Thor #460
Fragments
Thor finally has his life back after being trapped inside of the mind of Eric Masterson for months. As he spends time with his beloved lady Sif, the pair are planning their upcoming wedding. However, Thor is deeply troubled by the experience because he was left powerless while Masterson bumbled trying to take up the mantle of thunder god. He is surprised that the mortal didn’t end up getting them both killed.[1] He suddenly realizes that he needs time to sort himself out and apologizes to Sif as he must now postpone their wedding. After the thunder god leaves, Sif is joined by Balder who asks what’s wrong. Sif turns to him and says she thinks that the wedding plans are gone for good.
Still in a foul mood, Thor wanders back into Asgard, wondering why Sif wants him to so badly give up being a warrior for the married life.[2] In the street he is approached by a woman calling herself Valkyrie. Thor has never seen this woman before, but she explains that she is the newest mortal chosen by Odin to become one of his legendary shield maidens. The woman strikes Thor’s interest and the talk for a bit until she says that if he ever needs someone to talk to, he need only call out for her and she will be there. Thor tries to follow after Valkyrie, but she ends up losing him in the crowd.[3]
Seeing that he is outside the Eyes of Fenris tavern, Thor decides to go in for a drink. There a warrior approaches him at the bar and thanks him for saving Odin’s soul from Mephisto’s realm. The thunder god grudgingly tells him that that rescue wasn’t him, but Eric Masterson.[4] That’s when a troll shoves past him to complain about the poor service he is getting. When Thor warns the creature to watch himself, the troll tries to pick a fight with Thor and is bitch slapped across the bar for his trouble. His buddies don’t take too kindly of this and attack Thor all at once. A bar brawl, as it turns out, is just the thing Thor was looking for to vent his current frustrations. However, Odin soon becomes aware of this fight and appears as an astral projection before his son. He orders the thunder god to cease this pointless fight and report to him at once. Thor complies and teleports back to the palace to meet with his father.
At first, the All-Father says nothing but peers deep into his son’s eyes for a moment before approaching him. This is not the first brawl Thor has gotten into since his return, but the twelfth. Concerned for his son’s well being, Odin asks what is the matter. The thunder god explains that over the last few years he has always had a tentative grasp on his true identity. The first time he felt this was when he was trapped in the form of Donald Blake to learn a lesson in humility only to discover who he really was and regain his powers, learning that Don Blake was merely a mystical construct.[5] It happened again when the alien Beta Ray Bill proved worthy to lift Mjolnir and was rewarded with powers and abilities similar to Thor.[6] The most recent was being trapped inside Eric Masterson’s body. These ordeals have left him feeling confused and disorientated as though bits and pieces of his entity were stripped away each time.
Odin understands what his son means and feels partially at fault for his current identity crisis. He believes that the best thing for Thor to do now is to leave Asgard and travel the cosmos to figure out who he is and what he really wants. When Thor asks if his father is exiling him, Odin says he is sending Thor out on to sort out his identity and be at peace with himself once more. Odin then escorts his son to a Viking ship that will allow him to sail the stars. Sif witnesses as Thor leaves Asgard without even staying goodbye and refuses to let him go without any explanation. As Thor begins his voyage he vows to discover what is troubling him so much and conquer it so he can truly become the god of thunder once more. As figures what he really needs right now is quiet solitude. That’s when a voice asks him if solitude is really what he desires. When Thor looks up to see who is speaking, he’s surprised to see Valkyrie standing aboard his ship.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Valkyrie, Sif, Balder, Odin,
Continuity Notes
Over the last while Thor was bonded to Eric Masterson and had to share a life with him from Thor #408 until issue #432 when the thunder god was banished to Eric’s subconscious. He was finally freed and separated from Masterson in issue #457.
Thor mentions the times he fought many great foes such as:
Valkyrie’s sudden disappearing act is because she is just a figment of his imagination and the personification of his growing madness as explained Thor #469.
Odin’s soul was trapped in Mephisto’s realm thanks to the machinations of Loki. He was a prisoner from Thor #432 through 455.
When Thor needed a lesson in humility, Odin banished him to Earth in the mortal guise of Donald Blake for years until he learned his lesson. Thor was able to regain his powers but limitations to them had to juggle his life with that of Don Blake for years. Ultimately, he broke free of this cycle when the enchantment that allowed him to change into Blake was transferred to Beta Ray Bill’s hammer, Stormbreaker. See Journey into Mystery #83, Thor #159 and 339.
Beta Ray Bill was not only able to lift Thor’s hammer and obtain his power, but as I said above, he was also given his own hammer and similar powers. See Thor #336-339.