A Hammer in Hades!

After preventing Ragnarok and being exiled on Earth, Thor does a quick patrol of the city before heading to South America to investigate the Celestials.[1] He spots a couple in the crowd below and for a moment he thinks the woman is Jane Foster. The thunder god has to remind himself that Jane is currently merged with Sif.[2] However, this encounter reminds Thor of an event that occurred not long after Odin denied Thor’s request to marry Jane.[3]…

… Don Blake was taking a coffee break when he suddenly noticed that his walking stick had begun to glow. Picking it up, he feels it pull him out onto the roof. Since Blake can’t fly, he taps the cane on the ground, transforming himself into Thor so that he can continue to follow the presence that is pulling him away.

Thor is drawn outside the city limits where Jane Foster has been drawn by some unknown force. She is happy to see Thor, but is suddenly sucked into the ground after he arrives. Thor smashes the ground open with Mjolnir and follows the tunnel after her. However, strange lights cause him to black out and when he wakes up, he discovers himself in Hades, the realm of the Olympian death god named Pluto.[4] Pluto has Jane suspended over a pit of lava and intends to have Thor fight for her life. Pluto reveals that he is working in concert with Loki, who is operating in Asgard and uses his power to teleport Ulik to Hades.

When Pluto orders the Rock Troll to attack the thunder god, Ulik refuses to be ordered around and attacks the lord of Hades instead. Realizing that Pluto is the only one who can guide them out of Hades, Thor comes to the death god’s aid. When Ulik threatens Pluto the death lord’s concentration slips causing the mystical chains that keep Jane suspended over the pit of lava to begin disappearing. Luckily, Thor is able to save Jane and then uses the magic of Mjolnir to teleport Ulik back to Asgard where the troll can get revenge against Loki.

Grateful for being rescued, Thor and Jane are returned to Earth by Pluto. There Jane thanks Thor with a kiss on the cheek before he heads off….

… Finishing his recollection, Thor thinks about how he was so conflicted at the time between his love for Jane and his love for Sif. Now, since both women have become one, he is glad that he no longer struggles with this conflict.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Pluto, Jane Foster, Heimdall, Odin, Sif, Loki, Ulik, Keith Kincaid

Continuity Notes

1. Thor learned that Celestials are judging life on Earth. See Thor Annual #6.

2. Sif merged herself with Jane Foster in order to save Jane’s life in Thor #236. They will remain like this until Thor #334-335.

3. Thor had been in love with Jane Foster since Journey into Mystery #83. He eventually convinced Odin to consider letting them get married in Thor #136. Odin’s condition was that Jane had to prove she was worthy of godhood. When she failed the test, he banished her to Earth and erased all memory of Thor’s secret identity and any romantic interest she had in him.

4. Thor recalls the last time he was in Hades in Thor #136. Pluto later mentions his last defeat at the hands of Thor. That happened in issue #164.