Hellfire Across the World!

Thor and Hercules have ventured into Hades to rescue Krista, an Asgardian goddess kidnapped by Pluto. As they wander the dark domain they are ambushed by Pluto’s winged demons. Although Thor is more than a match for them, Hercules struggles in battle because being in Hades lessens his strength.[1] When Thor finishes of his opponents he lends Hercules a hand so they can continue their quest.

Elsewhere in Hades, Pluto receives a report from one of his demons and is not happy that they failed. However, instead of punishing his minion, Pluto decides to focus on Krista, who has refused to speak ever since he kidnapped her from Asgard. Frustrated, Pluto decides to flee Hades and teleports himself and Krista away.

When Thor and Hercules arrive the center of Pluto’s domain, they are attacked by two female serpent-demons. They quickly route their foes and discover that Pluto is long gone. With no leads, Thor teleports himself and Hercules to Asgard to seek the assistance of Odin. When they arrive in the throne room, Odin questions who Thor has allied himself with Hercules, as he believes he was responsible for Krista’s kidnapping. Thor quickly explains the deception created by Ares and Pluto and their need to find the death god. Odin apologizes for his outburst and uses his visi-screen to locate Pluto. He learns that the death god has fled to New York City on Earth and warns Thor to be cautious as Pluto can draw strength from the hatred of mortals.

Thor and Hercules are then teleported down to Earth and they appear in the middle of Times Square. They quickly spot Pluto and Krista atop of a building. The death god then creates a spear out of fire and throws it at Hercules. When the flaming weapon strikes him the prince of power is immobilized. Thor destroys the next projectile with Mjolnir and races up atop the building to battle Pluto directly. In the ensuing battle, Thor manages to overpower Pluto and flips him onto an electronic billboard. The sudden contact with the electricity overwhelm Pluto who teleports away. With Pluto gone, Hercules is freed from the immobilizing flames.

In the aftermath of the battle, Thor examines Krista and finds her in serious condition. He grimly realizes that if Krista is to survive, Don Blake must live again.[2]

Recurring Characters

Thor, Pluto, Krista, Odin, Sif, Hildegarde, Hercules

Continuity Notes

1. Hercules reminds Thor of the last time they were in Hades. That was in Thor #130.

2. At the time of this story, Thor had not assumed his mortal guise for some time. The last time he was Don Blake was back in Thor #209.

Topical References

• One of the people seeing Thor and Hercules appear out of thin air in Times Square says it’s almost like meeting Robert Redford or Paul Newman in real life. These should be considered topical reference since both actors are very dead.