Thor (vol. 2) #25
The Final Morning
Thanos has captured Tarene — the Designate that will usher a new age of evolution to the cosmos — in order to gain the power over life and death.[1] To do so, he needs to force her to cry into the Chalice of Ruins and drink from it.
His only opposition is from Thor and his allies the Recorder and Firelord. However, they have all been defeated. Thanos now order his minion, Mangog, to pummel the thunder god to death in an effort to make Tarene cry.[2]
This is all being observed from Asgard by Odin, who has been weakened by poison and cannot aid his son directly. He has enlisted the aid of a troll named Jagrfelm to construct weapons for Thor to use against Thanos, but time is quickly running out. Seeing the All-Father watching from the sidelines, Ulik mocks Odin for not fighting despite his weakened condition. Angered by this insult, Odin slugs the troll before ordering Balder to summon Jagrfelm from the forge. The female troll has just finished making enchanted armor and a shield for Thor to wield on battle. Odin then uses his magic to empower this new tools for Thor to use, but Balder wonders how they will get them to the god of thunder in time.
Back on the frozen alien world, Thanos has succeeded in making the Designate cry into the Chalice of Ruins. This is just as Tarakis and Firelord recover from their previous battle. Before Firelord can rejoin the battle, Odin contacts him and asks him to come to Asgard to collect the enchanted weapons and bring them to Thor as quickly as possible.
As Firelord departs, Thanos drinks from the Chalice and gains the power over life and death. He then fires a powerful beam across the cosmos to wipe out every living thing in its path. As he is doing so, Thor finally wakes up and tears free from the spike he has been hung from. The Recorder and Tarene watch in awe as the battered thunderer ambushes Mangog from behind. Since an outward assault seems to cause no harm to the monster, Thor shoves Mjolnir into the creature’s maw and unleashes the enchanted mallet’s full power. This staggers the monster enough for Thor to knock him off a cliff, sending the monster falling on frozen spikes at the bottom.[3] With Mangog out of the way, Thor can now focus his attentions to Thanos.
In the meantime, Firelord arrives in Asgard and collects the enchanted weapons from Odin and races back to the battle.
Thor tries to stop Thanos but he unleashes a powerful torrent of energy to stagger the hero while he unleashes another blast of energy into the cosmos. In a matter of moments, Thanos manages to eradicate 41 billion lives. As Thor struggles to get free, the Recorder crawls over to try and pull him free from Thanos’ energy. Unfortunately, this destroys the Recorder instead and Thor vows to get free and avenge his death. That’s when Firelord arrives and slays Tarakis before pulling Thor loose. He then hands him enchanted weapons created by Jagrfelm: the belt of power, as well as an enchanted gauntlet and shield.
Throwing Mjolnir, Thor strikes Thanos with a blow that forces the villain to focus his attention on the thunder god. Although Thanos now commands a great deal of power, the enchanted shield provides protection for Thor. However, it is quickly disintegrating under the assault. Thor presses forward with all of his strength and is able to strike Thanos. Thor then hammers his foe until he can grab the Fire Gem he wears around his neck and crush it to dust. He then strikes Thanos with a staggering blow that fells his foe. In the aftermath of the battle, Tarene sheds tears of joy. Flicking her tear drops on Thanos, she destroys him once and for all, ending his universal genocide.
From his vantage point, Odin praises his son in his latest victory. However, there will be little time for celebration as events are unfolding that will test Thor’s courage and bravery once more. In Svartalfheim, Jagrfelm returns to her hut pleased that she was able to trick Odin into empowering an artifact of great power that she intends to use to bring down her foes.[4] While in New York City, the Absorbing Man (Carl Creel) returns home to tell his sick wife Titania (Mary MacPharen) that their insurance claim has denied. Unless they figure something out fast, Mary is going to die.
Recurring Characters
Thor, “Thanos”, Mangog, Firelord, Recorder, the Designate, Balder, Odin, Tarakis, Orikal, Ulik, Jagrfelm
Continuity Notes
This is not the real Thanos, but one of his Thanosi, clones created to carry out his objectives. See Infinity Abyss #1-6.
Mangog won’t let anyone (including the reader) forget that he has the anger of “a billion, billion souls”. This is in reference to the fact that Mangog was the combination of an entire race of aliens who dared to war with Asgard, as explained in Thor #154-156. Later, it’s explained that the infraction may have been a minor insult and Odin overreacted, as detailed in Mighty Thor #701.
This is not the end of Mangog, who will make his return to Asgard in Thor (vol. 2) #84.
The item on her table turns out to be the Cask of Ancient Winters, as we’ll learn in Thor (vol. 2) #28.
