Thor #450
When Gods Make War
Hell
Mephisto has been watching developments in Asgard with great interest. He tells a captured soul — trapped in a soul shroud with Thor’s face on it — that soon his grand scheme will come to fruition and begins to cackle madly.[1]
Midgard
About to embark on a life or death mission to Asgard, Eric Masterson goes to a payphone and calls the home of his ex-wife Marcy. He asks to speak with Kevin, but Marcy tells him that it is really late and the boy’s asleep. He tells her to say goodbye for him and then hangs up the phone without an explanation. With this out of the way, Eric taps his walking stick on the ground, triggering his transformation into Thor.
While at the NYPD ordinance depot, Marcus Stone is gearing up his special tactical unit, Code: Blue, for the coming trip to Asgard. Stone has insisted on tagging along as he wants to recapture Ulik who was recently broken out of Ryker’s Island. His commanding officer Shelly Conklin knows that Marcus wants to do this because one of his men — Mother Majowski — was seriously injured in the break-out attempt. Even though this is a possible suicide mission, Stone and the other members of Code: Blue are committed to bringing Ulik to justice.[2] Just as the unit is ready to roll, Thor arrives to bring them to their destination.
Asgard
The rebellion against Odin’s rule has finally launched their attack by storming the Bifrost Bridge. Holding the line there is Fandral, the last of the Warriors Three who hasn’t been captured by enemy forces.[3] Although he tries his best to keep the invaders at bay, he is only one god. Luckily, Thor and Code: Blue appear and help the dashing warrior drive off the invaders. From the defeated army, they learn that Ulik and Uroc can be found at the Well of Eternal Tears. Thor, who has been led by Odin to believe Heimdall has betrayed the kingdom, sends the others to go after Ulik while he heads into Asgard to secretly confront Heimdall.[4]
Elsewhere in the realm, the Enchantress had been captured by Skoll the Wolf God so that she would not interfere with the war against Asgard. However, once in her native land, Amora is easily able to defeat Skoll in battle. She leaves the wolf god in the care of the wolves of Asgard while she heads back to the kingdom to assist Heimdall, her former lover.[5]
Back at the royal palace, Karnilla uses the crystal ball in her private chambers to contact the mastermind behind the invasion of Asgard. She has continued to fool Heimdall that she is an ally of Asgard and soon victory will be in their grasp. Elsewhere in the palace, Heimdall is feeling the pressures of leadership in the face of war. The Grand Vizier tells the valiant warrior to continue being brave. That’s when they are informed by the guards that Thor has arrived to speak with Heimdall.
By this time, Fandral and Code: Blue arrive at the Well of Eternal Tears where they witness slaves being put to work in a nearby mine. Deciding they need to scout out the situation, Rigger Ruiz decides to blend in with the slaves and find out what’s going on since she is the only one muscular enough to pull off the ruse.
Meanwhile, the Enchantress arrives at the palace at the same time as Thor. When the stand-in thunder god accuses Heimdall of betraying Asgard. This is not received very well and Heimdall begins attacking Thor. When the Enchantress tries to step in and help, Karnilla appears beofre her to prevent her interference.
Simultaneously, back at the Well of Eternal Tears, Ulik and Uroc has strung up Hogun and Volstagg to torture the pair. Witnessing this, Rigger radios back to her friends but gets caught in the act. She then pulls out a machine gun and begins fending off the army of trolls trying to attack her.
Back at the palace, the battle between Thor and Heimdall rages on at the same time as the clash between the Enchantress and Karnilla. Things come to an abrupt end when the mastermind of this invasion appears in the shadows and strikes Amora down with mystical bolt. He and Karnilla then flee the scene. Hearing the Enchantress cry out, Heimdall stops fighting and rushes to her side. Seeing the love Heimdall has for Amora, makes Thor begins to question Odin’s accusations.
At the Well, Code: Blue comes to the rescue and in the ensuing battle, Uroc’s hand is shattered when it is coated with liquid nitrogen. Meanwhile, Marcus Stone chases after Ulik to a nearby chasm. There the two fight it out, but the Rock Troll ultimately overpowers Stone. However, the resourceful police officer tosses a grenade into the monster’s mouth, the resulting explosion sends Ulik falling over the edge of the cliff. As Stone reads the Rock Troll his Miranda rights, Ulik loses grip and falls into the pit below.
At the same time, Karnilla has returned to Odin’s bed chambers and takes out the Grand Vizier. However, before she can wake the All-Father up, Heimdall enters the room and knocks her out as well. Thor arrives in time to see this and mistakes what’s going on and resumes his fight with Heimdall. In the middle of the fight, Odin wakes up and once again accuses Heimdall of betraying Asgard and uses his power to banish him to another dimension.[6] With that over with, Odin projects his image in the skies above Asgard announcing that he is awake again and that all who oppose him will face his vengeance.
This ends the uprising before it can truly begin and Code: Blue returns to Asgard to celebrate their victory with the warriors of Asgard. Although things appear to be neatly over with, Thor is still uneasy over the whole thing and suspects that he and the others are being played for chumps. While in his private chambers, Odin celebrates his victory with Karnilla as this was all according to his plans.
Hell
The soul shroud containing the stolen soul has watched these proceedings in utter silence as Mephisto continues to cackle like a madman.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Enchantress, Heimdall, Grand Vizier, “Odin”, Code: Blue (Marcus Stone, Rigger Ruiz, Fireworks Feldstein, Mad Dog Rossitano, Jock Jackson), Shelly Conklin, Mephisto, Kai-Ra, Glump, Skoll, Karnilla, Ulik, Uroc, Marcy Steele
Continuity Notes
Readers have been led to believe that this soul shroud contains the soul of Thor since he was banished by Heimdall in Thor #432 for seemingly killing Loki. In reality, Loki’s spirit took possession of Odin’s body, and it is the All-Father’s spirit that is trapped in the shroud. The true Thor, meanwhile, was subdued deep in the mind of his human host, Eric Masterson. See Thor #451-457.
Ulik was freed from Ryker’s last issue to be recruited into the uprising in Asgard that has been fomenting since Thor #447.
When Odin went into the Odin sleep circa Thor #426, he placed Heimdall in charge of Asgard in his absence. His post as guardian of the Bifrost bridge was then filled by the Warriors Three. Hogun and Volstagg were defeated and captured in Thor #447.
“Odin” accused Heimdall of betraying Asgard last issue.
The Enchantress had a pretty serious relationship with Heimdall that lasted from Thor #360 to 402.
Heimdall’s banishment will prove short lived. He is rescued from Nightmare’s dimension by the Enchantress in issues #451-452. Later Loki’s scheme is thwarted in Thor #455.
The End of Ego!
Sif and Balder’s quest to find the exiled Thor have brought them to the surface of Ego the Living Planet.[1] There the addled High Evolutionary has wired up the Analyzer robot to a newborn Celestial in order to summon an entity similar in origin to Ego itself.[2] This is a massive cancerous organism called the Super-Ego, a biological entity that dwarfs Ego in size. Upon its arrival, Super-Ego wraps its tendrils around Ego and begins trying to crush the massive planet.[3]
Quickly, Sif and the others loose the Analyzer and retreat back to the starship Wundagore II where Count Tagar is waiting for them. They then witness as an army of Celestials arrive to fight off Super-Ego. The High Evolutionary refuses to leave, obsessed with witnessing what will happen next. Seeing that this is yet another dead end in their search, Sif and Balder decide to press on, using the Norn Stones to teleport away.
Recurring Characters
Balder, Sif, Count Tagar, Blue Celestial, New Immortals (Nobilus, Juvan, Zon), High Evolutionary, Analyzer, Super-Ego
Continuity Notes
Sif and Balder have been searching for Thor since issue #437.
The High Evolutionary was driven mad by witnessing the birth of the Celestial that he is now manipulating here, as seen in Thor #419-424. His madness will be the status quo until his mind is restored circa Thor #472.
Here, it appears as though Ego is killed off by Super-Ego. In reality, the living planet was absorbed into Super-Ego and will remain within it for a time until he breaks free and goes on a mad quest to bring sentience to other planets in the universe. See Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1
And They Shall Call Thee… Bloodaxe!
An associate of Eric Masterson and his friends had come across a mystical axe in the apartment of Susan Austin.[1] Upon touching the enchanted weapon, they are suddenly given the power of the Executioner, and incased in his armor.[2] Attaching a chain to the weapon, this new Executioner decides to test out their newfound powers on a rooftop. There, they spot a high speed chase between police and some armed criminals. Feeling a sudden urge to punish the wicked, the new Executioner leaps down and incapacitates the criminal’s getaway vehicle. Those who try to flee are then frozen in ice projected from the enchanted axe.
As police arrive on the scene, the Executioner takes off. However, they feel like their new identity could use a new name and a new look. Using the enchanted axe, they transform the Asgardian armor into a bikers leather outfit with yellow, armored wrist guards, a red spiky shoulder pad, and a red skull mask. With this brand new look they also come up with a new name for themselves: Bloodaxe!
Recurring Characters
Bloodaxe
Continuity Notes
The Enchantress was trying to increase the power of the Executioner’s axe to help defend Asgard but she was kidnapped last issue. The identity of the person empowered by the axe here is not revealed until Thunderstrike #22, who identifies Bloodaxe as Jackie Lukus.
At the time of this story, the Executioner had died during a quest into Hela’s domain circa Thor #360-362. His axe ended up in the possession of the Enchantress back in Thor #402.