Thor #377
This Hallowed Armor!
Asgard, Now
In the realm of Svartalfheim, some powerful force is violently shutting down all the portals to Midgard. The Dark Elves that live there begin to panic and their leader, Wormwood, suspects that their domain is being impacted by iron, their greatest weakness.
Observing Earth through one of their veils, they see an image of Thor at a forge in Pittsburgh building a suit of armor. Every time he pounds his hammer on iron it causes shockwaves that are felt all the way in Svartalfheim. In order to prevent further destruction, Wormwood heads into the caverns deep below their domain to recruit the one Dark Elf that can stop Thor: The one-armed terror known as Grendel.
Earlier on Midgard…
Following his battle with the Absorbing Man, Thor had collapsed due to the injuries he had suffered in combat. Waking up in the hospital, Thor is told by a doctor that he has suffered a number of cracked ribs on top of his broken arm. Thor grimly thinks about how none of these injuries will heal thanks to the curse put on him by Hela and decides to do something to protect himself in battle in the future.[1]
Once he is able to get mobile, Thor travels to Pittsburgh where he rents out an entire forge for an entire week.[2] With that, Thor began working on a new suit of armor that will keep his body intact and allow him to move around despite his various injuries.
After having the forge workers assist in him preparing the molten iron needed, Thor uses his magic to transform it into Asgardian iron. This makes the material incredibly volatile and her orders the workers out so that he can continue working without the risk of harming any mortals.
Asgard, Now
The Enchantress and Heimdall have returned to the edge of the shattered Bifrost Bridge.[3] There, she thanks Heimdall for forcing her to get through her depression, following the death of the Executioner.[4] During their time together, Amora and Heimdall have begun to fall in love. However, when the Enchantress goes to kiss him, she suddenly feels dizzy and collapses in his arms.
Pittsburgh
Thor’s work on his new armor is interrupted when the Dark Elves ambush him. Although he is able to fight off the attacking army, he is struck from behind by Grendel. In the ensuing battle, Thor clashes Mjolnir against Grendel’s own hammer and the force of the impact shatters all the bones in Thor’s hand, making him drop his hammer.
Asgard
In the realm of Jotunheim, the Frost Giants await for Loki to make good on his promise to create enough extreme cold that he will restore them to their natural size.[5]
To this end, Loki uses a device to teleport Iceman of X-Factor from Earth to Asgard. Trapped in a mystical ring, Bobby Drake is forced to ice up and channel his powers stronger than ever before. This intense cold is then sent out over Jotunheim where it causes the Frost Giants to begin to grow once more.
Elsewhere in the kingdom, Fandral, Hogun and Sif are showing Mick and Kevin — two mortal children adopted by Volstagg [6] — how to fight so they can survive life in Asgard. However, the training session comes to an abrupt end when both Fandral and Sif begin getting sick.
Pittsburgh
Thor is overwhelmed by the attacking Dark Elves who pin him down long enough for Grendel to shatter his leg. Screaming in agony, Thor calls Mjolnir back to his hand and fights off the elves pinning him down. He then impales Grendel with a spear, but is pinned down once again.
Watching this from Asgard, Loki decides to intervene as he wants Thor to witness his final triumph and teleports him away.
Asgard
Thor appears in Loki’s castle but has been rendered unconscious due to his injuries. Loki can’t wait for his step-brother to wake up and see his work. However, the intense cold generated by Iceman has restored the Frost Giants to their full strength and they decide to take this opportunity to betray Loki.
With his castle under siege, Loki prepares to fend off the giants before they can take Iceman to further increase their power.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Loki, Iceman, Beast, Heimdall, Enchantress, Sif, Fandral, Hogun, Wormwood, Bitterhand, Grendell, Gunderoth, Kevin Mortensen, Mick Mortensen
Continuity Notes
After being humiliated by Thor in issue #361, Hela cursed him with brittle bones that will never heal in Thor #373. Thor suffered a broken arm fighting Blockbuster in the following issue and suffered his later injuries fighting Absorbing Man in Thor #375-376. This curse will remain upon the thunder god until issue #382.
The forge owner recounts how Thor once used a Pittsburg forge to repair Mjolnir. This happened way back in Journey into Mystery #120.
The Bifrost Bridge was shattered by Surter in Thor #351. It will not be restored again until issue #426.
The Executioner sacrificed his life so Thor and his allies could escape Hela’s domain in issue #362.
The Frost Giants were all shrunk by Balder’s light powers in Balder the Brave #1-4.
Mick and Kevin’s mother was murdered by the Zaniac and they were subsequently adopted by Vosltagg in Thor #371-372. The Zanica profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #13 reveals that their last names are Mortensen.