The Dark Wars, Part II of III

Thor has returned to Asgard to liberate his people from the Dark Gods. However, during a battle with Perrikus, Mjolnir was shattered forcing Thor to retreat before reverting into his mortal form of Jake Olson.[1] “Olson” crawled into a sewer culvert in order to get away. Thinking Thor a coward, Perrikus calls to Thor to come back or else he’ll start torturing his loved ones. As a show of force, he tries to lift the shattered Mjolnir but he cannot. Balder mockingly tells the Dark God that only the worthy can lift Thor’s enchanted hammer. This throws Perrikus into a fit of rage.

Meanwhile, “Jake Olson” crawls through the muck and mire that is constantly flowing into Asgards sewers. Out of his depth, he tries hammering his fist on the ground to turn back into Thor but nothing happens. He is soon found by a group of Dark Gods that are searching the sewers for more workers for their master, Slototh. Although he is a scrawny mortal, the three bruisers grab him and drag him off.

Back in the arena, Majestron Zelia uses her power to try and find Thor wherever he is hiding in Asgard and is surprised to see that she cannot see him. Perrikus demands Odin tell them where his son is hiding, but the All-Father has no clue. Perrikus thinks this is a lie, but D’Chel — the dark god of deception — tells them that the Asgardian monarch is telling the truth. When Tokkots asks for the chance to hunt for the thunder god, the others send him away as they have grown tired of his constant prattle.

By this time, “Jake Olson” has been taken into the bowels of Asgard where enslaved Asgardians have been shoveling the waste created by the Dark Gods into a massive furnace that gives the foul beings their power. Although they believe the mortal won’t last very long they put him in shackles and orders him to work. As “Jake” tries to make sense of all of this, Slototh, the dark god of filth appears before him. Seeing a horrific creature literally made out of shit revolts “Jake Olson”. Noting that “Olson” is a mere mortal, Slototh can’t wait until they start plundering Earth for more slaves. “Olson” refuses to allow that to happen and strives to stay alive in order to get free and stop the Dark Gods. As he toils away he becomes aware of some of the slave drivers hassling a slave who turns out to be Volstagg who has been starved so badly he has lost his trademark girth. When they start beating on Volstagg, “Jake” attacks the slave drivers with a shovel. This is observed by Tokkots who suspects that this mortal is somehow Thor and snatches him away. Hearing this, Volstagg is shocked to hear that Thor might actually be alive.[2]

Back at the arena, Perrikus is growing impatient and demands that Majestron Zelia allow him to search for the thunder god for himself. That’s when Tokkots returns with “Jake Olson” and tells them that he is Thor in disguise. Perrikus doesn’t buy it and blasts Tokkots for wasting their time. Still, he decides to pummel the living shit out of the mortal before them. He eventually knocks “Olson” onto Mjolnir, triggering his transformation back into Thor. Picking up the shattered pieces of his enchanted hammer, Thor uses his power to fuse them back together. However, Thor knows that fighting his foes alone is going to get him nowhere, Thor teleports away, much to everyone’s shock and dismay as it is seen as an act of cowardice.

In reality, Thor is looking for allies and he soon appears on an alien world where he had previously banished the Destroyer, which is still animated by the soul of Colonel Preston Case.[3] When Thor offers to return Case back to Earth if he helps fight back against the Dark Gods. Still angry about being exiled, Preston tells him to get bent.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Jake Olsen, Dark Gods (Perrikus, Majestron Zelia, Adva, Tokkots, D’Chel), Odin, Balder, Sif, Volstagg, Destroyer, Preston Case

Continuity Notes

1. Lots going on off the top. The details:

   • The Dark Gods captured the Asgardians back in Journey into Mystery #513 and took up Asgard in Thor (vol. 2) #5.

   • Thor has been forced back into having a mortal guise after a near death experience, thanks to the enigmatic Marnot. Marnot insisted on Thor taking over the life of Jake Olson who died in the same battle that nearly claimed him, as seen in Thor (vol. 2) #1-2. We’ll learn in issue #13 that Marnot is actually Odin’s raven Hescemar who created the Jake Olson identity to help Thor defeat the Dark Gods.

   • Thor answered Perrikus’ challenge last issue.

2. At the time of this story, most of the Asgardians believe that Thor had died alongside the Avengers and Fantastic Four in Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1. In reality, they were living reimagined lives in a pocket dimension. They were later found and brought back to their proper reality in Heroes Reborn: The Return #1-4. This happened after the Asgardians were captured by the Dark Gods.

3. The Destroyer armor ended up in military custody following the events of Incredible Hulk #461. Colonel Case ended up possessing the Destroyer by accident. Thor was forced to banish the enchanted armor from Earth before he could find a way to liberate Preston’s soul. See Thor (vol. 2) #1-2.

Topical References

• When offered a chance to join forces with Thor, Preston Case compares to such a partnership with other well known duos. One such partnership is the Lone Ranger and Tonto. This was the titluar character and sidekick of the Lone Ranger franchise. Starting off as a radio program in 1933 it has since expanded into various other forms of media including TV shows, cartoons, and movies. The most recent iteration of the Lone Ranger (as of this writing in June, 2022) was a film adaptation in 2003. The Lone Ranger has continued to have an impact on popular culture that this reference would not necessarily be considered topical.