Thor #400
Lest Heaven Perish!
In the domain of Seth, the Egyptian god of death, Thor stands before Surtur the fire demon who has been pursing his father for months.[1] Given the Odinpower, Thor uses this power to increase his size so that he can fight Surtur in hand-to-hand combat. Surtur responds by picking up Seth’s Black Pyramid — which still contains Grog and an army of troops — and tosses it at the thunder god. Thor shatters the pyramid with Mjolnir creating a sudden flash of energy that makes the two titans disappear.[2]
Meanwhile, in Asgard, the combined forces of Asgard and Avalon continue to fight back against Seth’s invading legions. However, facing impossible odds and without their leader, Sif orders everyone to abandon the city and retreat into the mountains. This is witnessed by Balder, who was pulled out of a battle to the death against Seth by Karnilla, the Norn Queen. She has brought her beloved to her domain where he can be kept safe as she has cast a spell of invisibility around Nornheim. Balder, however, points out that this won’t keep them safe forever, showing her that Seth is laying waste to all the realms of Asgard, showing her attacks on the Troll kingdom underground as well as on the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. He tells her that Seth will come for her and it will be up to her if she choose to fight him now or later.
At that moment, Thor and Surtur’s battle continues as they are bounced across time and space. For a brief moment they appear outside the undersea kingdom of Atlantis before disappearing again.
Back in Asgard, Seth and his forces have taken over the palace of Asgard. However, before he can claim the throne of Odin he is confronted by Fandral, Volstagg, and Heimdall. Although the three men are exhausted and seriously wounded, they refuse to surrender and are willing to fight to the death. Although the trio are ready to make their last stand, they are aided by Balder and Karnilla, who have united the different factions of the Nine Worlds and brought them to fight back against Seth.
While in the mountains, Sif and her comrades have stopped to rest as they continue their retreat. Although all seems lost, Sif refuses to surrender and plans to return and fight once they have regrouped. That’s when Odin appears and announces to them all that he is still alive and he has brought comrades in the form of Hogun, the Black Knight, Earth Force, and the entire Egyptian pantheon of gods. Earth Force is reluctant to join the final battle, but Earth Lord reminds Wind Warrior and Skyhawk that their powers were given to them by Seth, and their days are numbered as long as the death god has a hold over their lives. The Black Knight also agrees to join the battle although he wonders how useful he will be since his mobility is being hindered by a blood curse. Although he doesn’t say so, Hogun will also join the battle even though he has been marked by Seth and is fated to die when they meet again.[3]
As the rebellion charges back into battle, Lier spots a number of griffins similar to the creature that Seth unleashed on his country men. Wanting revenge he and Caber focus on slaying the monsters.[4] As they plow through Seth’s forces, the Grand Vizier of Asgard decides to check one of the enemy tents to see if there is anything of value to be found. He discovers the Enchantress who has been tending to her sister, Lorelei, and pleads for the Vizier’s help because she is dying.[5]
By this time, Thor and Surtur’s appear on Earth’s moon just outside of the city of the Inhumans. Like with Atlantis before, the two combatants only appear for a few moments before being swept away again.
Back in Asgard, the battle is finally beginning to turn against Seth. With the palace coming down around him, the death god tries to get to cover. However, he is ambushed by the three members of Earth Force. However, despite the mortal’s best efforts, Seth strikes them dead. When others try to attack with magic, Seth has had enough and assumes his true form, that of a massive snake. On the sidelines, Hogun witnesses as the Black Knight becomes completely immobile. Hearing how the Knight is becoming a living extension of his enchanted sword gives Hogun an idea. Meanwhile, Odin draws power from Asgard itself so that he can grow to gigantic size and battle Seth one-on-one.
As Odin struggles against the massive serpent, Thor and Surtur’s fight takes them to the alien world of Reigel-3 before they finally appear in Asgard itself. The sudden appearance of his son distracts Odin long enough for Seth to take advantage of the situation. However, Hogun leaps in and strikes Seth with his mace so hard it causes the death god pain. At that same moment, Thor finally defeats Surtur by summoning a massive whirlwind implosion that knocks the fire demon out. When Seth turns his attention to Hogun, the warrior throws the Black Knight through Seth’s serpentine head. Having becoming a living sword, the Knight’s body passes through Seth’s head. This releases the power that Seth stole from the other Egyptian gods. Mortally wounded and bereft of his power, Seth begins to shrink down to nothing until he vanishes from sight.[6]
In the aftermath of the battle, the assembled warriors of Asgard and their allies celebrate their hard won victory, despite the incredible losses they face. Thor, on the other hand, has nothing to celebrate because Surtur is still alive and once he wakes up he will threatened Asgard anew. Odin, however, has come up with a solution. Taking back the Odinpower, the All-Father uses his abilities to imprison Surtur within his own body.[7] Odin then reclaims the throne of Asgard and congratulates his warriors on their victory.
At the same time, the Egyptian gods combine their power to resurrect Earth Force and return them to Earth. Earth Lord — aka Kyle Brock — wakes up in his hospital room, much to the delight of his wife. He wonders if the whole battle against Seth was a dream until he looks at his hand and sees that it still has the mark of Aton and wonders where he and his teammates will go from here.
With the battle over and the reconstruction of Asgard underway, Thor has the Grand Vizier examine the Black Knight’s body. Unfortunately, the elderly mystic cannot determine a way to cure the Knight of his blood curse. Thor then asks Odin for permission to return to Earth to help his mortal friend. Odin agrees but tells his son that someday soon he will ask for his son to return and Thor will have to choose between Asgard and Earth.[8]
Recurring Characters
Thor, Surtur, Balder, Enchantress, Grand Vizier, Haag, Heimdall, Karnilla, Lorelei, Odin, Sif, Tyr, Valdor, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Leir, Caber, Dagdea, Black Knight, Earth Force (Earth Lord, Skyhawk, Wind Warrior), Geb, Nut, Bes, Horus, Black Bolt, Triton, Karnak, Rigellians, Grog the God-Slayer, Seth, Marge Brock
Continuity Notes
It’s mentioned multiple times in this story that Odin had gone missing in action and was believed to have been dead. He seemingly sacrificed himself in order to prevent Surtur from destroying Asgard back in Thor #353 until he was discovered alive in Thor #398.
It’s not really clear what happened to Grog here. He will turn up alive again in Thor Annual (vol. 3) #1.
There are a lot of stakes on the table here:
Earth Force were given power by Seth to destroy Hogun, but refused to go through with it at the end. See Thor #395. This was also when Hogun was marked by Seth.
The Black Knight has been shouldered with a blood curse since his Ebony Blade was used to kill Marrina in Avengers #293. This curse will remain in play until he is cured during the events of Black Knight (vol. 2) #1-4.
A similar griffin creature slaughtered a number of Celtic gods in Thor #386. Lier managed to slay the beast with the help of Thor and the Warriors Three.
The Enchantress and her sister were captured by Seth in issue #398 and 399 respectively.
This is not the end of Seth who will turn up alive again in Thunderstrike #13 and 17-23.
This plan ultimately backfires as Surtur begins taking possession of Odin until he is released and defeated by Thor again. See Thor #417-425.
It should be noted here that Odin restores his lost eye that he plucked out of his head in Thor #274.
I… This Hammer!
This is a feature that goes over the abilities of Thor’s hammer. It explains that the thunder god can use it to fly by tossing the hammer and grabbing onto the leather thong at the end of its handle. The hammer also has an enchantment that prevents anyone except those who are deemed worthy in the eyes of Odin from being able to lift the Mjolnir. Another enchantment also makes the hammer return to Thor’s hand whenever it is thrown.
The hammer also has the magical ability to summon powerful storms when the handle is tapped on the ground twice and can fire various mystical energies from its head. Thor can also spin the hammer around so fast that it can create a vortex that allows him to cross dimensions, such as when he returns to Asgard from Earth.
The hammer also once had the ability to disguise Thor in a mortal identity when tapped on the ground once. Since then, Thor abandoned this mortal identity and now uses this enchantment to switch from civilian clothes to his costume.[1] Thor is not the only being to have lifted Mjolnir as it has been lifted by others who are worthy such as Steve Rogers, Beta Ray Bill, and Drago a teenager from the future year of 2587.[2]
This guide also takes up a page focusing on the women in Thor’s life including his doomed romance with Jane Foster, his on-again-off-again romance with Sif, how he had been seduced by both the Enchantress and her sister Lorelei, and how Hela has often come for his soul.[3]
Continuity Notes
This mortal identity was that of Don Blake, a mortal guise given to him by Odin to teach Thor humility, as explained in Thor #159. For years Thor lived a double life until the enchantment was transferred from Mjolnir to Beta Ray Bill’s hammer Stormbreaker in Thor #339. The Don Blake identity will be abandoned until Thor (vol. 3) #1.
The details about the others who have lifted Thor’s hammer:
Steve Rogers lifted the hammer in Thor #390 in order to toss it back to Thor during their battle against Grog the God-Slayer. Here, Rogers is wearing the black costume he wore as “The Captain” during a period in which he was forced to give up the role of Captian America to the government. This period lasted from Captain America #332 to 350.
Beta Ray Bill proved worthy by tapping Don Blake’s cane and changing into a version of Thor in Thor #337.
Drago Ktor lifed Thor’s hammer in Thor #384. Drago’s future takes place in a possible future that has been designated as Reality-8710 in All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #6.
About those women in Thor’s life:
Jane Foster had been Thor’s love interest back in his Don Blake days dating back to Journey into Mystery #84. Odin refused their marriage in issue #90 of that series. Thor eventually petitioned Odin to allow him and Jane to get married if she proved herself worthy enough to become a goddess. She flubbed the test in Thor #136. She spent time away from Thor until she was near death and merged with Sif in Thor #236. This lasted until issue #335, Jane subsequently ended up marrying Keith Kincaid in the following issue.
Sif and Thor have had an on-again-off-again romance dating back to when they were teenagers. The two had been more-or-less together since Thor #136 when Jane Foster was rejected by Odin. More recently Sif has found herself torn between her love of Thor and her growing romantic interest in Beta Ray Bill circa Thor #337-340.
Amora the Enchantress has tired to win Thor’s love many times over the years dating back to her first appearance in Journey into Mystery #103. However, she had since moved on to pursue a reciprocal relationship with Heimdall starting in Thor #360.
Lorelei sought to succeed where her sister failed, and got involved in a long winding scheme where she tried anything and everything to enthrall Thor until she got bored and gave up. See Thor #337 through 359.
When Volstagg Was in Flower!
Fandral and Hogun are dueling with staffs on a log that crosses a stream. Fandral manages to knock Hogun into the water, a hard won victory that he doesn’t think he could repeat. Watching the battle are Volstagg’s children included the adopted mortals Mick and Kevin. When the two boys make light to Volstagg’s weight, Fandral tells the boys that they shouldn’t mock their adopted father as he was once a great warrior.[1]
Fandral then relates a story from his youth when he was even more brash and egotistical than he is now. In those days, he decided to go to the kingdom of Asgard to commit his sword to Odin. Along the way he came across a bridge across a river. However, the bridge was guarded by Volstagg — who was quite muscular back then — who told the young Fandral that only those who can defeat him in battle are allowed to pass.
Cutting a nearby tree branch to fashion into a staff, Fandral tried to beat Volstagg but kept on getting knocked into the river. Still, Fandral did not give up and on his third try he managed to best Volstagg by using his staff to high jump over his opponent and knock him into the water from behind. Volstagg ended up being so impressed by Fandral’s ingenuity he took the young warrior under his wing and taught him everything he now knows.
That’s when Volstagg comes to get his children and jokingly tells Fandral not to tell any more lies. Still, the children want to hear more about their father’s heroics and he decides to tell them about one of his adventures on their way back home.[2] Seeing how happy their friend is, Fandral and Hogun both agree that Volstagg is a lucky man.
Recurring Characters
Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Alaric, Rolfe, Flosi, Gudrun, Gunnhild, Kevin Mortensen, Mick Mortensen
Continuity Notes
Mick and Kevin were adopted by Volstagg after their mother was murdered by the Zaniac in Thor #371-372. Their last names are not given here but the Zaniac entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #13 reveals it to be Mortensen.
Volstagg mentions how he battled Fafnir the Dragon and faced off against Mogul the Mercilous. These adventures were chronicled in Thor #134-136 and 137-145 respectively.
Topical References
Mick and Kevin state that they idolized actor’s Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger before moving to Asgard. These two actors were at the height of their popularity in the 1980s and best known for their roles in various action movies. At the time of this writing (November, 2021) both actors are well past their prime as they are in their mid-70s. Reference to them in this context should be considered topical.
When Warriors Clasp!
Thor and Hercules have met on a plateau in order to arm wrestle and learn once and for all which of them is mightier. However, the pair are so evenly matched that the strain causes the plateau to crumble, leaving the debate unresolved for the time being.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Hercules
Evil Aboreing
Many years ago, while he was still a boy, Loki has been caught causing mischief and Odin punishes him by ordering the trickster to his room for a fortnight. However, Loki refuses to sit out his punishment. That evening, he steals a horse, some food, and some gold and heads off into the mountains to hack it on his own.
However, Loki is ill prepared for the outside world and ends up running his horse to death. Continuing along on foot, Loki is unaware that his escape has been discovered by Odin and the Grand Vizier who are using magic to spy upon him. However, the All-Father decides against forcing Loki to return and serve out his punishment, believing that Loki will learn a harsh lesson out in the world on his own.
Odin’s wisdom proves truth when Loki is later robbed by some trolls who leave him for dead. However, the trickster is rescued from the wilderness by a wizard named Eldred who takes the boy back to his castle and nurses him back to health. Loki, feigning good behavior, manages to convince Eldred to teach him everything there is to know in the mystic arts.
Little knowing the full extent of Loki’s mystical aptitude, Eldred is unaware when the youth manages to contact Surtur on his own. He makes a pact to the fire demon, offering him Eldred as sacrifice in exchange for obtaining Eldred’s power as well as the promise of more souls to consume. Surtur agrees and later, Loki tricks Eldred into teaching him how to summon Surtur. When they summon the demon forth, Loki kicks Eldred out of the circle of protection, sacrificing him to the fire demon.
With his newfound power, Loki then forced out all of Eldred’s servants from the castle and claimed it as his own.
Recurring Characters
Loki, Odin, Grand Vizier, Surtur