The Reigning, Part 3: Undertow

It is the year 2170, Lord Thor now rules over all of Midgard from his new home in New Asgard. Tonight, he and his people are celebrating the return of Thialfi, who was lost during the fall of the original Asgard thanks to Zarrko the Tomorrow Man’s time machine.[1] Present to celebrate his return are Amora the Enchantress, Loki, as well as Fandral and Volstagg of the Warriors Three. When Thor notices that Thailfi isn’t drinking, the guest of honor says that he needs to go to the bathroom and will be right back. After he leaves and Thor isn’t paying attention, Loki asks Amora where her son Magni is. She doesn’t know, and Loki says he is concerned because the guards said they saw him while they were searching for an escaped prisoner.[2]

When Thialfi finds the bathroom, he is suddenly confronted by a hooded woman who casts a spell that teleports them both to the hideout of the underground. Despite their attempts to restrain him,Thailfi manages to use his super-speed to disarm all the men. The woman, however, says that she only wishes to speak. After overhearing them mention Zarrko’s name, Thialfi isn’t interested in whatever they have to say. The woman, who introduces herself as Kya, tells him that Zarrko actually died decades earlier but he told them when Thialfi would arrive in this era. She wants to free humanity from Asgardian rule. She tells him to looks around, that they aren’t living in a paradise. She explains how Thor started off beneficent at first, but soon he began abolishing governments, erasing borders, and eradicating all religions except for Asgardianism. In short, he took away the mortals ability to choose.

Thailfi can hardly believe it, but the woman hits a nerve when Kya says that her mother, the Scarlet Witch, was killed when Thor banished her to one of Loki’s re-education camp. Thialfi can relate to this as his own parents were murdered by people who worshiped Thor centuries ago.[3] She also says that Thor hasn’t shown him everything of this new world he has created and casts a spell to send him to places that show Thor’s rule is actually a nightmare.

Meanwhile, Magni has taken Jordahl home on his chariot, which is pulled by a winged steed. Seeing the prince is quite the spectacle for the locals. When a trinket salesman comes up offering to sell a pendant, Magni almost buys it for his new friend until Jordy convinces him she doesn’t want it. Little do they know that this man is working for Loki, who was able to peer through the pendant and confirm that Magni is with the prisoner who escaped. Unaware of the danger, Magni is brought in and introduced to Jordahl’s mother, who can barely believe that the prince of the realm is in her home. Magni is happy to meet her but he has to return to the castle. Before he leaves, he kisses Jordahl on the cheek, leaving her speechless.

At that same time, Thialfi appears in the middle of an run town that dates back to the time of the American Frontier. Inside one of the saloons he finds mortals drinking, gambling, and whoring. At first, Thialfi thinks that this is an isolated community, but Kya — who is monitoring him mystically — tells him to take a look around. Racing around the area at super-speed, he sees fields of corn left to wither, burn, and rot, Trolls living in filth and squalor. He also sees black markets that deal in the old world’s technology, which has been outlawed by Thor. He also finds people secretly teaching their children about their past heritage in secret, because it too is forbidden. He also sees monuments to Thor everywhere he go. He quickly sees that much of humanity now acts liked caged animals with broken spirits. He races back to the town and tells Kya to send him back. That’s when he hears the locals calling out for a missing boy named Braybo. Thialfi learns that he is the son of the woman who propositioned him in the saloon. Seeing her concern, he races around a looking for him. He finds the boy face down in a nearby pond, drowned. He brings the mother to her son and she is devastated to see her boy is dead.

When Thialfi is teleported back, Kya tells him he is now ready to see something they have been keeping for safe for some time. Pushing aside a table, they reveal a hole in the floor that leads to the ruins of old New York. There, Kya pulls away a sheet from the ground, revealing Mjolnir and the remains of Jake Olson, Thor’s mortal half.[5] At first, Thialfi thinks that this is a trick until he tries to lift Mjolnir himself. However, thanks to the enchantment that prevents the unworthy from lifting it, the mallet doesn’t budge. Realizing that this is the genuine article he wonders what this all means.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Magni, Thialfi, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Kya, Jordahl, Loki, Jake Olson (corpse)

Continuity Notes

1. From the “Shit You Need to Know Off the Top Dept.”:

   • The events of this story take place in a possible future that now exists in another reality. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2, it has been desigated as Reality-3515. It was to be the future of Reality-616 until a divergence in Thor (vol. 2) #79 changed the course of history.

   • Zarrko the Tomorrow Man was trying to prevent this future from coming to past since Thor (vol. 2) #33. Unfortunately, he was captured by Thor in issue #53. He disappeared while trying to escape during the assault on Asgard, the catalyst that started this nightmare, see Thor (vol. 2) #66-67. During that battle, Thialfi fell through a time portal and only just recently appeared in 2170, as we saw in issue #69.

2. This would be Jordahl, a mortal girl who ended up finding Thialfi. Last issue, Thor was so pleased he ignored her thievery and ordered Loki to let her go. However, when his Cerebro device suddenly blew up (thanks to a spell cast by Kya, daughter of the Scarlet Witch) Loki blamed Jordahl, but she escaped thanks to Magni’s intervention.

3. The Scarlet Witch was arrested after it was discovered that she gave birth to an unauthorized child. At the time, the Asgardians were registering all pregnancies to screen and remove mutants who might grow up and threaten their rule. See Thor (vol. 2) #68.

4. Thialfi was a mortal whose parents were murdered by Vikings. Taking pity on the boy, Odin brought him to Asgard to live among the gods and had Thor promise to take the boy under his wing once Thialfi matured and Thor ruled the throne of Asgard. See Thor (vol. 2) #52.

5. Thor and Jake Olson were mystically separated in Thor (vol. 2) #39. During the siege on Asgard, Jake tried to stop Thor from killing people only to be killed himself. This crossed a line, making Thor unworthy of lifting his enchanted hammer again. In order to cover this up, Thor buried it under tons of rubble. See Thor (vol. 2) #67.

Topical References

• This story is stated as happening in the year 2170. Given how far away that date is from now, it could be considered a factual date.