Thor #351
Ragnarok & Roll, Too!
New York
Thor has led the armies of Asgard and his mortal allies into battle against Surtur who had been using Midgard as a beachhead to reach Asgard and snuff out the Eternal Flame. However, when Thor used Mjolnir to create a storm to put out fires all over New York he had inadvertedly created a rainbow that allowed the demon to cross over to Asgard. With only Odin standing in Surtur’s way, Thor leaves Beta Ray Bill and Sif in charge of the forces on Earth while he teleports back to Asgard.
Elsewhere on the battle field, Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four notices a flash of light and sees the demonic hord building some kind of portal onto the Empire State Building. With the gate completed, even more demons begin appearing in New York City. Bill orders his fellow warriors to keep fighting and to give no quarter.
Asgard
Balder the Brave has been sent on a mission to recruit Karnilla and her armies to the fight against Surtur. However, Karnilla will only agree to help if Balder vows to devote himself to her eternally. This makes Balder laugh and he points out that allowing Surtur to win isn’t in her best interest as it will mean her own destruction and that of her kingdom as well. Still, he assures her that he is much different from the god she remembers and proves this by kissing her on the lips.
Earth
Roger Willis has joined the battle against the demons attacking New York. He has come seeking out Thor but finds Beta Ray Bill instead. He explains how he and Thor recently tried to stop Malekith from opening the Casket of Ancient Winters.[1] Hesuggests that the best way to end the blizzards that have been pounding the Earth is to return to England and reassembling the shattered casket. Need to get to England as quickly as possible, Mister Fantastic has the Human Torch get the Fantastic Four’s new gravity-acceleration vehicle from the Baxter Building and bring Roger where he needs to go.
The assembled warriors soon get more assistance form the United States Army. With American troops on the ground, the Vision convinces them to follow Beta Ray Bill’s orders since he was put in charge by Thor. Bill decides that they need to destroy the portal that is allowing more demons to join the battle. To this end, he pulls aside Harokin, the captain of the Einherjar, to lead an attack on the portal but at the last moment pull back in retreat, as he has a plan in mind.
Asgard
Thor appears on the Bifrost Bridge where Surtur is just now confronting Heimdall, the bridge’s sole guardian. Heimdall is swatted off the bridge and Thor watches in horror as Surtur uses Twilight to shatter the Bifrost itself, unmooring Asgard from the mortal world.[2]
Elsewhere, Frigga is leading the children of Asgard to a mountain chalet. They eventually come upon a troll blocking access to a bridge. The troll refuses to allow them to pass unless Frigga hands over one of the children for him to eat and threatens to kill them all if they do not comply.
New York
As the battle rages on, Sif notices fragments of the Bifrost blowing in the wind and fears the worst. However, when she asks Beta Ray Bill to allow her to return to Asgard he refuses, telling her that she is needed in battle. Deeply upset by this but knowing Bill is right, Sif leads the Einherjar on their charge toward the portal.
Asgard
When Heimdall is knocked off the remains of the Bifrost bridge, Thor flies down and rescues him. He tells the warrior to rest while he handles Surtur on his own. Thor then matches his strength against that of the fire demon but ultimately, Surtur proves to be too powerful and Thor is pummeled into unconsciousness. Believing that no obstacles stand in his way, Surtur advances toward the kingdom of Asgard only to be staggered by a blast of energy. Recovering from the blast, Surtur sees that he has one last opponent, Odin himself, who — armed with his Scepter of Power — will only allow the monster to pass over his dead body.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Beta Ray Bill, Surtur, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Sif, Vision, Starfox, Mister Fantastic, Human Torch, Karnilla, Haag, Balder, Harokin, Elifi the Dragonslayer, Tyr, Executioner, Heimdall, Frigga, Odin, Gunnar, Hildy, Arngrim
Continuity Notes
The whole Casket of Ancient Winters thing was covered in Thor #345-349.
The Bifrost Bridge will remain shattered until it is restored in Thor #426.
Topical References
The original twin towers of the World Trade Center are depicted as part of the New York City skyline in this story. This should be considered a topical reference as these buildings were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 and since been replaced with the Freedom Tower.