The Spiral, Part 6: Frenzy

Since becoming the Lord of Asgard, Thor has devoted his time and his people to making Midgard a better place.[1] However, as a new religion begins to spring up to worship him for all that he has done, the powers that be are starting to feel threatened. Recently, the Pope denounced Thor during mass and this has led to growing violence toward Thor’s followers.

The increased violence has a secret cabal known as the Consortium of Nations — four men and one woman referring to themselves as either Mister or Misses Smith — try to come up with a plan to disrupt Thor’s growing popularity. However, he is doing too much good, so they decide to sit back and wait for him to foul up somehow.

An eternity away sit the Council of Godheads — Zeus, Osiris, Shiva, Yu Huang, Vishnu, and Brahma — they are increasingly concerned that Thor has violated the god’s pact of non-interference. Zeus asks the other members to be patient, reminding them that they have witnessed humanity committing many horrors over the years that they were able to overcome. However, Shiva points out that those were all mortal made problems, and this is the first one created by a god, that they need to attack Asgard before it is too late.

In France, tensions are about to reach the boiling point when a historic church is set on fire, apparently in retaliation for the burning of the local Church of Asgard. While the local Catholics blame the followers of Thor, the Thorites believe they are being framed. Before the two sides can get into a brawl, Thor and Sif arrive on the scene. His followers all bow before him and Thor immediately. The thunder god tells the mortals to stand as men and then asks one of the rioters to give him his gun. He tells them that violence is not the way and this calms them down. The Catholics on the other hand are still furious that their church is a blazing inferno. Thor then uses his power over the storm to suck all the air away from the fire, causing it to go out in seconds. One of the firefighters is impressed by the feat, but notes that they still have to clean up the mess and that the church is destroyed. Seeing that this will not do, Thor then uses the Odinpower to restore that will restore the church to its former glory in a few hours.

Sif is shocked by this display of power, noting that Odin would have never had used his powers for such a feat of immediate gratification. Thor admits that this is ture and explains that the only reason why he went this far was because the church was destroyed in his name by his misguided followers. However, he doesn’t know why his followers act in such a way. One of his worshipers say that they act in retaliation because they believe in him and his message. Thor decides that it is time to depart, but a woman calls out for his help. She brings out the body of her daughter, who died of smoke inhalation during the fire and asks that Thor use his power to bring her back to life. After considering it for a moment, Thor begins to reach down and touch the girl. Sif protests the idea since it has never been done before, but the thunderer insists that it has to be done.

When Thor first tries to use the Odinpower to bring the girl back to life, it doesn’t work. However, this action gives both the Consortium of Nations and the Council of Godheads the justification they need to act. Meanwhile, Thor refuses to give up and tries again, this time using even more of the Odinpower than he has ever used before. This time he succeeds in bringing the girl back to life, but it is nothing more than an empty shell that is unresponsive. Seeing Thor fail makes the entire crowd suddenly turn on him. When the thunderer asks to try again, Sif decides that this has gone on long enough and teleports them both back to Asgard.

Thor protests against this, but Sif warns Thor that what he just opened a door that should not have been opened that will make his goals impossible as the humans will eventually turn on him. She points out that as well meaning as Thor was trying to be, he left that woman in a worse state than before by bringing her daughter’s body back to life because it was bereft of the soul. She tells him that she wants things to go back to the way they used to be. Thor, however, cannot give up and believes he should have been able to bring the girl fully back to life. Sif — ever the voice of reason — points out that if it were so easy, Odin would have done it all the time. Still, Thor thinks he can make things work and decides to continue his work to make up for this momentary lapse. As he flies off, Sif wishes she shared Thor’s confidence.

Back at the Consortium of Nations, each member decides to put things to a vote. They all agree that they must move against Thor sooner rather than later. This decision is grimly observed from afar by Yu Huang, Vishnu and Brahama.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Sif, Consortium of Nations, Council of Godheads (Zeus, Osiris, Shiva, Yu Huang, Vishnu, Brahma)

Continuity Notes

1. Some things you need to know off the top that aren’t really explained in this story are:

   • Odin is dead. He was died fighting Surtur back in Thor (vol. 2) #40. Thor has since taken up the royal throne. Odin will remain among the deceased until Thor #418.

   • Since issue #50, Thor has been trying to use Asgardian resources and magic to make the Earth a better place for mortals. This has included abolishing war, sickness, and hunger. While many people have come to accept Thor’s aid, others (particularly those in power) have not.