle against the Thermal Man in Thor #170.
Although Kronin Krask appears to die here, he will resurface again in Thunderstrike #15-16.
