Thor #455
Odin Unleashed
Through the omnipotence he has gained since taking possession of his step-father’s body, Loki is now aware that his secret has been exposed to his enemies by Mephisto.[1] Knowing that Thor — aka Eric Masterson — and his allies will be coming for him, the trickster god begins making plotting for the upcoming battle. However, he assures Karnilla that with the power of Odin himself, he can slaughter his enemies.
Meanwhile, in Hell, Thor and his allies Sif and Blader have just finished learning the truth. Mephisto then tells them that he expects payment for his big reveal. When Sif says that they need to return to Asgard and stop Loki, this is exactly what the demon wants them to do and teleports away. Although they don’t like playing into Mephisto’s hand, they have no choice in the matter. Thor decides to head to Asgard first to create a distraction while Sif and Balder return with Odin’s soul. Before leaving, Eric tells Sif to hold onto his jacket, saying it looks good on her and kisses her on the forehead before teleporting away.
Back in Asgard, the Enchantress, Arko and the Warriors Three are planning their own assault on Loki. In order to sneak into the royal palace unseen, Amora casts a spell that will render them invisible until its time to attack. Thor soon arrives and attacks Loki, but with Odin’s power he is a lot stronger than he ever was before. When Sif and Balder arrive soon after, Karnilla is there to try and stop them. Revealing that she assisted the pair on their earlier quest to search for the true Thor in order to get her beloved Balder out of harms way while she helped Loki take over the kingdom.[2] That’s when the Enchantress and the Warriors Three spring their attack, helping Sif and Balder get free and defeat Karnilla.
Meanwhile, the battle between Thor and Loki is not going very well since Eric has been stripped of most of his powers.[3] Loki manages to separate Masterson from Mjolnir for over sixty second, triggering the enchantment that reverts him back to his mortal form. That’s when Eric’s allies arrive on the scene. When Karnilla tries once again to interfere, Balder reluctantly uses the Norn Stones she gave him to banish her from the battle. Loki meanwhile picks up Mjolnir — something he can do with the Odinpower — and uses it against the others. When Sif is the only one left standing, Eric leaps at Loki to try and stop him. Touching Mjolnir triggers his transformation back into Thor and he manages to wrest the weapon away from his foe.
It’s here that Sif opens the soul shroud unleashing the soul of Odin. The All-Father then uses his magic to pull Loki’s spirit from his body. They two are then locked in mystical combat, but Odin ultimately wins. With no body of his own to return to, Loki is then sucked into the soul shroud. After this happens, Mephisto appears to collect his true prize: Loki’s soul. At first, the newly restored Odin refuses to allow Mephisto to take Loki away, but the demon convinces him that Loki’s imprisonment in his realm will be punishment enough for his crimes against Asgard. Unable to argue this point, Odin allows Mephisto to leave with his prize.[4]
Odin apologizes for everything that has happened and promises that he will heal all the wounds caused by Loki’s recent schemes, starting with rescuing the true Thor. However, in order to do so, Odin is going to need Eric Masterson to step up and risk his mortal life in order to save the thunder god.[5]
Recurring Characters
Thor, Odin, Sif, Balder, Enchantress, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Arko, Loki, Karnilla, Mephisto
Continuity Notes
Loki has been in possession of Odin’s body since he faked his death in Thor #432. This caused Odin’s soul to be banished to Mephisto’s realm where it has been kept in a soul shroud for some time. Thor and his allies learned the truth last issue.
Thinking that Thor was banished to another dimension, Sif and Balder sought out Karnilla’s help on their quest to find him in Thor #437. She gave them the Norn Stones that would allow them to traverse to different planes of existence to search.
Karnilla cast two spells: One to strip Thor of his strength in Thor #452 and another to prevent him from summoning the storm in the following issue.
Loki will remain a prisoner of Mephisto for quite some time. He will still be able to plot against Thor as seen in Avengers Annual #23 and Thor Annual #19, but he won’t get free again until Thor #482.
As we’ll learn next issue, Thor was hidden deep in the mind of Eric Masterson and will ultimately get freed in issue #457.
Strange Encounter
In the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme is investigating a strange disruption in the metaphysical realm. Meanwhile, the mysterious individual who has become the vigilante Bloodaxe is trying to figure out the source of power from their enchanted axe. Since they originally found the weapon in the apartment of Susan Austin, they transform into Bloodaxe in order to find Susan and question her about the weapon’s origins.[1]
The transformation into Bloodaxe is what Doctor Strange had been searching for and upon sensing the power returning decides to venture out in his astral form to investigate. Meanwhile, Susan Austin has returned to her apartment and just finished cleaning things up after her roommate Leena Moran left the place in shambles before disappearing.
When Bloodaxe appears on the roof of her building, they became aware that someone is watching them and can see Doctor Strange’s spirit form. Strange is caught off guard because people can’t usually see him in this form and gets blasted into Earth orbit. The sound of battle is heard by Susan who goes up to the roof to check things out. By the time she gets there, Doctor Strange has returned and is engaged in mystical combat with Bloodaxe. Seeing a super being on her roof, Susan cries out as she fears that she may get hurt all over again.
Recurring Characters
Doctor Strange, Bloodaxe, Susan Austin
Continuity Notes
Bloodaxe found the enchanted weapon in Susan’s apartment in Thor #449. The whole thing is kind of complicated, here’s the details:
The axe was left behind by Amora the Enchantress, who had been posing as Susan’s roommate Leena Moran since Thor #422. She was hoping to use the weapon to help defend Asgard from Loki but was kidnapped before she could use it.
The axe in question was once wielded by the Executioner until his death in Thor #362. It’s been in Amora’s possession since issue #402.
Mention is made about how Susan Austin was just recently released from the hospital. She was injured by Loki in Thor #432 and was just released from the hospital Thor #453.
Who exactly is Bloodaxe? Their identity is left secret until Thunderstrike #22 where it is revealed that they are secretly Jackie Lukus, a colleague of Eric Masterson.
