When the Thunder Fails!

The planet Pangoria has been deemed unworthy by the Celestials. Thor has vowed to stop this from happening and has been lost inside the body of Exitar the Executioner. Sending his armies to attack the Celestials, Pegas — the ruler of the planet — prepares to save his own hide by trying to pierce the energy barrier that keeps everyone trapped on the planet. His assistant, Myla, tries to convince him to stay and help his people but her pleas fall on deaf ears.

Inside the body of Exitar, Thor has attempted to access the Celestial’s mind. To shatter the protective dome, Thor sacrificed Mjolnir and is now forced to fight anti-bodies created to stop him with his bare hands. Fighting off the creatures, Thor finally gets enough clearance to leap into the Celestial’s mind.

Back outside, Pegas works on trying to break through the barrier. Myla refuses to go along with his insane plan and goes outside to be with her people. There she finds some children cowering in the streets and offers them comfort until the end.

At that moment, Thor finds himself stripped down to his core as Exitar examines his body and reads his mind.[1] After learning all it can about the thunder god, Exitar expells Thor from his body and he crashes near Myla. Moments later, Arishem raises his hands and channels energy into Exitar. The Executioner then turns into energy itself and merges with the barrier that surrounds the planet. This blanket of energy then causes Pegas and his fellow pirates to disintegrate. Seeing that the end is near, Thor goes to comfort Myla and the children. However, rather than being eliminated they witness in astonishment as Pangoria is converted into a lush paradise.

They are then visited by a replicoid based on Thor created by the Celestials. It explains that while his masters deemed the planet unworthy, they only sought to eliminate the unruly elements of this world and revitalize the planet to give its people a second chance. He also warns Thor never to interfere in the affairs of the Celestials as his actions today could have affected the judgment and wiped everyone out. Since Thor is no longer welcome on this world, the replicoid uses its power to restore the thunder god’s clothing and piece Mjolnir back together before teleporting him to Earth.

Once back on his adopted home, the thunder god realizes that he cannot fathom the motivations of the Celestials any more than the ants at his feet can contemplate him. However, he is happy to be back on Earth to defend those in need of justice.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Exitar, Arishem, Pegas, Myla

Continuity Notes

1. Among the many memories that Exitar views, we see the moment when Thor was worthy enough to lift Mjolnir. This was first depicted in Journey into Mystery #102.