Time of the Trolls!

With the threat of Ragnarok hanging over Asgard, the kingdom has been subject to a number of losses. Balder the Brave hangs between life and death, kept in a suspended state by Odin’s magic. Meanwhile, Loki had manipulated Red Norvell into obtaining power equal to Thor. Defeating the thunder god in battle, Red also murdered Joey, his co-worker, and fled with Sif.

Harris Hobbs, the TV reporter who brought Joey and Red with him to Asgard in the hopes of recording a TV special, blames himself for Joey’s death and mourns the loss of his colleague. Everyone is surprised when Thor — despite his recent defeat at the hands of Norvell — gets up no worse for wear. Still awaiting punishment, Loki gloats that all of the events now transpiring were set into motion some time ago. Since the twilight of the gods is now on the horizon, Loki decides to reveal his carefully laid scheme.

Prior to his last attempt to conquer Asgard, Loki had visited Hela the goddess of death. The two came up with a scheme to trigger Ragnarok if Loki’s latest plans ended in failure. Agreeing to this plan, Hela then summoned the spirit of the prophet named Volla so she might tell them of the events that need to happen to bring about the end of the gods. With a number of the conditions, such as cold winters and constant warfare, are already in motion. Needing to have a mortal dream about the endtimes, the pair began plaguing Harris Hobbs with nightmares.[1] Loki then went to stage his coup with the aid of the Enchantress and the Executioner, but ultimately failed, Hela started working to put things in motion while Loki was in exile.[2] Loki then reminds the gathered Asgardians what Volla predicted will happen next:[3] First the legions of Hela would storm the gates and slay Heimdall, Thor and Loki will then battle each other for the last time. Lastly, the Midgard Serpent will arrive and consume Thor, ushering in the end of everything. Even though Loki might perish before seeing his brother’s death, the trickster god believes it will all be worth it.

Before Loki can be punished for his crimes, the trickster makes one last attempt at getting away by sealing himself in a stone block. However, even without the might of Mjolnir, Thor easily shatters the block. Loki is then taken out into the wasteland where he is shackled to the ground. There, a viper appears to drop its venom onto Loki’s face.[4] This causes the trickster searing pain and with each of his blood-curdling screams the entire kingdom of Asgard trembles. Feeling sorry for her husband, Sigyn gets permission from Odin to go by his side. There she uses a plate to collect the venom to stop it from spilling on Loki’s face. However, this is less than perfect as Loki continues to get burned whenever she has to empty the plate. At that same moment, elsewhere in the realm, Hela has gathered an army of trolls and demons as well as the Fenris wolf and the Midgard Serpent for the final battle against Asgard.

Meanwhile, Red Norvell has taken Sif far away from Asgard. However, even though he now has the power and hammer of Thor, she will not love him. Arriving in the Alfheim, they are greeted by the Light Elves. Norvell sends them running and when he and Sif are alone, he begins to wonder how he was even able to get Thor’s power anyway. Sif then reveals how this was possible, something that she has kept secret for some time. During one of Thor’s extended stays in Asgard, Odin became concerned that Thor might be absent during the time of Ragnarok. So he went about making a secret copy of Thor’s essence and hiding it within the flames of Gerridour. In the event that Thor was not present, Odin could have someone enter the flames and gain his power.[5] Sif then tries to shame Red for taking the power of Thor for selfish ends. This doesn’t work and when Norvell falls asleep, Sif tries to remove the Belt of Power from his waist. Unfortunately, the ground shakes from the sound of Heimdall blowing his horn, waking Red up in time to stop her.

Hearing her brother’s horn, Sif realizes that stopping Red is pointless because the sound is signaling the final battle that will lead to Ragnarok. She can already envision what is happening back in Asgard: Even without Mjolnir, Thor will be rallying his troops to fight back against Hela and her minions, refusing to give no quarter even if this is truly the twilight of the gods. Sif is convinced everyone she loves will die and puts the blame entirely on Red Norvell.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Odin, Harris Hobbs, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Sif, Loki, Hela, Jormungand, Fenris, Red Norvell, Sigyn, Volla, Balder, Frigga, Heimdall, Joey Burnett (corpse)

Continuity Notes

1. The reason for this is because Hobbs previously visited Asgard and had his memories wiped out. See Journey into Mystery #121-122. Hobbs went to Thor with these dreams in Thor #272-273.

2. Loki’s most recent coup of Asgard happened in Thor #264-266.

3. A footnote here guides readers to check out Thor #200 to learn more about Volla’s prophecy. That story is also adapted from a similar tale told in Thor #127.

4. The viper venom torture is actually part of Norse mythology. Loki has already experienced this torment in past Ragnarok cycles, as depicted in Loki (vol. 2) #4.

5. If you’re wondering when the fuck this happened, sources point this flashback as having happened prior to the events of Thor #229.

Topical References

• Red Norvell quotes a line from a James Dean movie, I’m guessing Rebel Without a Cause? I don’t know, I don’t give a shit about James Dean. Unless you accept that Norvell is a classic film buff, this could be considered a topical reference because who quotes James Dean movies anymore?