Thor (vol. 2) #17 — Nick Peron

May 27

May 27 Thor (vol. 2) #17

The Eighth Day Part 1

The Eighth Day continues from Iron Man (vol. 3) #21…

It is turning out to be an atypical day in New York City. However, the regular hustle and bustle is interrupted when Thor crash lands in the middle of the street. The thunder god is locked in a life-or-death battle against Enrakt of the Enchanters.[1] Recovering from this attack, Thor tries to strike the sorcerer with Mjolnir, however Enrakt is able to grab the weapon out of mid air and throw it back. Growing tired of this battle, Enrakt decides to depart to join his brothers who are battling Odin, promising to come back to finish Thor off after.

Thor is about to use Mjolnir to create a vortex to follow after Enrakt when he spots the Juggernaut on the street on another rampage. Seeing innocent people getting hurt, Thor can’t bring himself to abandon the mortals he has has vowed to protect. Thor leaps down and attacks the Juggernaut head on. The unstoppable villain turns out stronger than ever and is uninterested in having to deal with Thor as something is calling out to him that he can’t help but try and reach.

This battle is being observed by Loki who is posing as Odin in Asgard while the real All-Father is fighting for his life in the Enchanter’s dimension.[2] Intrigued by the Juggernaut, Loki asks the Flames of Truth to reveal the behemoth’s origins to him. The trickster god learns how the Juggernaut was once a mortal named Cain Marko. While in Korea, he stumbled upon the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak and was given its power and transformed into Cyttorak’s avatar the Juggernaut.[3] The Flame also tells him that it is now the fabled “Eighth Day” when other magical beings will arise. It then shows Loki the first of the other Examplars to be selected. The first is impoverished Bridget Malone of Ireland who has been drawn to the Kestrel Key of Krakkan and transformed into Conquest, the living embodiment of battle. In Kenya, the mentally ill Olisa Kabaki is lured to Ivory Idol of Ikonn and is tranformed into Bedlam, the avatar of mind and madness.

Meanwhile, the battle between Thor and the Juggernaut rages on. However, it comes to an abrupt end when Conquest and Bedlam appear. Using their powers to separate the two combatants, they teleport away with the Juggernaut. With Odin battling the Enchanters and the Earth imperiled by the Exemplars, Thor wonders which side he must fight.

… The Eighth Day continues in Iron Man (vol. 3) #22.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Loki, Enrakt, Tarakis, Exemplars (Juggernaut, Bedlam, Conquest)

Continuity Notes

The Enchanters have been trying to get revenge against Thor and Odin since Thor (vol. 2) #14.
Odin was whisked away by the Enchanters in Thor (vol. 2) #15. Loki then stepped in and began posing as Odin in Asgard in the following issue.
Cain Marko’s transformation into the Juggernaut was first chronicled in X-Men #12.