Thor #204
Exiled on Earth!
Odin threatened all life on Earth by unleashing Ego-Prime upon the planet in a complex plot to birth a new race of gods. Although he succeeded, Thor is furious at his father for putting all life on Earth in jeopardy to do so. This criticism angers the All-Father who tells Thor that he, Sif, Balder, Hildegard, and the Warriors Three will be exiled on Earth forever more. Before Odin’s presence departs, he uses his magic to repair the damage done by Ego-Prime and erase all memory from the minds of mortals. With their mission completed, Heimdall and Kamorr are teleported back to Asgard. There, Karnilla is furious with Odin for banishing Balder to Earth. Although Heimdall is shocked to learn that Thor and his allies are banished to Earth, he accepts Odin’s decree without protest.
Back on Earth, Silas Grant and Tana Nile reunite with their Asgardian allies and learn of their exile. This upsets Tana Nile as her ship was destroyed back on Blackworld and she is now trapped on Earth alongside Thor and his friends. Still, she has had experience on Earth before and decides to make the best of it. Using a device built into Control Pack to assume human form.[1] Thor points out that they will all need to adjust to living full time on Earth, but knows a place where they can stay. Soon, Thor and his allies arrive at Avengers Mansion where they are welcomed by Iron Man and Jarvis, the Avengers butler. It’s when they are all settling down that they realize that Volstagg has been missing since early on in their battle against Ego-Prime.
Little do they know that Volstagg has been protecting what appears to be an ordinary little girl. They had sought shelter in the basement of an apartment building to wait out the battle. Unaware that Ego-Prime had been vanquished, Volstagg decides to take a nap while they wait. Suddenly, the little girl’s eyes become cold and calculating. As she heads toward the shadows on the other side of the room, she is greeted by demons who pick up the heavy-set Asgardian and carry him into the darkness.
While back at Avengers Mansion, the others have gone looking for Volstagg, leaving Thor and Sif alone in the Mansion. Sif has put on some of the Scarlet Witch’s clothes and suggests that she and Thor go for a walk around the city. Thor decides this would be good for his morale and changes into Don Blake so they can walk the city unnoticed. While they are out, Don decides to go check things are his medical practice. There he discovers that the front door has been boarded up. He is then greeted by Karl Sarron, who purchased the building from its previous owners during Don Blake’s long absence. Although Blake insists that he paid his rent for a year in advance, Sarron has no record of this and tells Don to bring him proof.[2] While in Central Park, Hildegard, Tana Nile, and Silas Grant are on a walk of their own. They pass by some kids playing baseball and Silas goes after their ball lands under a nearby bridge. When Grant and his friends walk under the bridge, they disappear in the shadows.
Elsewhere, Fandral, Hogun, and Balder have gone to a local bar to try and cheer themselves up. Fandral tries to convince them that things aren’t so bad living on Earth. They are then approached by a trio of women who find the trio interesting. While Fandral is busy flirting, Hogun and Balder suddenly get up and leave without saying a word. When Fandral notices he follows them outside where all three are yanked into the shadows.
By this time, Don and Sif have returned home. That’s when Blake realizes his friends have bee gone for over three hours without any word and begins to fear that something is going on. Hearing a strange hissing noise, Don changes into Thor so he and Sif can explore the mansion for intruders. Just like the others, they too are yanked into the shadows by some unseen force. In the darkness they attack a strange tentacled creature. Thor slays it with Mjolnir and the pair explore the strange misty domain they have found themselves trapped in. They suddenly feel drawn to a nearby cavern that is illuminated with light from within. There they are horrified to discover that their friends are all prisoners of Mephisto, the Lord of Lies!
Recurring Characters
Thor, Mephisto, Balder, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Sif, Hildegarde, Tana Nile, Silas Grant, Odin, Karnilla, Heimdall, Kamorr, Iron Man, Karl Sarron
Continuity Notes
Tana Nile had previously lived on Earth in human guise before from Thor #129-134.
The enigmatic Karl Sarron turns out to be an alien named Mercurio, the Fourth-Dimensional Man. Something we’ll learn in Thor #208.
Topical References
Thor is depicted watching television on a black-and-white CRT set. This should be considered topical because these types of televisions are obsolete.
