Taking Charge, Part 2

Odin has fallen in battle, but rather than take up the throne of Asgard, Thor is wallowing in a bar.[1] His mooding drinking binge has troubled the citizens and soon Balder, Sif, and the Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg) are summoned to collect him from an ale house. Balder tries to convince Thor that he is needed to sit on the throne, but the thunderer angrily his friends that if they need a ruler so badly, he should do it. That’s when Volstagg tells Thor that his eldest daughter is to be wed and it is tradition for the ruler of Asgard to officiate the union, they need Thor to fill this role. Thor gets fed up with their pressure tactics and tells them that he is not worthy. In fact, he has convinced himself that Odin might not be dead and teleports away to go searching for him.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Jake Olson — Thor’s mortal half — and Christine Carpenter are on the job as EMTs.[2] Along for the ride is their boss, Thomas Ryan, who has insisted in tagging along and seeing if Olson’s reputation as a heroic miracle worker are worth his frequent absences. They soon arrive at the scene of a fire that crews are already trying to turn out. While treating fire fighters that have come out of the blaze, they learn one of their men is still trapped inside the burning building. Despite the fact that he no longer has the power of Thor, Jake Olson grabs a breathing mask and runs into the burning building to find the missing fire fighter. He quickly finds the downed man and rushes to his side. Unfortunately, one of the ceiling support beams comes down on him and pins Jake to the ground. Trapped, Jake futilely begins rapping his fist on the floor hoping that it just might trigger his usual transformation. Unfortunately, nothing happens.

Back in Asgard, Thor ventures into the domain of the trolls and demands to speak with their leader Geirrodur. However, Ulik blocks his path and refuses to allow Thor to go by. Unwilling to take no for an answer, Thor explodes into a fit of rage when Ulik mentions his father. He soundly thrashes the Rock Troll. When he turns to the others and asks if they want a fight, they all cowardly run off. In the next chamber, Thor finds Geirrodur and asks the Troll King if he may speak with the Orikal. Geirrodur decides to grant this request and the thunder god is taken to where the all-seeing entity is held. Thor is granted permission to ask a single question and he ask Orikal if his father is truly dead.[3] Orikal confirms exactly that, Odin is indeed dead and gone. This upsets Thor, who is then told that a mortal on Midgard close to him is in danger and needs immediate help. Thor then uses Mjolnir to teleport away, leaving Geirrodur and Orikal to speak privately of their encounter. Geirrodur wonders if Odin’s passing is the start of the horrific future that the winds whisper of. Orikal confirms it, stating that the Odinpower is slowly flowing into Thor as they speak.[4] Geirrodur decides that they must act now before it is too late for his people.

On Earth, Christine Carpenter and Thomas Ryan wait for Jake Olson to come out with the burning building. As time drags on, Christine — secretly Amora the Enchantress — wonders if she should blow her cover to save him.[5] That’s when Thor emerges from the fire carrying both Jake Olson and the downed firefighter. This comes as a shock to Christine who knows that Olson and Thor were once one, but is unaware that they had been separated. When she tries to get answers, Thor provides none and quickly flies off with Jake in his arms.

Once they are alone on a nearby rooftop, Thor tells Jake that without Odin there is no way for the two of them to be merged together again. This disappoints Jake who laments not being able to fly again. Thor tells him that there much to learn living a mortal life learning things such as humility and empathy for the less fortunate — things that often elude the gods. Jake knows that Thor hasn’t come to talk about Jake’s situation, but his own. Olson has been part of Thor long enough to know that Odin had been grooming him to take over the throne of Asgard. Jake points out that Thor has passed every single test that Odin had given him. He then tells Thor that just because he’s not Odin, doesn’t mean he isn’t worthy of the throne. Besides, Earth still has a defender since Tarene is around to become Thor Girl whenever there is danger. Thor thanks Jake for his advice and decides to finally take the responsibility that he has been shirking since his father’s death. Jake is glad to hear it, but tells Thor to come back and visit every now and again as he’ll be greatly missed.

Meanwhile, on a distant world, Adva of the Dark Gods meets with their leader Perrikus. She warns that Desak the Godslayer is coming for them next. Perrikus curses the fact that they have been banished to this far away world. Now with Odin deceased, they have no means of escaping their exile. Regardless, Perrikus promises to bring war to Desak if that’s what he wants.[6]

Back in Asgard, the wedding of Volstagg’s daughter is already underway. However, before the final vows can be completed, the ceremony is interrupted by the arrival of Thor and Jake Olson. Thor tells them all that he will officiate over the wedding as Asgard’s rightful ruler. The announcement leads to cheers as the people of Asgard celebrate their new leader. For now, all is well in the golden realm of Asgard.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Jake Olson, Balder, Sif, Volstagg, “Christine Collins”, Orikal, Ulik, Geirrodur, Perrikus, Adva, D’Chel, Desak, Thomas Ryan,

Continuity Notes

1. Odin died battling Surtur in Thor (vol. 2) #40. He will remain among the deceased until Thor #618.

2. After Thor was seriously injured by the Destroyer he needed to undergo an intensive healing process. In order for this not to interfere with Jake Olson’s life, Odin used his magic to separate the two, as seen in Thor (vol. 2) #36-39. The pair will remain separated until Thor (vol. 2) #79.

3. Thor mentions how his father had seemingly died in the past, only to be found alive and well. This has happened on two occasions in recent history:

   • The first was when Odin seemingly perished fighting Surtur in Asgard circa Thor #353. In reality, he was taken prisoner by Seth, the Egyptian Death God, as seen in Thor #398-400.

   • The second time was when the WorldEngine forced Asgard to undergo Ragnarok in Thor #491-494. It was later revealed in Thor #497 that Odin was cast down to Earth to live as a mortal. He was eventually restored to power in Thor (vol. 2) #12.

4. They are referring to the Reigning, a dark future where Thor rules over both Asgard and Earth with an iron fist. This future will come to pass in the pages of Thor (vol. 2) #67-79. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2, this nightmare future takes place in Reality-3515.

5. As revealed in Thor (vol. 2) #35, the Enchantress has been posing as Christine Carpenter since issue #26. She has done so in order to be close enough to Thor and make him fall in love with her.

6. The Dark Gods had imprisoned the Asgardians from Journey into Mystery #513 until Thor (vol. 2) #12. As punishment Odin banished them to a far away world. Desak is an alien who denounced the gods of his world and was granted the power to slay them, as seen in Thor Annual 2001.