Thor #200
Beware! If This Be… Ragnarok!
The Norns watch the battle over Odin’s soul that is taking place in Asgard. They witness as Pluto defeats Thor in battle and prepares to land the killing blow. While the others fear this will be the end of Thor, Laecius insists that Thor must survive as it is his destiny. To prove this, she summons images from the past through the Twilight Well….[1]
Some time ago, Thor, Balder, and the Warriors Three answered summons from Odin to return to Asgard. When they appear before Odin, the All-Father waits for the arrival of Loki before explaining why he had summoned everyone.
He has Volla the Prophetess repeat her visions of Ragnarok, the so-called twilight of the gods. Loki dismisses this as the ravings of an insane old hag. Odin orders his step-son to be silent and has Volla tell her tale.
She explains that the signs of Ragnarok will begin when Asgard is gripped in a deadly cold snap. Soon, tempers will become frayed and brother will raise arm against brother. Loki will take advantage of this unrest and form an army to take over Asgard. Volla’s visions are interrupted by Loki, who accuses her of lying. Thor pulls his step-brother away from the old hag. Once again, Odin steps in and orders everyone to stand down and let Volla finish her tale.
Continuing her prophecy, Volla tells how Loki’s army will face opposition on the Bifrost Bridge from Heimdall. While Heimdall will shatter the bridge with is sword, he soon falls to Loki’s forces who then storm the kingdom of Asgard. Seeing that this is the final battle, Odin leads the armies of Asgard against the forces of Loki. While Thor, Balder, and the Warriors Three battle Loki’s forces, the Midgard Serpent suddenly emerges. Loki attempts to slay the beast with a cannon, but the massive snake shrugs off the attack and smashes the weapon. Thor then lunges at the creature and with the last of his strength, slays the creature. However, it is too late as everyone is dead and Asgard is in ruins.
With the Asgardians all dead, the demon Surtur will then rise from his domain and incinerate what is left of Asgard leaving it a smoldering cinder in the cosmos. Over the coming centuries, this dead world will soon begin creating new life and a new race of gods will soon emerge to take the place of those who had fallen and usher in a new golden age.
As Volla concludes her prophecy, Thor blames Loki for being the catalyst that will trigger Ragnarok. Odin disagrees with this, telling the gathered gods that all things must come to an end and while Asgard will indeed go down in flames, some will rise again, but only those deemed worthy. Odin then tells his people to ponder on this and know that each man must face their own Ragnarok….
… With this vision from the past over, the Fates all agree that Thor must survive the battle with Pluto so that he may follow his destiny and be present during the final battle during Ragnarok. They decide to intervene and one of the Norns fires a mystical bolt into the Twilight Well, causing Pluto’s ax to explode in his hands.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Loki, the Norns (Urd, Skuld, Verdandi), Heimdall, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Odin, Volla, Jormungand, Surtur, Pluto
Continuity Notes
What follows appears to be an extended telling of the events of Thor #127-128. However, that version of events ends with Odin blaming Loki and banishing him for some time. The reason for this discrepancy is unexplained. There are two possible explanations: Thor: God of Thunder #3 suggests that Asgardians have a limited capacity for memory. As a result, their immortality causes older memories to be overwritten or dimmed with time as their brains reach “capacity”. As such, events may be remembered differently when being recalled by different individuals.
