Thor #467
Descent
The Infinity Crusade continues from Deathlok (vol.2 ) #9….
Thor is in the middle of a battle with Drax the Destroyer when suddenly, there is a blinding flash of light and an explosion that knocks the thunder god out. Observing this is the Valkyrie, who has been waiting patiently for the Goddess to lose her control over the god of thunder, and from there his soul will finally be hers, lock, stock and barrel.[1] When Thor awakens he finds himself in a strange castle with statues of his father and other Asgardian warriors on display. There he is greeted by Valkyrie, who welcomes him back.
Meanwhile, in Olympus, Zeus has been tricked by Pluto into thinking that Thor attacked him and Ares unprovoked. Planning to go to Asgard to order retribution from Odin himself, the lord of the Olympians has been stopped by Sif.[2] She has come to ask for Zeus’ help to cure Thor of the Warrior Madness. Sif’s petition to Zeus leads to protest from Pluto. However, as she starts getting through to Zeus with reason, Pluto angrily challenges her to a duel to determine what should be done. Sif, willing to do whatever it takes to save her beloved agrees to face him in the arena.
At that same moment, Valkyrie is showing Thor around the castle, which she calls her retreat and claims that he will find what he needs to sooth his mind. Looking out a window he sees a strange landscape that resembles the surface of a brain. All Valkyrie can say about it is that it is unique and perhaps somewhat familiar. That’s when Thor finally notices the statue of Odin and seeing it fills him with rage as he blames his father for his current personality crisis after years of bonding him to mortal forms and giving similar powers to others.[3] She reminds Thor of how he wanted to become independent of Asgard and find his own way. This goats Thor into giving into his rage to the point where he shatters the statue of Odin, much to Valkyrie’s delight.
Back in Olympus, Pluto and Sif enter an arena to battle, the Asgardian warrior intends to defeat him in combat and prove that he has been lying about Thor’s earlier attack on him and Ares. Unfortunately, Pluto proves to be the stronger and more skilled warrior and easily disarms the maiden. However, she isn’t ready to give up and uses the the Norn Stones to teleport away. She doesn’t go far, as she snatches away the injured Ares and takes him somewhere they can speak in private. There, she appeals to his sense of honor as a warrior to get him to admit that he and Pluto are lying. After securing his admission, she brings him back to Zeus where Ares admits that they were lying. Zeus is furious to learn that he had been deceived, he then banishes Pluto back to Hades warning him that to leave that stygian domain will be a death sentence. However, he tells Sif that he cannot aid her on her quest and cannot keep silent on the fact that Thor is suffering from the Warrior’s Madness. When she pleads with him to give her more time to find a cure, he gives her three days to find a solution otherwise he’ll have no choice but to tell Odin the truth. Promising not to fail, Sif teleports away to find allies elsewhere.
While in Valkyrie’s castle, Thor has finished trashing the statue but feels that this is not enough to quell his anger. He decides that in order to finally be free he must travel to Asgard and destroy Odin himself. Pleased, Valkyrie leads Thor out of her castle via a spiral staircase that leads into a dark abyss.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Sif, Pluto, Zeus, Ares, Valkyrie
Continuity Notes
The Goddess was trying to create universal peace. The entire thing was somewhat complicated. The details:
The Goddess started gathering superheroes of faith starting in Infinity Crusade #1 and recruited Thor personally in Thor #463.
At this time, Thor has been suffering from the Warrior’s Madness since Thor #460. As explained in issue #469, his insanity has manifested in the form of Valkyrie. When the Goddess recruited him in issue #463, this allowed Thor to temporarily resist Valkyrie’s influence.
Prior to this story, Thor was locked in a battle with Drax the Destroyer as chronicled in Infinity Crusade #4, last issue, and Warlock and the Infinity Watch #21.
Before there could be a conclusive victor, the Goddess appeared to pull off her final plan: annihilating all life in the universe, as seen in Infinity Crusade #5. However, in the following issue it was revealed that the heroes in opposition to her plan tricked her into thinking she had succeeded and put an end to her mad quest.
See, Thor has been suffering from the Warrior’s Madness since Thor #460. Sif has been trying to find a cure for him since the following issue and has been seeking allies outside of Asgard because it’s laws state that anyone suffering from this mental illness must be exiled from the kingdom forever. While in that state, Thor was attacked by Pluto and Ares and beat the living shit out of them, also in issue #461. Pluto has been tricking Zeus into doing something about it since issue #462.
This is because his life has constantly been balanced against alter-egos, forced merges, and others adopting his identity. These instances are:
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.
More recently, 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.
Infinity Crusade Reading Order
Infinity Crusade #1, Iron Man #294-295, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #18, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #54, Alpha Flight #122, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #56, Terror Inc. #13, Thor #463, Avengers West Coast #96, Thor #464, Warlock Chronicles #1, Infinity Crusade #2, Web of Spider-Man #104, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #55, Thor #465, Alpha Flight #123-124, Darkhawk #30, Warlock Chronicles #2, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #19, Cage #17, Web of Spider-Man #105, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #57, Infinity Crusade #3, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #56, Avengers West Coast #97, Darkhawk #31, Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #16-17, Warlock Chronicles #3, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #20, Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #83, Infinity Crusade #4, Warlock Chronicles #4, Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #84-85, Infinity Crusade #5, Deathlok (vol. 2) #28, Web of Spider-Man #106, Warlock Chronicles #5, Thor #466, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #21-22, Infinity Crusade #6, Deathlok (vol. 2) #29, Thor #467