Special Delivery

Outside of Broxton, Oklahoma, a man pulls up where the city of Asgard now resides. He sets up a mailbox on the side of the road so he can deliver a letter. Moments later, Thor comes down to check it and discovers that his people are being invited into town for a welcoming party.

Thor goes back up to the city and checks on Heimdall, who is using his great vision to find the human hosts carrying their missing countrymen.[1] Heimdall has not yet found the human host for Sif. What he has noticed, however, that some of the hosts he has found have been disappearing by some unseen hand. Searching the globe, Heimdall can sense a growing darkness at a location along the border of Nevada and New Mexico.

Thor flies to the scene and discovers that it is some kind of abandoned military installation. Entering the bunker, Thor is shocked to see hundreds of people locked up in four massive cages. Upon seeing the thunder god, the prisoners all panic and beg to be freed. Among those, is a raven haired woman in a wedding dress who claims that she knows Thor and asks for help.

Before Thor can free the people, he hears the sound of booming footsteps. Arming himself with Mjolnir, he tells everyone to remain calm and heads toward the sound. That’s when the source of the sound walks into the light and Thor is shocked to discover that it is the Destroyer. Thor defends himself against the enchanted armor, but wonders who is controlling it this time. Speaking to Don Blake in his mind, Thor is told that whoever is controlling the Destroyer is trying to prevent more gods from being awoken.

That’s when the Destroyer flips down its visor and begins charging its disintegration ray. Thor blocks the blast by whirling Mjolnir fast enough to deflect the blast. Thor then then charges at the menace and strikes it with enough force that send them both crashing out of the bunker. Out in the desert, the Destroyer surprises by Thor by speaking. It tells the thunder god that he is the real destroyer this time.

None of this makes sense and Thor decides that freeing the trapped Asgardians is the more important goal. Withstanding another blast from the Destroyer, Thor takes to the air and summons a magical storm to free the Asgardians from their human host bodies. Surprisingly, this affects the Destroyer as well, as his body was being piloted by an Asgardian. When goes to see who it is, he is surprised to see that it is his old friend, Balder the Brave.

Balder explains that he was a prisoner inside the Destroyer. He explains that in death he knew no peace because his death was part of the Ragnarok cycle and he felt that he let his people down. Somehow his spirit was transferred into the Destroyer, how he doesn’t know, but it forced him to capture the human hosts. Thor decides that this is a mystery for another day and heads back into the bunker to check on the human hosts. They are all free and are fleeing the scene. One of them stops long enough to tell the thunderer that all of the Asgardians left except for one. Thor confirms that the only one to remain behind was the Asgardian who was trapped inside the woman who recognized him.

Thor assumes that this is Sif, but is shocked when it turns out to be his step-brother Loki, who has somehow been turned into a woman.[2] Loki doesn’t really know why she underwent this change, but thinks it might have to do with the fact that she was a Frost Giant, not an Asgardian.[3] Loki also believes that her rebirth has also changed her and that she is no longer the trickster she used to be and pledges to be honest from now on. Thor decides to give Loki the benefit of the doubt for now, but warns her that she will only get one chance. Loki wonders out loud where the other Asgardians have gone.

Little does Thor suspect that Loki actually orchestrated everything. Having had experience with being disembodied, Loki awoke early and was already setting schemes into motion. Loki knew that Thor would be selective in awakening their people, choosing those who would not fight against him. Loki entered into a pact and orchestrated the situation with Balder to force Thor to free massive group of Asgardians. Now, the likes of Hela, the Enchantress, and various giants and monsters now roam the Earth. Loki had arranged all of this with the aid and blessing of Doctor Doom.

Meanwhile, unaware of Loki’s machinations, the Asgardians arrive at the welcome party in Broxton. Volstagg leads the group, looking forward to having some cake.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Destroyer, Loki, Heimdall, Balder, Volstagg, Doctor Doom, Hela, Enchantress, Don Blake, Beth Sooner

Continuity Notes

1. The Asgardians all died in Ragnarok in Thor (vol. 2) #80-85. Thor was restored to life in Thor (vol. 3) #1. Since then he learned his people were cast to Earth and placed in human hosts and has been slowly trying to recover them since then.

2. The reason why Loki is a woman here is because he has co-opted Sif’s body, as we’ll learn in Thor (vol. 3) #8. This will remain the status quo until Thor #602.

3. Loki is the son of Laufey, leader of the Frost Giant. After Odin killed his father in battle, Loki was adopted. See Journey into Mystery #112.