Gods and Men, Part 3: The Reckoning

It is the year 2170, and from Earth’s Moon, Desak looks down upon the Earth and reflects on his life until this point. He was once a mortal being whose daughter was sacrificed to try and appease uncaring gods. Seeking revenge he was given power via a mystical jewel and became devoted to slaying gods. He eventually clashed with Thor, the Asgardian god of thunder and learned that perhaps not all gods were evil. However, that opinion soon changed when Thor started interfering with the lives of mortals on Earth. Deciding that Thor had become corrupt, Desak attempted to slay the thunder god only to be killed himself. His body was then carried to an alien world where he healed and slumbered for over 100 years until something on Earth woke him up and compelled him to return.

Meanwhile, in the city of New Asgard, Magni — the son of Thor — has returned to his father with Mjolnir, the his father’s long lost weapon. Having come to believe that their rule of Midgard is wrong, he has challenged his father to lift the weapon to see if he is still worthy to carry it.[1] Thor is furious that his son would question any of his decisions. Both his step-brother Loki and Magni’s mother the Enchantress also defend their lord’s decisions. However, Magni knows that both of them have only supported Thor’s rule because it gave them power over mortals. Deeply angered by this disobedience, Thor orders his son to apologize. At first, Magni appears to do just that. Getting down on one knee and bowing, he apologizes. However, he says that his father has erred in a way that Odin, never would have.

Having had enough of all of this, Thor decides to show his son that he is the in the right. He uses the Odinpower to pull Mjolnir from the boy’s grasp and suspend it in front of him. However, before Thor can touc hits handle, there is a massive explosion outside the throne room. When Thor goes to the window to see what it is, he is shocked to see it is Desak. He quickly orders Loki to summon the royal guard and the Warriors Three immediately. While Sif is willing to fight by Thor’s side against this threat, the Enchantress cowers and pleas with her king not to risk his life.

Outside, an entire army of warriors charge at Desak to defend the kingdom, but they are easily cut aside. As Loki begins summoning Asgard’s greatest warriors, Thor asks his son if he will fight on their side. However, Magni refuses to do anything until his father agrees to lift Mjolnir. Thor is annoyed that this is the focus of his son’s attention. Without trying to lift the hammer, Thor teleports outside to join the battle. That’s when the Enchantress slaps her son across the face for being disrespectful to his father. Sif comes to his defense, but Amora tells her to butt out of her family’s business. Amora then shames Magni into taking Mjolnir and joining the fight. Once the boy is gone, Loki smiles and suggests that they might all be better off should something happen to Magni.

When Thor appears in battle he has arrived just in time to watch as Desak decapitates Hogun of the Warriors Three. He then challenges Thor to take his best shot. The thunderer then tries to blast Desak with the Odinpower, but the god-slayer easily shrugs off the attack. He then begins attacking Thor directly, easily overpowering him. However, before Desak can slay his father, Magni arrives and strikes him in the face with Mjolnir. Desak then turns his attention to the boy and begins pummeling him as well.

With the battle raging outside, Loki races upstairs to a locked door where he has been hiding a secret weapon for just such an occasion.[2]

Recurring Characters

Thor, Magni, Sif, Enchantress, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Desak, Loki

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. Its history matches that of Earth-616 until the point of divergence.

   • Desak is an alien who sought revenge against the gods after his daughter was used in a ritual sacrifice. He was given power by a mysterious gem in Thor Annual 2001. He was seemingly killed by Thor in Thor (vol. 2) #49. However, the spirit within the his gem of power spirited his body away to an alien world to heal and slumber until he was needed again. He awoke awoke in issue #75 when Magni lifted Mjolnir.

   • Odin was killed in battle with Surtur in Thor (vol. 2) #40, leaving Thor to rule the kingdom in his absence.

   • Thor took over the world in the present day after Asgard was destroyed, as seen in Thor (vol. 2) #67. He became unworthy to lift Mjolnir after he slew Jake Olson, his mortal half. Thor has kept this a secret, telling his followers that it was destroyed.

   • Kya’s physical body was killed last issue and her spirit led Magni to Mjolnir shortly thereafter.

2. As we’ll learn next issue, Loki has been hiding the Destroyer, which has been infused with the soul of Tarene, aka the Designate.

   Topical References

• This story is stated as taking place in the year 2170, given how far away this date is from the present day, it could be considered factual. The only topical aspect of this future timeline is in measuring the length of time between the present day of the Marvel Universe and this future. As the Sliding Timescale moves forward, the gulf of time will shrink. Modern readers should consider all such measurements being relative to the date of publication.