The Dark Wars Part III of III

Unable to defeat the Dark Gods, who have captured his people and conquered Asgard,[1] Thor has gone out seeking allies. The first person he has approached is Colonel Preston Case whose spirit possesses the Destroyer armor. In exchange for his help, Thor offers to return Case to Earth and return his soul to his physical body. Unfortunately, the Destroyer armor has ramped up Case’s aggression and, still pissed off over being stranded on a deserted alien world by Thor, he lashes out against the thunder god.[2] Thor defends himself, and continues to try to appeal to Preston. When reminded that he has loved ones back on Earth, Case gets control of himself and agrees to join forces with Thor.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Doctor Jane Foster meets with Hannah Fairmont to talk about her relationship with Jake Olson. Hannah tells Jane how they have been engaged to be married for quite some time.[3] Suspecting that “Olson” might be a new mortal guise of Thor, Jane tries to get Hannah to think about how much she really knows about “Jake” and think things through before taking the plunge. Hannah wonders what Jane knows about her fiancée that she doesn’t. Before Jane can explain herself, her husband — fellow doctor Keith Kincaid — tells her that something is going on up in Preston Case’s room. Jane rushes up to see what’s going on and finds Thor, Hercules, and the Destroyer standing over Case’s hospital bed where his mortal body has been kept on life support since his soul took possession of the enchanted armor.

Foster is furious that Thor would bring the Destroyer into her hospital. However, Case assures her that he is under control. Seeing his mortal body further reinforces Preston’s desire to be returned to his physical body. With their job at the hospital done, Hercules insists that they head to Asgard and face their enemies. As Herc and the Destroyer leave the room, Jane asks Thor to hold up a second so they can talk. She reveals that she knows that he is secretly Jake Olson and asks him to let Hannah Fairmont go. She reminds Thor of how his previous double life — that of Donald Blake — negatively affected her own life, she doesn’t want the same thing to happen to Hannah.[4] This gives Thor a lot to think about and he tells her that he will take her words to heart.

Back in Asgard, the Dark Gods are preparing for Thor’s eventual return with allies. Although Tokkots worries that this might be their undoing, Majestron Zelia and Perrikus are confident that they will be able to destroy the thunder god and anyone else who comes to fight on his behalf. That’s when Adva detects Thor’s return. Alongside Hercules and the Destroyer, Thor fights his way through the armies of the Dark Gods to get to the arena where Odin, Sif, and Balder are being held prisoner. Here, the thunderer clashes with Perrikus once more. This time, Thor has the advantage against his foe. Seeing her greatest warrior failing in battle, Majestron Zelia decides to interfere using her powers to try and blast Thor. This opens a hold in the ground into the sewers below. Thor surprises everyone by retreating into the sewers once more. There, he reverts back to Jake Olson so that his enemies cannot track him.

“Olson” then ventures to the slave pits where the Warriors Three have been literally shoveling shit to power the Dark Gods. After freeing his allies, Jake pulls out a laptop computer and runs a program. Although one of the guards knocks the computer into the muck, “Jake” was able to finish what he was trying to pull off. On the Bifrost bridge, the Replicus android suddenly springs to life and storms the city.[5] The android is able to fight his way into the arena with the others and uses its eyebeams to free Odin, Sif, and Balder from their restraints. Finally free after months of captivity, the All-Father looks forward to finally getting his revenge. This is when Thor returns to the battle with the Warriors Three and the other Asgardians forced to work in the slave pens.

With the battle turning against them, Majestron Zelia uses her power to merge all the Dark Gods together into a massive being called Union. The massive creature is so powerful it can hold its own against everyone. It then turns its power on Odin, intent on destroying the All-Father. Unwilling to allow his father to die, Thor uses Mjolnir to summon a devastating storm. However, instead of unleashing it through his enchanted hammer, Thor channels the power of the storm through his body which amplifies the power enough that he can blast Majestron Zelia free from the Union. This causes her to fall close enough for Odin to grab hold of her and absorb all the power that she has stolen from him. With the Odinpower back under his control, the All-Father uses it to banish the Dark Gods from his domain forever.[6]

Odin tells Thor that the Dark Gods have been dissipated and scattered across the solar winds. He then welcomes his son home and thanks him for rescuing them all while the people of Asgard cheer his name. However, things aren’t over yet as this victory has been observed by Marnot, who is not finished with the thunder god yet.[7]

Recurring Characters

Thor, Jake Olsen, Dark Gods (Perrikus, Majestron Zelia, Tokkots, D’Chel, Adva), Destroyer, Odin, Hercules, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Sif, Marnot, Replicus, Jane Foster, Hannah Fairmont, Keith Kincaid, Preston Case

Continuity Notes

1. The Dark Gods captured the Asgardians in Journey into Mystery #513 and set up shop in Asgard in Thor (vol. 2) #5.

2. The Destroyer ended up in military possession following the events of Incredible Hulk #461. When it was being transported out of New York, Case came into contact with it causing his soul to merge with the armor. When Case went on the rampage, Thor was forced to banish him from Earth before his soul could be freed. See Thor (vol. 2) #1-2.

3. Hannah Fairmont has been engaged to the real Jake Olson since before Thor (vol. 2) #1. What she doesn’t know is that Jake was killed during the Destroyer’s rampage and Thor was forced to take over his life in order to save his own life in issue #2. Jane has been suspicious that Olson might be Thor since Thor (vol. 2) #5. This is because she has a long history with Thor and his alter-egos in the past that dates back to Journey into Mystery #84.

4. The relationship between Thor and Jane Foster and how it affected her life (usually for the worse) is quite complicated:

   • Thor’s first mortal identity was that of Donald Blake which he used from Journey into Mystery #83 to Thor #339. He had an will-they-or-won’t-they relationship with Jane starting in Journey into Mystery #84.

   • He revealed his true identity to her in Journey into Mystery #124. Thor petitioned Odin to allow them to be married and Odin tested her to see if she was worthy of being a god. She flubbed the test in Thor #136 and was banished to Earth with no memory of her past with Don Blake.

   • This wasn’t the only time that Thor disrupted her life. After nearly taking her life by the Dweller-in-Darkness in Thor #229, she later was merged with Sif in order to save her life in Thor #236. Eventually, she was trapped in the Runestaff of Kamo Tharn and had to be rescued in Thor #335.

   • Although she married Keith Kincaid in Thor #336, marital problems led to a brief separation. She was then kidnapped by the Man-Beast and dragged back into Thor’s life from Thor #475 to 489.

5. A footnote here reminds readers that Replicus was last seen in Thor (vol. 2) #9.

6. Odin states that the Dark Gods have been dissipated and scattered across the solar winds. Most of the Dark Gods will eventually return to their physical form. Perrikus and Adva will be seen again in Thor (vol. 2) #42-43 and 53. Majestron Zelia is killed here and, years later, she will be one of the deceased Thor foes recruited by Hela against Thor in Avengers Prime #5.

7. Marnot was responsible for creating Thor’s new mortal identity as seen in Thor (vol. 2) #1-2. At the time, Thor was brought back to life after being killed by the Destroyer. However, the price was to take over the life of the mortal Jake Olson who died in the same battle. Next issue we’ll learn that Marnot is actually Odin’s raven Hescemar and he was carrying out Odin’s contingency plan against the Dark Gods.