Valor’s Cauldron

Night has fallen over a fishing town on the coast of Norway. The locals have set a massive fire and once it has reached the proper intensity one of their number — a fishing boat captain wearing a strange medallion with a demonic face — is satisfied that they have created the Flame of Invitation. He then plunges into the flames, telling the others that their master will be with them soon.

Meanwhile, at the foot of the Bifrost Bridge, Heimdall continues his constant vigil. While he can witness events transpiring impossible distances away, he sense some alien presence within the city. However, when he looks he can see nothing. Inside the royal palace, a healer named Cyra tries to convince Odin to allow her to give Thor one of her healing potions. Odin reminds her that Thor has been punished and none are to help him until he has learned his lesson.[1]

Odin then senses an alien presence in his chambers and that’s when the Uatu the Watcher materializes before him. Uatu has come to tell the All-Father something important. He shows Odin an image of the future where Tarene reaches her full potential and uses her power to usher all life in the universe to its next level of evolution.[2] Odin deduces that the only reason why the Watcher is showing him this is because this future is in jeopardy. Uatu confirms this and shows Odin the battle between Thor and the Destroyer on Earth. The All-Father quickly deduces that Loki is responsible and that Tarene’s lifeforce is what is powering his creation.[3] The Watcher then shows Odin another image, this one of Thor, carrying the cursed Bloodaxe and standing over the dead body of Balder the Brave. Odin knowns this image is from something called the Reigning.[4] Odin asks if this means that the Watcher is asking him to intercede on the battle below for the sake of his son. Uatu says he asks nothing, but asks Odin to ponder the countless lives that could be saved should Odin choose to let his son die.

As Odin ponders this situation, Thor is fighting for his life in New York City. He pleads with Tarene to fight the influence of the Destroyer as he cannot bring himself to destroy it since she is the key to the next level of evolution. Tarene can hear his pleas, but the destructive impulses of the Destroyer are far too strong for her to resist. This battle is being observed by Loki and Karnilla in Nornheim. The two are working together to destroy Thor as it suits both of their goals. However, Loki is already plotting a scheme to betray Karnilla once his hated step-brother is out of the way.[5] At that same time, Odin makes up his mind, he cannot interfere in the battle. He Cya and the Watcher that he will not interfere with the battle, even though Thor would rather sacrifice his own life than to bring harm to Tarene.

Back in New York, Thor suddenly comes up with an solution to stopping the Destroyer without harming Tarene. He decides to use the power of Mjolnir to banish the armor to another dimension until he can find a way to free Tarene’s lifeforce, just as he did last time.[6] Unfortunately, the Destroyer wrests away the enchanted hammer before he can use it and bats the thunder god away. Sif then leaps into the battle to try to get Mjolnir back. Watching from the sidelines is Doctor Jane Foster who is surprised when she is joined by her husband Keith Kincaid. She is surprised to see him on his feet so soon, but he convinces her to go back into the hospital where it is safe.[7] The only reason why Jane agrees is so she can call the Avengers for help.[8] That’s when Marnot notices Keith and can tell that he is more than any mere mortal, and someone he recognizes. With unforseen strength, “Keith” grabs Marnot by the throat and drags him into a nearby alleyway and kills him. “Kincaid” is surprised when Marnot transformed back to his true form, that of Hescamar, one of Odin’s ravens. He promises that when he is done, all of Asgard will share his fate.[9]

Meanwhile, the battle between Thor and the Destroy is becoming dire. Thor needs to get his hammer back in hand in less than sixty seconds or else he’ll revert back to the mortal form of Jake Olson, an instant death sentence. However, the Destroyer easily pummels Thor and Sif into submission. With the thunder god knocked out, the Destroyer then lowers the visor of its helmet in order to charge up its disintegration beam.

While back in Norway, the Flame of Invitation is complete and the fisherman responsible for the ceremony rejoices as his body has become one of flame. He tells his followers to join him and affirms that soon their master Surtur will walk the Earth once more.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Heimdall, Odin, Cyra, Watcher, Marnot, Jane Foster, Sif, Keith Kincaid/”Executioner”, Thor Girl, Loki, Karnilla, Surtur

Continuity Notes

1. During Thor’s battle with the Gladiator, his mortal form (Jake Olson) was seriously injured. When Thor refused to return to Asgard, Odin trapped him in his mortal form leaving him clinging to life, as seen in Thor (vol. 2) #34-35. What Odin doesn’t know is that, last issue, his raven Hescamar used its magic to change Olson back into Thor when he was attacked by the Destroyer and Loki.

2. Per the Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Thor this possible future where Tarene reaches her destiny has been designated to Reality-53937. For more on Tarene’s role in the future see Thor (vol. 2) #21-25.

3. The Destroyer is referred to as Odin’s creation. As explained in Thor #300, Odin created the suit of enchanted armor to be used as a potential weapon against the Celestials should they ever judge against the planet Earth.

4. The Reigning is a possible future in which Thor had taken over the Earth. These events are chronicles in Thor (vol. 2) #67-79. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2 that timeline exists in Reality-3515. However, events do not unfold as they are depicted here by the Watcher. While Thor does briefly wield the Bloodaxe, it was actually used to kill Desak, as seen in Thor (vol. 2) #49. Balder will be killed years later when he and Earth’s heroes attempt to stop Thor’s rule. In fact, Balder is fatally stabbed by Loki, as we’ll see in Thor (vol. 2) #73. The Thor Index states that this is a glimpse of Earth-3515 and not a similar reality. As such one could assume that the image of Thor and the image of Balder are from the same moment in time.

5. Loki and Karnilla recall how they used the Destroyer against Thor many years earlier in a similar scheme. See Journey into Mystery #118-119.

6. Thor banished the Destroyer to another dimension in Thor (vol. 2) #2, however the life force trapped inside it wasn’t freed until issue #13, and it took the power of Odin to do so.

7. At the time of this story, Keith Kincaid was seriously injured by the Absorbing Man in Thor (vol. 2) #26. He was in a coma until Hela transferred the essence of someone into his body in issue #35. They have been teasing that this is the Skruge the Executioner, however it’s later revealed in Thor (vol. 2) #42 that it’s actually one of Hela’s cyphers who took on the form of Skurge.

8. Jane specifically mentions summoning Tony Stark/Iron Man. At the time of this story, the general public doesn’t know that Tony Stark and Iron Man are the same person. Jane knows because Tony hired her to personally treat him after he suffered a serious beating recently. See Iron Man (vol. 3) #11-15.

9. Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Thor confirms that Hescamar is killed here. As of this writing (June, 2023) he remains among the deceased.