Thor (vol. 2) #84 — Nick Peron

May 12

May 12 Thor (vol. 2) #84

Ragnarok, Part the Fifth

Ragnarok is fast approaching and Thor has sought the wisdom of Odin in order to be ready for his final battle with Loki. Sacrificing his eyes, Thor learns that Ragnarok isn’t absolute, but the end of a cycle and that he and the other gods will be reborn following the end.[1] With the Odinpower — having taken the form of a child — as his guide, Thor is given new sight from Odin’s ravens, Munin and Hugin. However, this connection also makes him see all and know all, sensing the immense loss Odin felt that they were all going to die.[2] However, the Odinpower says that Thor needs yet more knowledge to overcome the challenges ahead he must find the runes of power as they will give him the ability to witness the past, present and future. However, Thor is warned that if he fails, he will die forevermore. To this end, he must do as Odin did in the past and hang himself from one Yggdrasl’s branches.[3]

This gives Thor access to the runes and they lift the veil beyond the knowledge of the gods and for a moment he knows the secrets to everything and what he needs to do for for Asgard to be reborn. What he learns horrifies him so much that he refuses to do it and pulls him free from the chain noose around his neck. With Thor’s rejection, the Odinpower tells him that the only recourse is permanent death. Thor suddenly finds himself in Hel, which has frozen over. Emaciated and weak, Thor can barely move. Hela appears before him and before she can claim his soul, Thor calls out for his father and draws a rune in the snow. That’s when the spirit of Odin appears and picks up his son and denies Hela his soul.[4]

Thor suddenly wakes up in a dark void where a council of five gigantic beings loom over him. Thor knows that these beings are known as “They Who Sit Above in Shadow”, and he knows that they feed off the energies released in each Ragnarok cycle. He knows that his people are enslaved and he now believes that his father had found a way to free his people from their manipulations. He believes that his time living as a mortal was a means of hiding Thor from their gaze, giving him the opportunity to save his people.[5] With that, Thor wishes them farewell and teleports away.

He finds himself back at Hildstalf, and discovers that Loki had been here and ate his goats Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder. Worse, Loki broke their bones to ensure they don’t regenerate.[6] Thor tells the embodiment of the Odinpower that he feels refreshed and is ready to do what needs to be done.

Thor teleports to Valhalla, which has been rebuilt in Loki’s image. There he is attacked by Mangog. Back in tune with the Odinpower, Thor is able to channel it to weaken and dissipate Mangog, ending his threat.[7] He then orders Loki to come out and confront him. Loki decides to oblige his brother and is shocked when he discovers that Thor has learned the secret of the runes. Thor tells his brother that he knows all his innermost secrets, how he hated Odin for killing his biological father and transferred that hate to Thor when he inhrited Mojlnir.[8] Loki explains his motivations was to rule over Asgard and rebuild it in his image and orders his troops to attack.[9] Thor then unleashes a powerful blast off energy that not only kills the enemy soldiers, but decimates the area around them.

Thor tells his astonished step-brother that before he ends everything, Loki will have to be punished for all the lives he has taken. Thor uses the runes to decapitate Loki, but keep his head alive so he can bare witness to what happens next. The Odinpower is surprised that it can no longer read Thor’s thoughts and finds itself excited for what comes next. Thor tells Loki that not only will they be together to see Ragnarok bring about the twilight of the gods, this time, Thor will be the one to end it all and break the cycle.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Loki, Mangog, Hela, Those Who Sit Above in Shadow, Hugin, Munin, the spirit of Odin, (corpses) Toothgnasher, Toothgrinder

Continuity Notes

Thor learned this truth last issue.
We are given a glimpse of those who have died:
- Skurg the Executioner: Is the only person seen here to have died prior to the current Ragnarok cycle. He sacrificed his life in Hel back in Thor #360-362. He will remain among the deceased until Asgardians of the Galaxy #1.
- Valkyrie was killed by Davos the Destroyer in Thor (vol. 2) #82. She will be resurrected in Valkyrie (vol. 2) #1.
- Heimdall was reported dead last issue. He will be resurrected in Thor (vol. 3) #3.
- Hogun of the Warriors Three died in issue #82 as well, he’ll be brought back in Thor (vol. 3) #4.
- The Enchantress was one of the first to die in Thor (vol. 2) #80, she will be brought back in Thor (vol. 3) #5.
- Balder was killed in Thor (vol. 2) #81, he’ll be brought back in Thor (vol. 3) #5.
At the time of this story, Odin was deceased after he sacrificed his life to stop Surtur in Thor (vol. 2) #40. He will remain among the deceased until Thor #418.
Through the various Ragnarok cycles, Odin has suspended himself from Yggdrasil in one way or another. We saw this in Thor #300, when Odin crucified himself onto the tree in order to learn of the Celestials and their machinations for Earth.
Starting in Journey into Mystery #83, Thor has lived in various mortal forms, starting with Don Blake an identity he carried until Thor #337. Later, he was merged with Eric Masterson from Thor #408 through 458. Most recently, he had been using the mortal guise of Jake Olson from Thor (vol. 2) #2 through 79.
Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder don’t remain dead for long, they will be seen again in Thor God-Sized Special #1.
Although he is destroyed here, Mangog manages to reform himself and will appear again in Thunderstrike (vol. 2) #3.
Loki was the son of a Frost Giant named Laufey. After Odin killed Laufey, he adopted Loki as one of his own. This was first told in Journey into Mystery #112. Thor inherited Mjolnir in Journey into Mystery #102.
Loki states here that he resurrected Surtur. The fire demon was killed in Thor (vol. 2) #40. We saw him alive again in issue #80.