If This Be Death…!

Odin has fallen in battle against Mangog. However, since Asgard is unmoored from time and space for the time being, Thor is now racing against time to bring his body back to life. Before he begins this seemingly impossible task, Thor bids farewell to his ally, Kartag, the guardian of the Twilight Well. It’s only after Kartag is gone does Thor wonder if he could have used Kartag’s aid in the task ahead.

Odin’s vizier warns Thor that Odin’s soul will only remain in his body as long as Asgard is unmoored but it is in its way back to its proper dimension and soon the laws of life and death will be restored and Hela will come for Odin’s soul. Thor vows to fight for his father until the bitter end when suddenly Hela appears before them. She attempts to take Odin’s soul but a mystical spell erected by Thor protects Odin from the death goddess’ touch. Hela explains that allowing her to take Odin to the afterlife will be a mercy compared to what might happen. When Thor asks what she means, she points to a warship piloted by Pluto, ruler of Hades, and his army of demons.

When they come to shore, Pluto tells Thor to surrender Odin to him so he can take the All-Father to his nether realm. Hela warns Thor that those who end up in Pluto’s domain suffer eternal torment living as demonic slaves of Pluto himself. Although they have not resolved the issue of Odin’s demise, Hela summons her Nightsword so she might battle alongside Thor to protect Odin’s soul.

Back on Blackworld, Sif, Hildegard, and Silas Grant have found themselves in a city fashioned after the 1920s. There they have found the Regellian Colonizer known as Tana Nile. She quickly gets them into her protective forcefield while she fends off a massive crystalline creature she calls Ego-Prime. Unfortunately, the Colonizer’s weapons have no effect on Ego-Prime and they are forced to flee. As they race through the city, they discover that it is rapidly changing and morphing into cities of various eras. When Tana tries to explain the connection between Ego-Prime and Ego the Living Planet, Hildegarde tells her to save the story until they can get to safety.[1] Fleeing into a nearby subway tunnel, they notice that the city has sped up to resemble the 1960s. With this world getting close to matching the present day, Sif wonders what effect this will have on the real planet Earth. That’s when Ego-Prime begins forcing himself into the subway tunnel, forcing Sif and the others to stand their ground.

While back on Asgard, Pluto responds to Hela’s show of force by attacking her with his battle ax. Thor and the other warriors of Asgard join the battle by fighting Pluto’s demonic horde. They are joined by Balder the Brave who renounces his alliance to Karnilla, the Norn Queen, to help his allies. Seeing Balder injured in battle, Karnilla uses her power to revive him. However, when he refuses to return with her, she tells him to leave her sight and never return before teleporting away. While Thor and the Warriors Three battle one, Pluto defeats Hela in battle by summoning his demon hounds which pull her down to Hades.

However, before Pluto can claim Odin’s soul, he is confronted by Thor who refuses to surrender his father. In the ensuing clash, Pluto manages to overpower Thor and knock him to the ground. With the thunder god at his mercy, Pluto raises his ax and prepares to land a killing blow.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Odin, Sif, Hildegarde, Balder, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Hela, Pluto, Karnilla, Ego Prime, Kartag, Tana Nile, Silas Grant

Continuity Notes

1. Ego-Prime was created from some of Ego’s bio-matter in an attempt to transform baron worlds into inhabitable planets. This is explained in more detail in Thor #201.