Spiral, Part 8: The Gates of Hell

Since becoming the Lord of Asgard, Thor has been trying to make the Earth a better place. Unfortunately, the powers that be have felt threatened by him prompting a full on assault on the floating city of Asgard, high above New York City.[1] Knocked down into the city below, Heimdall fights against the soldiers dispatched by the Consortium of Nations. Watching from the sidelines is Jake Olson, Thor’s former mortal half. He is busy giving first aid to innocent people that have been injured in the battle. When Heimdall falls, Jake tries to give him medical aid as well but the soldiers stop him. Olson calls them crazy, as they have no idea what Thor could do to them when he returns. That’s when one of the soldiers smugly tells Jake that Thor is dead.

Far away, the Consortium of Nations have just watched as a small island in the middle of the Atlantic was annihilated by a powerful nuclear explosion. Their leader calls in to a unit on the scene and has them confirm that the blast was legitimate and not some kind of illusion. After they verify the bombs did indeed go off, the line goes dead. The leader thinks nothing of it in that moment.

In Asgard, a strike team of 2500 soldiers has stormed the golden city. While everyone is pre-occupied, Zarrko the Tomorrow Man makes his way to the royal armory. Inside he finds his time travel device which will allow him to go back in time and try to prevent all of this from happening a second time. However, before he can leap into the time portal, he is stopped by Thialfi, who comes speeding in a super speed. Zarrko scolds the warrior, telling him that he is the only hope they have left.

By this time, Thor — who survived the nuclear explosion — locates the hideout of the Consortium of Nations and rips his way into their meeting chamber. As the members call for security, the thunder god looks to the TV monitors and sees that Asgard is under siege. Furious, Thor unleashes a powerful onslaught of lightning that vaporizes the masterminds behind this attack and blow up their entire mountain complex.

As the battle rages on in Asgard, Zarrko manages to convince Thialfi that he has to stop what’s going on. Outside, Balder and Sif continue to fight on against shrinking odds. Little does anyone know that the primary attack on Asgard is merely a smokescreen to cover a special team who have been spending the battle setting up demolition charges to destroy Asgard. As Zarrko and Thialfi run outside to open a new portal, the charges go off and blast the floating island into pieces.[2] In the blast, Zarrko is separated from his time machine and Thailfi disappears in a flash of light.[3] Meanwhile, the ruins of Asgard come raining down, decimating the city of New York City.

Jake Olson watches in horror as everything comes crashing down. That’s when Thor returns and and begins laying waste to the surviving soldiers. When he throws Mjolnir, Jake leaps into its path and snatches it out of the air. Despite being mortal, he is worthy enough to lift Mjolnir and uses it to attack his other half. With a large portion of Asgard still intact, Thor wants to rescue it, but Jake won’t stop fighting him. When the final section of the great city finally explodes it pushes Thor over the edge. In a fit of rage, the thunder god uses the Odinpower to annihilate his former human host.

When Thor goes to pick up Mjolnir off the ground, he discovers — to his horror — that he is no longer worthy to lift it. Angrier than ever before, he unleashes the Odinpower on the remaining buildings to collapse it all down on top of the now useless weapon.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Jake Olson, Heimdall, Balder, Sif, Thialfi, Consortium of Nations, Zarrko the Tomorrow Man

Continuity Notes

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

   • Thor and his mortal half, Jake Olson, were separated by Odin in Thor (vol. 2) #39, they will remain like this until issue #79.

   • 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. It is in this same issue that Thor transported Asgard so it resides over New York City.

   • Thor was widely accepted by the general public until he tried using the Odinpower to restore a dead child to life. While he restored her physical body, her soul eluded him. This turned the public against him as seen in Thor (vol. 2) #65. The attack on Asgard started last issue.

   • 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.

2. It is at the moment of detonation that realities diverge, as seen in Thor (vol. 2) #79. The Thor of Reality-3515, realizing the grave error he made on this day, will go back in time and prevent Asgard’s destruction and convince his past self to give up his quest.

3. Thialfi gets transported to the year 2170 AD of Reality-3515, as we’ll see in Thor (vol. 2) #69.

Topical References

• The leader of the Consortium of Nations is depicted using a cell phone with a small screen, physical buttons and an antenna to receive signals. This should be considered topical as this technology has fallen out of common use and is on its way to obsolescence.