Mayhem Under Manhattan!

With their fellow Eternals captured, Sersi and Karkas have enlisted the aid of Thor to help rescue them. Although they were told of a secret entrance into the underground Deviant city, they are unaware that their arrival is being monitored by the Deviant’s ruler Brother Tode as well as Warlord Kro.

When they are ambushed by the Deviants, Thor and Karkas fight back. Sersi, meanwhile, appears to flee the scene as she is no good in a fight. Soon, the two men are incapacitated by the Deviant weapons. With Thor at his mercy, Warlord Kro takes away Mjolnir assuming that the enchantments that prevent anyone from lifting the hammer only applies to humans.

Meanwhile, in Asgard, Odin watches the activities of his son with Mimir the flame of wisdom. Although the animated flame mocks him, Odin refuses to lift a finger to help his son because he is currently in exile.[1] This deeply upsets Sif and the Warriors Three who insist on going to Midgard to help their friend out. Odin denies this request and instead sends Sif and the Warriors Three off on two separate missions of grave importance, although he doesn’t explain what. Knowing what Odin is up to, Mimir mocks him until the All-Father threatens to extinguish his flame.[2]

While back on Earth, Thor and Karkas are brought — along with the previously captured Ikaris, Margo Damian, Thena, and Reject — before Brother Tode. There, Kro prepares them to be destroyed in the Atom-Displacer. He pauses long enough to try and convince Thena to join him due to their past romance, but she flat out refuses.[3] Before they can be executed, Ikaris tries one last time to convince Brother Tode that they need to work together against the Celestials. Tode, unfortunately, refuses to work with the either the Eternals or the humans. Noticing that Thor has been silent this entire time the leader of the Deviants starts mocking the thunder god when suddenly, “he” transforms revealing that “Thor” was actually Sersi in disguise this whole time. That’s when Kro realizes that he wasn’t holding Mjolnir, but a seemingly innocuous walking stick.

That’s when Don Blake comes rushing out of the shadows to grab his walking stick. Struggling with Warlord Kro, Don manages to tap his cane on the ground triggering his transformation into Thor. Realizing that he cannot lift the real Mjolnir, Kro is quickly defeated. The thunder god then frees his Eternal allies and a massive battle breaks out. Kro manages to unleash his new super-mutate called Metabo. The four-armed monster is capable of absorbing and rechanneling the energies of the Eternals. However, the monster proves no match for Thor. With the tide of battle turning, Brother Tode and his bride, Dragona, flee the scene in the only escape craft leaving Warlord Kro to his fate. With the Deviant city set to self-destruct, Thor and his allies retreat just moments before the entire underground city explodes. Returning to the surface, they all board Thena’s ship. There they decide to enlist the aid of Zuras and the other Eternals that live in the city of Olympia.[4]

Recurring Characters

Thor, Sersi, Thena, Ikaris, Ransak the Reject, Karkas, Margo Damian, Kro, Brother Tode, Metabo Dragona, Odin, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Sif, Mimir

Continuity Notes

1. Thor was banished from Asgard for being pissed at Odin for triggering a fake Ragnarok at the cost of three lives, including that of Balder the Brave. See Thor #273-278.

2. Odin is setting things up for the final conflict between the Council of Godheads and the Celestials, something that has been in the works for over a millennia at this point. See Thor #300 for all the deets.

3. A past relationship between Thena and Kro was briefly mentioned in Eternals #8. It is explored in more detail in Eternals: The Herod Factor #1.

4. Thor confuses the Eternals of Olympia with the Olympian gods. The connection — if any — is unexplained here. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition #9 explains that Zeus discovered the Eternals and noted a similarity between himself and his daughter Athena with Zuras and his daughter Azura. The two patriarchs entered a pack of non-interference and Azura changed her name to Thena. Due to their similar names and appearances the people who worshiped the Olympians at times mistook the Eternals for their counterparts in the Greek pantheon.