Thor #202
— And None Dare Stand ‘Gainst Ego-Prime!
Now
Thor, Balder, and the Warriors Three have returned to Earth just as Sif, Hildegard, Tana Nile, and Silas Grant arrive from the annihilated Blackworld. Unfortunately, this is not a happy reunion as they have brought along Ego-Prime, the hyper-evolving entity that was responsible for Blackworld’s destruction. When Thor strikes Ego-Prime with Mjolnir, the mystical hammer shatters the creature’s crystalline form revealing Ego-Prime’s final form.
A massive purple humanoid with the fact of Ego the Living Planet, Ego-Prime vows to carry out his mission on Earth. He explains that he plans on using his power to evolve all life on Earth so that it all merges into a single being that covers the entire Earth, changing the entire planet into a living bioverse, just like Ego itself.
Unwilling to see humanity irreparably transformed, Thor and his fellow Asgardians fight back. Although Ego-Prime can shrug off their blows, the massive entity uses his power to transform a number of bystanders into demonic forms. The warriors then find themselves fighting off these creatures, unable to slay them for fear of killing the innocent people. Meanwhile, Volstagg sees a little girl caught in the middle of the battle and bravely races to her rescue.[1] He then carries the little girl away. While the others are busy fighting off the mutated people, Thor continues to battle with Ego-Prime.
Watching this from Asgard is Odin’s vizier who races to tell the All-Father what transpires. However, Odin has sequestered himself and his guards refuse to allow him entry. Wondering what to do, the vizier is approached by Karnilla who seeks to aid her lover, Balder, even though he will not return her love. While in his chambers, Odin sits before a chessboard. He is fully aware what is going on and hopes that the game he plays with the lives of god and men will not be in vein. He then looks back down on Earth and watches events as they unfold.
Earlier*
Heimdall and Kamorr arrive outside an apartment building in Brooklyn looking for a man named Jason Kimball. Talking to some children hanging around outside, they tell the pair that Kimball can be found in apartment six. When they knock at the door, Heimdall and Kamorr have to duck as bullets start to fly. Inside, they find Jason Kimball with a gun. The young Black man is horrified that he almost shot innocent people out of fear of the loan-sharks he owes money to. As if on cue, the loan sharks arrive to collect their money, but they don’t recon on facing two Asgardians and they are easily knocked out. Kimball is shocked by all of this, but when Heimdall explains that Jason is needed, he leaves with the two strangers without question.
Now
The battle against Ego-Prime rages on with no end in sight. The entity grows more annoyed with interference that he uses his power to enhance the size of a number of ants. Seeing his friends in danger from these mutated insects, Thor is distracted long enough for Ego-Prime to animate some rubble and make it press onto the thunder god from all sides. With Thor separated form his hammer, Ego-Prime is convinces Thor’s death will ring in a new era of a united Earth.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Ego-Prime, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Hildegarde, Sif, Balder, Karnilla, Odin, Heimdall, Kamorr, Tana Nile, Silas Grant, Jason Kimball, Mephisto (unidentified)
Continuity Notes
The Passage of Time
Last issue states that Heimdall’s mission takes place one week prior to the main events of this story. However, Thor #203 explains that Heimdall was sent to Earth at the same time he sent Thor to the World’s End and Sif to Blackworld back in Thor #195. If this is an accurate measurement of time, or is it subject to the sliding timescale? I suppose you could go either way. Based on the 4:1 ratio of the Sliding Timescale, Heimdall’s quest would have been about 1.75 days instead of a whole week. I suppose if you want to split hairs, you could since in the grand scheme a few days to a week doesn’t really change overly much.
Topical References
This story frames Brooklyn as being a ghetto, with Jason Kimball living in a run down tenement building. This should be considered a topical reference as it commentates on the neighborhood when this comic was originally published. Brooklyn has since underwent a great deal of gentrification and is no long the ghetto it was when this comic came out in 1972. That said, Kimball living in a slum or not doesn’t have any bearing on his owing money to loan sharks or the story in general. As such, modern readers should ignore references to Brooklyn being a ghetto.