Thor (vol. 2) #80 — Nick Peron

May 13

May 13 Thor (vol. 2) #80

Ragnarok, Part the First

Prologue

Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve had slain the Frost Giant known as Ymir.[1] From his corpse they created — among other things — Nidavellir, the land of the Dwarves. Among their people came three great weapon forgers knwon as Borkk, Buri, and Etri. Eventually, Odin decided to sire a son and asked the trio to forge a powerful weapon for the boy to wield once he had proven worthy.[2] The power involved in forging this weapon was such that it was caused meteors to rain down from the heavens, bringing about the extinction of the Dinosaurs and ushered in the dawn of man upon Midgard.[3][4]

This powerful weapon was the hammer Mjolnir and Odin used it to defend Asgard for a time until his son, Thor was born.[5] Odin raised Thor alongside his adopted step-brother Loki and promised the boy that one day he would be worthy enough to lift Mjolnir and claim it as his own.[6] For many years, Thor performed good deeds until and eventually earned the right to lift the weapon, thereby becoming the god of thunder![7]

But what became of the mold that was used to created Mjolnir? It was said, it was created using the heat from a star and its continued existence would make it a tempting thing to have for those seeking to create powerful weapons. The legends speak of how it was going to be destroyed when it fell into the river at Gunin-Gap where was lost forever.

Loki, who had grown to become the god of mischief, has spent a considerable amount of time trying to find the long lost mold. However, now that Odin is dead and gone,[8] he trickster no longer has to restrain himself. Now, in the present day, he uses a magic crysal to look into the past and locate where the mold ended up so he can pilfer it for himself….

Now

Eitri the Dwarf has died and Thor hold a ceremony to honor him in his passing. The funeral is attended by the people of Asgard including the Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg), Sif, Balder, Amora the Enchantress, and the Valkyrie. However, the somber ceremony is interrupted by powerful earthquakes. This is caused by Surtur — who had been restored by Loki — as he pounds at the forge used to create Mjolnir.[9] That’s when the ship known as Naglfar comes sailing in from the sky.[10] On board are Loki, the giant known as Hymir, Loki’s wolfen offspring the Fenris, and the enslaved Ulik. Their opening attack kills the Enchantress, and leaves Thor stunned.[11] With Ulik and Fenris lunge at Thor with newly crafted weapons, he uses Mjolnir to shield himself. The force of the blow is strong enough to knock everyone down, decimated the city of Asgar. Sif’s right arm is cleaved off as well.

That’s when Ulik, Fenris, and Hyrm attack all at once. Thor manages to get Mjolnir up to block their blows. However, when they strike at the same time, it causes an explosion that is nuclear in proportion. When the smoke finally clears, Thor is horrified to see that Mjolnir has been shattered.

That’s when Loki channels his magic through an enchanted hammer of his own and blasts Thor with enough force to punch him through the ground into the ocean below. There, Jorgmungand — the Midgard Serpent — swims up and tries to swallow the thunder god whole. Thor almost gives in to this fate until he thinks of all the people he’d be letting down if he did. Remembering he has allies he can call on for help, Thor calls out the name of the Avengers, before stamping Mjolnir on the ground and teleporting away.

The thunder god appears in New York City, at the scene of an apartment fire. Captain America and Iron Man are on the scene helping fire crews with the evacuation. When Thor appears with the severed head of Jormungand, the surrounding water puts out the flames.[12] The thunder god weakly gets to his feed and weakly criews “Avengers Assemble!”

Recurring Characters

Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Sif, Balder, Enchantress, Loki, Surtur, Ulik, Fenris, Hyrm, Jormungand, Valkyries (Valkyrie, Valtratuta, Hildegarde, Grimgerta, Hecara, Leita, Ortlinda, Rossveissa, Sygnet, Krista) (in flashback) Odin, Vili, Ve, Borkk, Buri, Etri

Continuity Notes

Odin slaying Ymir with his brothers Vili and Ve was first told in Journey into Mystery #97. However, this series of events was actually part of a previous Ragnarok cycle. As revealed in Thor #294 and explained in more detail in Thor (vol. 2) #84, Asgard has gone through cycles of death and rebirth, with the Asgardians reliving their lives more-or-less the same each time. Events tend to vary depending on which cycle we’re talking about. These cycles of death and rebirth were created to give power to They Who Sit Above in Shadow.
The tale of Mjolnir’s creation was originally told in Thor Annual #11. Again, the stories of its creation vary depending on which Ragnarok cycle you’re talking about.
What caused the extinction of the dinosaurs in the Marvel Universe has many conflicting accounts. Generally speaking, the real-world theory that they were wiped out by a meteor strike is the most widely accepted explanation. Other explanations include:
- That Gaea decided the dinosaurs were an evolutionary dead end and they were wiped out during a battle between her son Atum and Set, as per Iron Man Annual #10.
- The parasitic entity known as That Which Endures has also claimed ownership for wiping out the dinosaurs via natural selection, as told in Avengers West Coast #48.
- Avengers (vol. 8) #26 claims that the meteor was intentionally drawn to Earth in order to crack the Superflow, creating the first White Event.
The creation of the human race has also has many conflicting origins. Generally speaking, in the Marvel Universe, the theory of evolution is the most widely accepted explanation for humanity. That said, there are other conflicting ideas that are unique to the fiction:
- According to Norse mythology, the first humans were Aske and Embula and they were born from magic. A version of this tale was originally told in Journey into Mystery #103, in a version that suggested that Thor created the first man and woman with the help of Mirmir. While Thor Annual #5 states that they emerged from the ice following the creation of the Earth from Ymir’s remains. Thor #294 went on to suggest that these were actually false memories implanted into the minds of the Asgardians by Odin at the start of the most recent Ragarnok cycle.
- Another commonly held belief was that humanity was the work of Gaea, the Earth Goddess, as per Iron Man Annual #10.
- Yet another, per Eternals #1, states that the Celestials had their hand in creating the human race through genetic experiments performed on our primate ancestors. Since both the Eternals and Deviants — created by the Celestials as well — also exist, this seems like the most factual acount.
- In Thor #215, Xorr the God-Jewel claimed to have created life on Earth. However, there is no supporting evidence to back this up.
- More recently, X-Men: Giant-Size #1 revealed that a group of beings called the Evoltuonaries played a hand in the birth of the first humans.
Thor’s birth is also another thing that has different tellings and contradicting origins, likely due to the various Ragnarok cycles. Norse mythology states that he is the son of Odin and Frigga. However, Thor Annual #11 states that his biological mother was actually Gaea. More recently, in Avengers (vol. 8) #42, the Phoenix Force claimed to be Thor’s biological mother. However, Avengers: 1,000,000 BC #1 reveals that this was a deception, although Thor was saved by the Phoenix Force and does retain a sliver of her great power.
Loki was the son of Laufey, the leader of the Frost Giants. After Odin slew Laufey, he adopted Loki to raise as his own son. Many versions of this story also exist. The first was told in Journey into Mystery #112.
Once again, there are multiple tellings of the day that Thor became worthy to lift Mjolnir, but the first was told in Journey into Mystery #102.
Odin perished fighting Surtur in Thor (vol. 2) #40. He will remain among the deceased in Thor #618.
Surtur also died in Thor (vol. 2) #40, but as you can see here, it didn’t take.
Naglfar is a ship that was constructed out of the finger and toe nails of the tortured dead that reside in Hel, as explained in Thor #362.
Following this Ragnarok cycle, the Enchantress is cast down to Earth and hidden in a mortal guise along with everyone else in Asgard. She will be restored to normal in Thor (vol. 3) #5.
Jormungand won’t be dead for long either, as the creature will be resurrected in Loki: Agent of Asgard #14.