Thor (vol. 2) #14
Hammer Time!
Now
At New York’s Memorial Hospital, Colonel Preston Case is being released with a clean bill of health after Thor returned his soul to his old body. He feels terrible about the rampage he went on as the Destroyer, but Jane Foster reminds him that it wasn’t his fault and he has been cleared of any wrong doing.[1]
That’s when Iron Man comes bursting into the emergency room with an EMT in his arms. He tells Jane that the man has suffered a heart attack.[2] Foster leads Iron Man to a stretcher to lay out her patient and she is shocked to discover that it is none other than Jake Olson. That’s when Hannah Fairmont and Dimitrius Collins, Jake’s fiancée and partner respectively, come to see what’s wrong. Iron Man takes them outside so Jane can work without interruption. Deducing that they don’t know that Jake Olson is secretly Thor, Iron Man tries to explain what happened without giving this away.
Earlier
Iron Man and Thor are gathering the final pieces of the shattered Bifrost bridge from the city.[3] They then head out to sea where the Sub-Mariner has recovered a long lost Asgardian ship from the ocean floor.[4] With everything gathered, Thor uses Mjolnir to transport himself and Iron Man to Asgard to return everything they found. There, the reconstruction of Asgard is well under way. They then meet with Odin who is just now arranging to return all the other races of Asgard back to their proper domains. The All-Father is unhappy that Thor brought a mortal to Asgard, but decides to let it pass for now as he has a message from Orikal. The omnipotent being warns Thor that there is danger on the horizon and beware. Thor thanks his father for the warning and returns to Midgard with Iron Man.
Rather than being transported to Avengers Mansion, the pair find themselves in midtown Manhattan, as Thor’s hammer is still acting up.[5] This turns into a moot point as they witness the Absorbing Man and Titania on a rampage. The pair were out shopping for a ring when a panicked shop keeper called the cops on them. This prompted the rampage as the pair have grown tired of being persecuted when they are trying to go straight.[6] In the ensuing clash, Thor tosses his hammer and it once again refuses to return to his hand and instead is embedded in the side of a nearby building. He is too busy fighting the Absorbing Man that the 60 second time limit kicks in and he starts reverting back into his mortal form of Jake Olson. Needing to keep his double identity a secret, Thor runs into a nearby alley before anyone can see him.
Trying to recover his hammer, “Jake” is shocked when Enrakt the Enchanter emerges from the enchanted weapon.[7] He reveals that he has been the one who has been causing his hammer to act up. He explains that he has returned to avenge the death of his fellow Enchanter Forsung.[8] Then, before “Jake” can recover Mjolnir and change back into Thor, Enrakt phases his hand through “Olson’s” chest, causing him to suffer the heart attack that would land him in the hospital.
Now
Iron Man completes his tale, making up a story about how “Jake Olson” was on the scene helping people when he suffered the hart attack. By this time, Jane Foster has called for a crash cart and begins trying to jump start “Olson’s” heart with a defibrillator. As this is happening, Thor is having a dream where he is being staired down by friends, allies, and foes alike. Here, he is approached by Jake Olson who tries to tell him something, but Thor can’t hear a word that he is saying. Unfortunately, Jane revives Thor before he can learn what Olson is trying to warn him about.[9]
This is just as Detective Grady O’Neil arrives with a warrant for Jake Olson’s arrest. Apparently, Jake Olson is responsible for the theft of drugs at the hospital and dealing them on the street.[10]
Recurring Characters
Thor, Jake Olson, Absorbing Man, Titania, Iron Man, Sub-Mariner, Heimdall, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Odin, Hescamar, Enrakt, Preston Case, Jane Foster, Hannah Fairmont, Demitrius Collins, Brady O’Neil, Hoder, Karnilla, Ulik, Kurse, Geirrodur, Orikal
Continuity Notes
Preston Case’s soul was merged into the Destroyer and went on a rampage in Thor (vol. 2) #1-2. Later, Thor recruited Case to help liberate Asgard from the Dark Gods in Thor (vol. 2) #10-12. To repay him, Thor had his soul restored last issue.
Jane Foster is well acquainted with Iron Man because Tony Stark had hired her for his medical needs in the past. See Iron Man (vol. 3) #11-13 and 15.
The Bifrost bridge was shattered after the Asgardians were captured by the Dark Gods back in Journey into Mystery #513. Thor just recently liberated his people from the Dark Gods in Thor (vol. 2) #10-12.
This ship was once used by Thor thousands of years ago on a quest to find the means to prevent Ragnarok, as seen in Journey into Mystery #120 through Thor #127. It was rediscovered in Thor (vol. 2) #3.
Thor’s hammer has been acting up since Thor (vol. 2) #5, as we’ll learn next issue this is because it has been possessed by Enrakt the Enchanter.
Absorbing Man and Titania have been trying to go straight, with marginal success, since Thor #436. Here, Iron Man quips that the pair should celebrate their anniversary at home in the future. Absorbing Man and Titania got married in Avengers Unplugged #3-4.
Although unexplained here, in Thor (vol. 2) #16 Enrakt reveals that he took possession of Mjolnir behind the scenes in Thor Annual 1999.
The Enchanters last clashed with Thor in Thor #143-145. This conflict ended with Forsung getting killed by Odin and Magnir and Brona getting banished to another dimension.
It’s not really clear what Jake Olson is trying to warn Thor about here. However, since Hela and Loki are prominently featured here, I presume that the warning is about Loki’s future plans to use the real Jake Olson to make Thor’s life difficult, as we’ll see in Thor Annual 2000.
The discovery that somebody has been stealing drugs from the hospital came to light in Thor (vol. 2) #5. Next issue it is revealed that the real Jake Olson had been stealing the drugs prior to his death in Thor (vol. 2) #1.