When Warriors Clash!

Growing tired of hearing Thor complain about his itchy beard, the Warriors Three force him to see Targo the Troll, the local barber. Thor is reluctant to get his face shaved as his face was scarred during a recent battle with Hela. The Warriors Three figure this is not an issue, reminding Thor how Hela had recently restored his body. Sure enough, once he is clean shaven, Thor is delighted to learn that his facial scars have fully healed.[1]

While Thor and his friends celebrate, things are grim in the royal palace. Balder has been visited by the Grand Vizier who has a dire warning. With the destruction of the Bifrost Bridge, Asgard has been become unmoored and is drifting through the dimension.[2] He fears that portals to other worlds will begin appearing across Asgard, making it vulnerable to all kinds of threats. Little do they know that they are being spied by a cat that then retreats through one of the very portals the Vizier is worried about. On the other side the cat takes on humanoid form and reports her findings to Seth, the Egyptian god of death. He is pleased by the news and rewards his minion with death.

Later, Thor and the Warriors Three have traveled to the north in search of adventure. There they find a woman being savagely attacked by a griffin creature that is not native to Asgard. When confronting the monster it passes through a strange portal when it lunges at Thor. Racing to its victim’s side, Thor and the others learn from the dying woman that the creature had slaughtered her entire family. Thor decides that the monster must be slain before it kills again and enters the portal alone, ordering the Warriors Three to stay behind in case the monster comes back.

The portal takes Thor to another dimension and while searching for the monster he realizes that he is in the domain of Avalon, home to the Celtic gods, the mortal enemies of Asgard. Still, he searches for the monster and comes across a hut where another family has been slaughtered. There, Thor is confronted by a group of Celts who accuse him of murdering their people. When reason fails, Thor is forced to defend himself against his attackers.

They are soon joined by Leir, the Celtic god of lightning and the spear who is eager to pit his might against Thor to see who is the true master of the storm. Although Thor knows Leir is just coming in defense of his people, he decides to fight due to the centuries long rivalry between their pantheons.

Meanwhile, back in Asgard, the Warriors Three notice that the portal is beginning to close. Fearing Thor will get trapped, Hogun decides to cross over alone and warn their friend, leaving Fandral and Volstagg to guard the gate. When Hogun appears in Avalon, Lier believes that this is a sneak attack and tries attacking him. That’s when they spot the griffin attacking another group of villagers. Realizing that Thor was telling the truth, Lier accepts the Asgardian’s aid in slaying the beast before it can kill again.

When they attack the monster it flees back through the portal and Thor and Hogun race after it before it closes for good. On the other side they are surprised to see that Fandral and Volstagg managed to kill the beast before their arrival.

In the aftermath, Thor returns home where he puts on his usual reinment and prepares to make a trek back to Midgard. As Thor whirls Mjolnir and teleports away, the Grand Vizier arrives too late to stop him. The Vizier tells Balder that Asgard has drifted too far away and Thor could be lost anywhere in time and space. At that same moment, Thor materializes somewhere in deep space without any air to breath….

Recurring Characters

Thor, Leir, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Grand Vizier, Seth

Continuity Notes

1. Thor’s face was horribly scarred during a battle with Hela in Thor #362 and he grew a beard to cover them up. Hela later cursed him with brittle bones from Thor #373 to 382 when he forced her to reverse the curse and heal all the damage done to his body.

2. The rainbow bridge was destroyed by Surtur in Thor #351. It will eventually be restored in issue #426.