Answers

Answering a police summons, Thor’s mind is once more focused on his missing people and his inability to return to Asgard. A mystery that has grown even more complex following his battle with the Dark God known as Tokkots.[1] Thor arrives on the scene and is greeted by Detective Brady O’Neil, who remembers Thor from an earlier encounter.[2] Brady called for Thor because one of his old foes, the android known as Replicus.[3] Although the android’s weapons are too advanced for the police to handle, they are no match for the god of thunder who quickly incapacitates the robot.

By this time, the police were able to trace the signal that was giving Replicus’ commands. Thor decides to handle things from there. Before he can leave though, EMT Demitrius Collins — the partner to Thor’s Jake Olson identity — arrives on the scene. When asked where Olson is, Dimitrius explains that he is taking his fiancée and her daughter out to a football game today. Thor nearly forgot that he makes this promise and rushes off to wrap up this caper.[4] Thor tracks the signal to an apartment and discovers that this Replicus was built by Seth Sykes, the grandson of Slugger Sykes — the criminal who commissioned Replicus all those years ago. Thor orders Sykes and his friend to turn themselves over to the cops and departs. He heads down to the football stadium and meets up with Hannah Fairmont and her daughter Amanda, just moments before they were about to write him off for the day. As “Jake Olson” sits down to enjoy the game, Thor finds himself becoming increasingly uncomfortable with his mortal identity, particularly the love that Hannah has for Jake, feeling that Thor does not share.

Meanwhile, back in Asgard, Perrikus of the Dark Gods continues to torture Odin. That’s when Tokkots returns from his sojourn to Earth and informs him that Thor is still alive. Perrikus cannot believe this, especially since Odin had previously told them that his son was dead. Accusing the All-Father of lying to them, Odin explains that he believed Thor to be dead and doesn’t know anymore about his miraculous return than they do. Deciding to see the truth for himself, Perrikus orders Adva to open the Continuum Gateway and bring him to Thor.

By this time, the football game is over and Jake Olson sends Hannah and Amanda home in a cab, telling them that he has an early shift in the morning. Once they are gone, “Jake” runs into a nearby alleyway and changes into Thor. Since his passage to Asgard proper has been blocked, the thunder god has decided to try and something else in his quest for answers. Using Mjolnir, the thunder god is able to open a portal that takes him to the domain of the Rock Trolls. There he finds just the entity he was looking for: The all seeing Orikal.[5] While Orikal knows what happened to the Asgardians, he is not in a position to reveal the truth.

That’s when Marnot — the enigmatic being responsible for forcing Thor to carry on the late Jake Olson’s mortal life — appears and decides to finally reveal the truth to him.[6] He shows Thor visions of events that happened thousands of years ago when Thor was still a boy. In that far off time an explorer named Lonkarr returned from an expedition with a dire warning for Odin. He discovered a realm called Nacisson, a world the diametric opposite of Asgard, whos gods enslave their people and rule with an iron fist. He was shocked by this world and its people and was soon attacked by a Dark God calling herself Tserron. Lonkarr slew her in self defense earning the ire of her bride-to-be Perrikus. Lonkarr barely managed to escape with his life and arrived just in time to warn the Odin that the Dark Gods were coming for revenge. Soon a massive war was waged in Asgard the claimed thousands. The Dark Gods won the initial skirmish. The defeated Odin was offered a chance to join Majestron Zelia and her family to strengthen Narcisson. However, Odin refused and fought back eventually repelling the invaders and taking Perrikus prisoner. Due to the heavy toll on his people, Odin used his magics to erase everyone’s minds of the war, including Thor.

Completing his tale, Marnot explains that it is the Dark Gods that captured his people and that Thor inadvertedly freed Perrikus during his recent visit to the ruins of Asgard. Thor is shocked to learn all of this, but Orikal confirms that it is all true. Now that he knows everything, Thor vows to do everything in his power to defeat the Dark Gods and free his people. Little does he know that Perrikus and his minions are grimly observing him from Asgard.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Jake Olson, Replicus, Dark Gods (Perrikus, Majestron Zelia, Tokkots, Adva), Odin, Marnot, Demitirus Collins, Hannah Fairmont, Amanda Fairmont, Orikal

Continuity Notes

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

   • The Asgardians had gone missing in Journey into Mystery #514. They were captured and made prisoner of the Dark Gods.

   • Thor has been searching for his people since discovering Asgard was deserted in Avengers (vol. 3) #1. His people had disappeared during a period where Thor was lost in another dimension. See Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1, Avengers (vol. 2) #1-13, and Heroes Reborn: The Return #1-4.

   • The Dark Gods took up shop in Asgard in Thor (vol. 2) #5 and they put up a barrier to prevent Thor from returning home last issue. This was also the same issue he fought Tokkots as well as in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #2.

2. O’Neil first met Thor during a hostage taking that took place at a daycare. The gunman was a mentally ill man who thought he was Heimdall cast from Asgard in mortal form. See Thor (vol. 2) #1.

3. Thor battled the original Replicus way back in Thor #141.

4. Thor, as Jake Olson, promised to take Amanda and her mother Hannah to a football game in Thor (vol. 2) #6. This was in an effort to mend bridges with Amanda who never liked the idea that her mother was dating Jake Olson.

5. Orikal was last seen in Thor #138 when Thor freed him from the Rock Trolls and returned him to his proper dimension. How he got recaptured again is unexplained.

6. Jake Olson and Thor were both killed during a battle with the Destroyer in issues #1 and 2. Marnot offered to resurrect Thor but he had to take over Jake Olson’s life as penance for not preventing his death. It’s later revealed in issue #13 that Marnot did this to help Thor hide from the Dark Gods by hiding in mortal form.

Topical References

• The football team that “Jake Olson” takes the Fairmonts out to see are the New York Giants. This should be considered a topical reference since the Giants are a real world football team.