To Hela and Back!

Malekith has tricked Kurse into thinking that Thor is his eternal enemy. The warrior then launched an attack on New York City, using his conquest of Hel to summon up previously deceased menaces to help him in his task.[1] In the ensuing battle, Thor is swallowed up by Jormungand the Midgard Serpent. Trapped inside the creature’s belly, the thunder god is starting to succumb to the deadly gasses inside the monster. Luckily, Beta Ray Bill arrives and rips his way into the serpent’s belly. Unfortunately, the hole quickly seals trapping the two inside and Bill is more vulnerable to the toxins than his Asgardian brother is. Luckily, the two have enough strength to combine the power of their enchanted hammers and pound their way to freedom. Having had enough, Jormungand teleports away back to the land of the dead.[2]

Thor and Bill then rejoin Sif, Blader, the Warriors Three, and the Godpack in their efforts to fight back Kurse’s army of undead creatures. As the Godpack begin recovering from their near defeat prior to the Asgardian’s arrival, Thor resumes his battle with Kurse. He continues to try to reason with the warrior, convince him that his mind is being clouded by an enchantment. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work as Kurse continues to see Thor as Malekith.

Watching this battle from the sidelines is Thor’s long time mortal confidant Jane Foster. She spots what appears to be Lorelei fleeing the scene of the battle. Deciding to see what she is up to, Jane follows after her. Around the corner she is surprised to see “Lorelie” transform back into Malekith. Realizing that the Dark Elf had been manipulating Kurse this entire time she races over to where Sif is battling some Ice Dwarves to tell her what she just saw. As Thor struggles with Kurse he sees Jane and Sif leading the field of battle. Moments later, Fafnir the Dragon is knocked into a nearby building causing it to collapse, leaving Thor to fear that both women have been buried alive. In a fit of rage, Thor manages to pick up Kurse and toss him into the face of the Frost Giant known as Ymir.

By this time, the military has been called in to help evacuate the area. With their job done, they can only watch the battle in awe, wondering what they could possibly do to help.

Suddenly, the street breaks open in a beam of light and Hela emerges from the ground. As it turns out, the death goddess was summoned by Sif and Jane, who were able to avoid getting buried in rubble earlier. Hela explains that she has been away from her domain this entire time and Malekith used her absence to orchestrate his escape and manipulate Kurse.[3] In fact, the woman Kurse buried alive in Hel wasn’t Hela at all but Malekith in disguise. Kurse refuses to be believe this and tries to attack Hela head on, but she is able to restrain him with her magic. She then uses her power to shatter the illusion that made Thor appear as Malekith in Kurse’s eyes, making him realize his mistake. However, Hela will only agree to those Kurse brought from Hel only if Thor agrees to return with her to the land of the dead.[4] Thor realizes that he has no choice in the matter and despite protests from the others not only agrees to accompany her, but has everyone present promise not to go after him. With that, Hela lets Kurse go to find Malekith on his own and takes Thor away with her.

As the Godpack and Asgardians try to figure out what to do next, they are suddenly visited by the Hulk who offers to help free Thor since he was never part of the agreement.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Hela, Beta Ray Bill, Sif, High Evolutionary, Godpack (Anak, Bellam, Blitzaina, Riger, Loga, Zefra), Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Jormungand, Fafnir the Giant, Fafnir the Dragon, Malekith, Jane Foster, Hulk

Continuity Notes

1. All of these Thor foes were dead prior to their appearances in this story. They include:

   • Jormungand the Midguard Serpent had its head smashed to bits by Thor in Thor #379-380.

   • Forsung was killed during the Enchanter’s reign of terror in Thor #143-145.

   • Fafnir the Giant was killed thousands of years ago by Thor, as depicted in Thor #298.

   • Fafnir the Dragon was slain in battle with Thor in the present day circa Thor #343.

   • Ymir the Ice Giant died when he attempted to bring about Ragnarok. Thor banished him and Surtur to the Sea of Endless Night a domain within Hel, as seen in Thor #425.

2. Following its departure here, the Midgard Serpent would appear again as one of the Asgardian creatures used by Morgan le Fay against the Avengers. See Avengers (vol. 3) #1.

3. Malekith tricked Hela into going on a wild goose chase back in Thor #485.

4. This is not the last we see of some of the beings that Kurse brought back from Hel:

   • Fafnir the Dragon will be seen again in Avengers Prime #2-5. Apparently he was resurrected during one of Asgard’s rebirth cycles.

   • Ymir is one of the many villains gathered by Krona during his final battle with the Avengers and the Justice League of America, as seen in JLA/Avengers #4.

   • However, as of this writing (June, 2022) Forsung, Fafnir the Giant, and the Ice Dwarves have yet to be seen again.