Thor #265
When Falls the God of Thunder
Loki has taken the Asgardian throne after Thor’s quest for Odin. When the thunder god has come to confront his brother over the whereabouts of Balder, the trickster unleashes the Destroyer upon him.[1] Thor can hardly believe that the Destroyer is back since, last he saw it, he handed over the enchanted armor to Galactus to use as a herald.[2]
That’s when Loki appears in his astral form and explains how he managed to get the Destroyer back. Not long after he seized the throne of Asgard, Loki searched for the Destroyer and discovered that Galactus was preoccupied battling the High Evolutionary and the Fantastic Four over the fate of Counter-Earth.[3] He then teleported the Destroyer back to Asgard. After Loki’s astral form disappears, the trickster continues to watch from his hideout, gloating that Thor will never figure out whose life-force now powers the Destroyer this time.
Although the Destroyer has a single minded goal of destroying whoever it gazes upon, Thor has defeated it a number of times in the past and vows to defeat it this time as well.[4] Thor’s battle with the Destroyer shakes the very foundations of the royal palace. The vibrations are felt by the Warriors Three who are searching the tunnels below for the missing Odin. Fearing that Thor is in danger, the trio break off their search and race back to the surface. While outside the kingdom, Sif and Karnilla arrive to join up with Thor. When the guards try to stop them from entering the palace, Karnilla uses her magic to turn them into frogs.
Meanwhile, Thor’s battle with the Destroyer rages on. The Warriors Three soon arrive and offer to lend Thor a hand. Although he is being pummeled by the Destroyer, the thunder god orders them to resume their search for Odin as he is the only one who can truly stop the Destroyer. Despite their misgivings, the trio follow Thor’s orders. As they head back down into the tunnel they spy upon Kroda, Magrad and Snaykar. Loki’s three minions have decided to go looking for Odin themselves as they anticipate Loki’s plans going sideways soon enough. As they head for the place where Odin has been hidden, Kroda suggests that they either free the All-Father and win his favor or kill him to ensure Loki’s continued rule. Little do they know that they are leading the Warriors Three.
Back at the scene of the battle, Thor tries to buy himself some time to rest by diving into one of the royal fountains. However, the Destroyer quickly catches up with him and begins trying to drown the thunder god. That’s when Sif and Karnilla arrive to save him. However, when Karnilla casting spells at the Destroyer she suddenly realizes that she cannot fight against it anymore. Watching from his hideout, Loki gloats over his eventual victory and thanks Balder — whose lifeforce now inhabits the Destroyer armor — for giving him the key to victory.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Destroyer, Loki, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Karnilla, Sif, Balder, Kroda, Magrat, Snaykar,
Continuity Notes
Odin had been missing since Thor #243, prompting Thor to quest for him between issues #255 and 263. During that time, he left Balder in charge while he was gone. The throne was then usurped by Loki, who then hid Odin’s sleeping body last issue.
Thor turned over the Destroyer to Galactus in Thor #228.
The battle between Galactus and the High Evolutionary was chronicled in Fantastic Four #172-175.
Thor states here that he fought the Destroyer on four different occasions in the past. This is a reference to all of the times that Thor had been depicted battling the Destroyer by the time this story was published. At the time of this writing (May 2021), Thor has chronologically fought the Destroyer on five different occasions.
Omitted here is the time Thor battled the Destroyer centuries earlier in Thor: Man of War #1. Thor likely does not remember this encounter because it occurred during a previous Ragnarok cycle. Per Thor #294, Asgard goes through cycles of death and rebirth where their histories are reset and relived only slightly different. Typically, the Asgardians do not remember their past life incarnations. That said, there could be other times Thor battled the Destroyer that are, as yet, unrecorded.
The first time (in modern history) that Thor fought the Destroyer was in Journey into Mystery #118-119. Thor states here that at the time the Destroyer was possessed by an “unnamed hunter”. The Destroyer profile in Thor: Asgard’s Avenger #1 identifies him as Buck Franklin.
Loki possessed the Destroyer after this in Thor Annual #2.
The third time the Destroyer was animated was from Thor #150-152 when it was possessed by Sif.
Most recently, Clement Holmes powered the Destroyer in Thor #224-225.
