Thor (vol. 2) #78
Gods and Men, Part 4: Slipstream
In the year 2170, Thor has ruled over Midgard for over 100 years. However, his rule has been threatened when Desak has returned to eliminate the thunder god once and for all.[1] Answering to this threat are Thor, and his son Magni — who just recently proved worthy enough to lift Mjolnir. However, the two are easily overpowered by the god-slayer as he is more powerful than ever before.
Before Desak can slay Magni, both Sif and the Enchantress appear and challenge Desak to battle. This distracts him long enough for Thor to try and lift Mjolnir. However, he never gets to find out if he is worthy enough to lift it because Desak returns his attention to him and bats the thunderer aside. That’s when Fandral arrives with reinforcements and orders them to fire enchanted arrows at their enemy. Seeing the arrows heading toward him, Desak uses his great power to redirect them back at their foes. One arrow arcs around and strikes Magni in the back.
The Enchantress then joins the battle and tries to use her power of seduction to convince Desak that their work on Midgard was the right thing to do. For a brief moment, it looks like this is going to work. However, Desak snaps out of it and slaps Amora across the face. Seeing his enemy strike down his beloved, Thor tries to unleash the full force of the Odinpower on Desak, but the god-killer merely drinks up all the energy like a sponge. Desak then unleashes a powerful bolt of energy that devastates New Asgard, leading to an all out brawl between the two power houses. Unfortunately, Thor cannot harm Desak, but the opposite is still possible as — while fighting in close quarters — Desak is able to draw a dagger and stab it into Thor’s ribs. Magni quickly comes to his father’s aid, but he fares no better against Desak. As Thor pulls the dagger from his chest, he wonders where Loki — his head of security — is.
That’s when Loki finally arrives with his secret weapon, the Destroyer! As the suit of enchanted armor begins pummeling Desak, Thor explains to his son that it needs a living soul to animate it. This raises the question as to who’s spirit resides within the armor now. and why Loki kept its continued existence a secret. Loki reminds Thor that it is his job to defend the realm from any threat and he felt that the Destroyer was needed.[2] Thor then demands to know whose spirit resides inside the Destroyer, but Loki is reluctant to answer.
By this point, Desak can sense that the spirit inside the Destroyer doesn’t really want to destroy him, that they are being forced to do so. Leaping onto the Destroyer’s shoulders, Desak takes his jeweled necklace and places it around the Destroyer’s neck. This counteracts the enchantment and causes the Destroyer to come apart at the seams and begin wrapping itself around Desak. He then uses his power to zero in on the body and brings it to him. It is encased within a sarcophagus hidden in the same chamber where Loki had hidden the Destroyer all these years. When it arrives on the scene, Thor and the others are shocked to discover that the Destroyer was being powered by Tarene, the Designate![3] Desak then absorbs Tarene to join her power with that of the Spirit in the Jewel and the Destroyer to make Desak powerful enough to wipe the Asgardians off the face of the Earth.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Magni, Fandral, Sif, Enchantress, Desak, Loki, Destroyer, Tarene
Continuity Notes
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.
Here, it is mentioned how Odin created the Destroyer as a weapon to use against the Celestials should they deem humanity as unworthy of continued existence. See Thor #300.
Tarene is a powerful being known as the Designate who is fated to bring about the next stage of evolution to the universe. For more on that see Thor (vol. 2) #21-25. She has been MIA since her last appearance in Thor (vol. 2) #62.
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.