Thor (vol. 3) #1
Brakka-Dooooom!
Thor, the god of thunder, has slumbered for some time. As he slept, he dreamed of times past. Reliving his life as a hero, and his time as a mortal as doctor Donald Blake. He remembers the final wars of Ragnarok, then — peace and nothing for a time.[1]
That was until one day when Mjolnir fell from the sky and crash landed in the middle of a field in America. People came from miles around to try and lift the enchanted hammer. However, one man who did try to lift the hammer succeeded, and the night sky was lit by a massive bolt of lightning.[2]
Thor suddenly wakes up and finds himself in some strange void. He calls out, demanding to know who has awoken him. He is then visited by his former mortal half, Donald Blake, something that should be impossible since the spell that made Blake ceased to exist.[3] Blake explains that after the death of the gods, he suddenly came back into existence. He has now come looking for Thor because man has a need for gods again, and Thor’s time is not yet over.
Thor asks what happens if he chooses not to return. Blake tells him that he will remain in the void, but shows him a glimpse of the future. A world without the thunder god will lead to the destruction of all life on Earth.[3] While he has always held Midgard close to his heart, Thor cannot consider bringing himself and his people back from the final death the all earned after breaking the endless Rangarok cycle they were all forced to live.[2] Blake explains that coming back won’t renew the endless cycle, it has been broken for good and now the Asgardians can live their own lives. In fact, Blake is certain that the gods still live, Thor need only find them and that when Thor returns, so will Asgard.
That’s when Thor becomes aware of whispers in the darkness around them. Don explains that there are creatures that live here in unexistence that would rather Thor remain asleep and not return. The creatures then come out of the darkness and begin attacking him. Thor tries to fight back but he is swarmed by sheer numbers. Out of the corner of his eye he spots Mjolnir laying on the ground and reaches out for the enchanted weapon. When his hand touches the handle, there is a flash of lightning which knocks th monsters away. When Thor stands, he is wearing a brand new suit of armor. Announcing himself, Thor finally wishes to live again and everything goes dark again.
When he opens his eyes next, his Donald Blake again and standing on the side of a highway somewhere in the state of Oklahoma. Finding a stick on the ground, Blake takes it to help walk on his bad leg. He walks for miles to the nearest town, a sleeply little place called Broxton. He stops at the local motel to get a room for the indefinite future. He is checked in by the owner, Beth Sooner, who learns that Blake is a doctor from New York City. When she asks to see some identification, Blake pulls out a blank card from his wallet and it changes into a valid New York State drivers license when he hands it over to her. Sooner tells Don that they need a doctor in the area and he could get some work in town. Blake thanks her, takes the key and heads up. She warns him that the weather calls for thunder storms, and Blake is inclined to agree with her. Once he is alone in his room, Don Blake sits on his bed and raps his walking stick on the ground. Outside, a bolt of lightning slices across the evening sky setting off a booming roll of thunder in the process.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Don Blake, Beth Sooner
Continuity Notes
Thor recounts the last Ragnarok cycle, which ran to completion in Thor (vol. 2) #80-85.
We first saw these events occur in Fantastic Four #536-537.
The enchantment that allowed Thor to change into Don Blake by tapping Mjolnir on the ground began in Journey into Mystery #83. However, that enchantment was later transferred from Mjolnir to Stormbreaker, the hammer of Beta Ray Bill in Thor #339. This was done so Bill could use the enchantment to change into his former self prior to his transformation into a cyborg.
The Asgardians have been living a death and rebirth cycle for centuries, this concept was first explored in Thor #293-300. In Thor (vol. 2) #80-85, we learned that this was in order to feed They Who Sit Above in Darkness, powerful beings that were manipulating the Asgardians behind the scenes. Thor severed that connection in issue #85 of that series.
