Thor (vol. 2) #66
Spiral, Part 7: Cometh the End
Zarrko the Tomorrow Man has been rotting away in an Asgardian prison after failing to eliminate Thor to prevent a nightmare future from coming to pass. After months of captivity and hoping that something would stop the thunder god, it is now the day of the defining event that will change the course of history for good. While Thor has been using his power to help humanity, there has been growing resistance against him interfering with mortal matters.
While out on the exercise yard, Zarrko is visited by Balder and Sif, who have grown concerned about Thor’s recent actions. Zarrko is deeply upset that they come to him now that it is too late to prevent what is going to happen. This makes Balder write Zarrko off as mad, but Sif isn’t so sure as she senses an uneasy wind. Zarrko tells her that it is the wind of death.
Far away, the Consortium of Nations — a secret organization run by enigmatic men and women who all go by the name Mister or Misses Smith — are plotting to strike against Asgard as it is a threat to the balances of power across the globe. They have been provided weapons by the nation of Latveria and the Vatican remains steadfast in their condemnation. With all the resources needed in place, they begin their final gambit against Thor and his people. When one of the Mister Smiths is asked about Thor, he tells his colleagues not to worry as they have arranged a distraction for the thunder god that he won’t the attack coming.
This is because Thor is heading to a baren island out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He has been called here by a Padre that represents the Vatican whom he has spoken with in the past.[2] When he arrives he asks the Padre what the deal with this island is. The old man explains that it was once an atomic testing site and stands as a tribute to man’s genius as well as its appetite for destruction. Thor doesn’t understand why they have asked to speak with him again since he has much to do. He once again tells Thor to give up his quest, saying that the number of people against what he has doing has grown ever since the incident with the girl.[3]
It’s while Thor is preoccupied with the Padre, that the Consortium begins moving forward.[4] Confident that Thor isn’t aware of their actions against them, one of the Mister Smiths makes a call to the leader of their army and tells him to mobilize while Thor is still distracted.
Back on the island, the Padre explains that while Thor was able to bring the girl back to life, it was bereft of her soul. He likens Thor trying to restore life to someone thinking they are a surgeon because they can hold a scalpel. The only person who could have restored her was the one true God, and that her soul resides in Heaven and that Thor had no right to try to rip her away for that. Thor disagrees, saying that the child never should have died, nor should her mother live with her loss. The Padre then accuses Thor of desecrating the sanctity of life. Thor is willing to be condemned for making one mistake considering all of the good he has done. That when the Padre says that Thor scares them, he is afraid of him. When he failed to bring that girl fully back to life he frightened everyone. The Padre is also scared, telling Thor that he fears him to the depths of his very soul because his work is an affront to God. To him, Thor is an evil unparalleled to anything else.
By this time, the Consortium of Worlds is getting nervous because the Padre is debating Thor instead of doing what he is told. The old man, however has one last warning for Thor: Stop what he is doing now because he cannot stop those who are in power from what happens next. Thor boasts at this threat, and that when the Padre waves for the little girl he saved to come out from the shadows. She is just as vacant and mindless as she was when Thor revived her. The Padre says he want Thor to get one last look at the girl and see the evil he has created before the she returns to heaven. With that, the priest pulls out a detonator from his pocket and presses it. Seconds later, the entire island explodes in nuclear fire.
With Thor seemingly destroyed, the leader of the Consortium gives the order to attack. Using a Latverian teleportation device, the soldiers appear on the Bifront Bridge, catching Heimdell completely off guard. They knock him off the bridge, sending him crashing down into New York City before he can raise the alarm. When Heimdall rises from the crater he made in the ground, he is suddenly swarmed by another team of commandos.
Inside Asgard, Balder hears the sounds of gunfire as he and Sif are leading Zarrko out of the prison. Zarrko explains that the attack has already begun. Suddenly soldiers materialize in front of them and begin opening fire. Balder fights back, but the soldiers tell him that Thor is dead and to surrender. Zarrko manages to grab a gun from one of the soldiers felled in battle. He then shoots Balder in the shoulder and blasts a hole in the wall. Once on the other side, he pauses in horror as he watches 2500 soldiers storming Asgard. Suddenly, a tower on the edge of the floating land explodes and is sent crashing through one of New York City’s tall skyscrapers. Zarrko knows that the Consortium of Worlds is willing to sacrifice New York to destroy the Asgardians. Little do they know that it is already too late.
Back on the smoldering island, the only thing that appears to have survived the nuclear blast is Mjolnir. As the enchanted hammer hovers over the scorched Earth, a hand suddenly bursts out of the ground and grabs it. As it turns out, Thor survived the nuclear explosion and now he’s pissed!
Recurring Characters
Thor, Sif, Balder, Heimdall, Zarrko the Tomorrow Man, Consortium of Nations
Continuity Notes
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.
Zarrko the Tomorrow Man has been trying to prevent these events from happening since Thor (vol. 2) #33. He has been incarcerated since a failed hit in issue #53. He is trying to prevent the Reigning, a nightmare future where Thor has enslaved humanity. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2, that future exists as Reality-3515.
Thor met with the Vatican spokesperson in Thor (vol. 2) #64. He tried to convince Thor to stop interfering in the world of man because it was an affront to God. Thor, naturally refused to sit back and let people suffer.
The girl they are speaking of was a child from France who died of smoke inhalation after a Church of Asgard was firebombed. Thor tried to use the Odinpower to bring her back to life and succeeded only after a fashion. While she was physically alive, the girl was catatonic, suggesting that she was bereft of a human soul. That happened last issue.
Mention is made here of the failed attempt to blow up Asgard after it first appeared over New York City. That happened in Thor (vol. 2) #51.
