Uncertain Destinies

In the oncology ward of a New York hospital, Jane Foster responds to a code blue. One of her patients, the elderly Rose Chambers’ vitals are suddenly spiking. As Jane and another nurse try to keep her vitals stable, the old woman tells Jane that she’s not alone in her body. She then whispers something in Jane’s ear that is a shock to Jane.[1]

She makes a quick call to Don Blake in Oklahoma. Blake’s alter ego, Thor, had just been exiled from Asgard and told that Sif is out somewhere trapped in a mortal form and is about to die. When Don answers his phone, Jane tells him that Sif is trapped in the body of Mrs. Chambers. With his walking stick damaged, triggering the transformation back into Thor is incredibly painful.[2]

Meanwhile, the other Asgardians have relocated to the mountains of Latveria. Accompanying them is Bill Cobb, who has decided to follow after his lover, the goddess known as Kelda. However, upon arrival, Bill discovers that he is ill prepared for the cold mountain weather and has to stay near a fire to keep warm. As Kelda goes to find some lodging for them to stay in, Bill is given a warm coat by Balder, the current leader of the Asgardians. Balder is pleased to hear that it is love that brough Bill to follow them and gives the mortal his blessing. That’s when Bill asks about where they are. When he hears that they are in the country ruled by Doctor Doom, he calls Balder crazy.

By this time, Thor has woken up and decides that repairing his hammer needs to be his main priority. He gathers up the broken piece and heads to the barrens of New Jersey to meet with Doctor Strange. Strange agrees to help Thor repair Mjolnir but says it will completely strip the thunder god of the Odinpower that resides within him. Thor is more than willing to sacrifice this power to get his hammer back in working order. However, there is still more at risk: The sorcerer explains that magic involved will further link Thor to his enchanted hammer, meaning that if it is ever damaged like this in the future Thor himself will die. Knowing all of the details, Thor still wants the Doctor to go through with the repair spell.

As Strange begins his spell, Jane Foster and her aide roll Rose Chambers into the emergency room and try to stabilize her, but she is fading fast. When the spell is complete, Mjolnir is completely restored. Thor briefly sees himself reflected inside the enchanted weapon before picking it up off the ground. Quickly, Thor teleports himself to the hospital where he quickly frees Sif’s spirit from within Mrs. Chambers, mere seconds before the elderly woman passes away. As Thor rushes Sif out of the ER, Jane makes final preparations for Rose’s body. The astral form of Don Blake remains behind to apologize for making her final moments such a circus. The old woman’s soul appears before him and tells him her first name and about herself. She then tells Don that she is going to her final reward. When Don asks what that is, Rose says that he’ll find out but not for a while yet before disappearing.

Meanwhile, Doctor Doom meets with Loki who is now back in his true form. The trickster says that his people are settling in. Most are happy, but some are not, but he will deal with them in due time. While Doom now has a super-powerful army at his disposal, Loki says that this is just the beginning. At the same time, Bill tries to warn Balder about Doctor Doom, and that the Latverian monarch is likely going to turn on them sooner or later. This doesn’t convince Balder that moving here was a bad idea. If Bill is wrong, he has provided his people with a land where they won’t fight among themselves and devolve into civil war. On the other hand, if Bill is right and Doom is indeed a threat, then they have an enemy they can unite against.

Bill then heads out and is attacked by three Asgardians who are not happy to have a mortal in their midst. Luckily, Kelda arrives and uses her power over ice to send them packing. She convinces Bill not to prolong the fight and feels that there is a dark storm brewing. Not far away, Balder meets with Heimdall to see what he can see ahead of them. Heimdall says all he can see is death.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Sif, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Loki, Doctor Doom, Kelda, Heimdall, Don Blake, Jane Foster, Rose Chambers, Bill Cobb,

Continuity Notes

1. All the Asgardians had died during Ragnarok in Thor (vol. 2) #85. They were all seemingly resurrected by Thor in Thor (vol. 3) #5. However, Sif remained trapped in her human host because Loki had co-opted her body, as explained in Thor (vol. 3) #7 and 12.

2. Mjolnir was shattered when Thor struck the fatal blow on his grandfather, Bor in Thor #600. By killing Bor, thor was exiled from Asgard. The painful transformations started last issue, which was also when Loki informed Don about Sif’s perilous situation.