Thor (vol. 2) #40
By Fire Born
The fire demon Surtur has been unleashed on Earth. In response, Odin has sent an army of Asgardians and allies — including Balder, the Warriors Three, Kurse, Hercules, and Beta Ray Bill — to fight the creature. However, Surtur has been turning mortals into her fire creatures. Kurse is not happy about being forced into this battle, saying that if it was so important, Odin should be fighting next to them.
The reason why Odin is not front and center is because he used a great deal of his Odinpower to empower the Elixer of Renewal to heal the injuries Thor sustained in his battle with the Destroyer.[1] Since his warriors will need Thor’s power to help fight back Surtur, Odin goes down to check on his son. Asgard’s healers, Cyra and Neffethesk, tell Odin that the process still needs more time to complete, time that they don’t have a lot of. Without the power to summon other champions to fight in his son’s place, Odin wonders if he committed his greatest warriors to death.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Jane Foster returns home with her husband for the first time since he was woke from his coma.[2] However, when she gets out of a much needed shower she discovers that her husband has left their apartment without telling her where he was going and wonders where he could have went.
In Midtown, Thor’s mortal half Jake Foster is on the job as an EMT with his partner Christine Carpenter. After Jake saved the life of someone injured in a pile up on FDR Drive, Christine once more tries to get romantic with him. Jake tells her that he doesn’t see them as a couple and then suggests that they may have been a couple in another life. That’s when Jake overhears a radio report about Surtur’s rampage in Norway. He tells Christine that he has to go and races off. Alone, she vows that she will make Thor her beloved this time no matter what. As she enters the hospital, she is unaware that she is being observed by Keith Kincaid, who has become furious by what he has overheard.[3]
Since he cannot change into Thor, Jake rushes to get the next best thing — Tarene, the Designate — who has been posing as Jake’s cousin and living with his former fianceé Hannah Fairmont and her daughter Amanda.[4] Jake puts on the news so Tarene can see what is happening in Norway. He makes an excuse that they have family that lives in Oslo and gets Tarene out of there even though she is more interested in playing video games than saving the world. When they are outside, Jake impresses Tarene on the fact that she needs to use her power to help those who are in danger. Now understanding the importance of the danger, Tarene changes into Thor Girl. She then travels to Asgard where she infuses the Elixir with her own power in an effort to revive Thor sooner.
Back on Earth, the battle is not going well and the forces of Asgard will soon be overwhelmed by fire demons. That’s when Odin arrives on a chariot pulled by Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder.
Meanwhile, Christine Carpenter returns to her apartment where she walks through a mirror to shed her disguise, emerging as the Enchantress. Amora muses that she will make Thor love her sooner or later. That’s when she realizes that she was caught doffing her disguise by Keith Kincaid. However, he decides to reveal his own secret by entering Amora’s enchanted mirror as well. Who comes out in his place comes as a surprise to the Enchantress because she thought he was dead.[5]
At that same moment, Odin’s addition to the battle allows the Asgardians to begin pushing back Surtur and his armies, however it still it is not enough. That’s when Thor and Tarene join the battle. Thor summons a mighty storm to put out the fires, amplified by Tarene’s power. However, when Surtur attacks her directly, Odin decides to take charge to protect her, since she is destined to bring about a great evolution to the universe. Odin borrows the power she has been generating to boost his own diminished Odinpower. He then charges directly into Surtur on his chariot, causing a massive explosion that envelops both god and demon. Once the smoke is cleared, the Asgardians see that Surtur has been vanquished and, worse, Odin is now dead.[6]
Recurring Characters
Thor, Jake Olson, Hercules, Beta Ray Bill, Kurse, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Enchantress, Odin, Cyra, Neffethesk, Thor Girl, Jane Foster, Keith Kincaid/”Executioner”, Hannah Fairmont, Amanda Fairmont, Surtur, Toothgnasher, Toothgrinder
Continuity Notes
The revival of Surtur and Thor’s battle with the Destroyer were chronicled in Thor (vol. 2) #36-38. Thor was placed in Elixir last issue.
At the time of this story, Keith Kincaid was recently and 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. This issue marks the last time we see Keith Kincaid. His fate from here is mentioned in Thor (vol. 3) #8.
Christine Carpenter is not who she seems either, as we learned in Thor (vol. 2) #35, she is actually the Enchantress in disguise.
As of this writing (June, 2023), this is the final appearance of Hannah Fairmont, her current whereabouts and activities are unknown.
Again, this is another red herring that suggests that this might be Skurge the Executioner, who is indeed dead at the time of this story. Skurge sacrificed his life to help Thor and his allies escape Hela’s domain, see Thor #360-362.
This spells the end of not only Odin and Surtur, but also Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder. About those deaths though….
Surtur won’t stay dead for long as Loki will find a way to resurrect the demon in order to bring about Ragnarok, as seen in Thor (vol. 2) #80-84.
It will be some time before Odin is resurrected, which happens during the events of Thor #615-621, when his might was needed to defeat the Ano-Athox.
As for Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, they appear again without any implicit explanation in Thor (vol. 2) #83. However, according to Norse mythology, the two goats could be reborn after being eaten as long as their bones weren’t also broken. Technically speaking, they were consumed by flame, so perhaps the whole “eaten” thing is very literal.
Topical References
Amanda Fairmont and Tarene are depicted playing a Sega Dreamcast, which had come out in 1999. This should be considered a topical reference as this gaming console was discontinued the same year this comic was published.
They are also playing the Dreamcast on a CRT model television. This should also be considered topical as this is an obsolete technology.