Thunderstrike #15
The Old Bait and Switch
Now
Thunderstrike has come to Asgard on a mission of vital importance and nothing will stand in his way. As he fights through the armies of Asgard like a demon possessed, his progress is observed from afar by Odin and the Grand Vizier. Thunderstrike is attacking a convoy that is bringing a fresh supply of the Golden Apples of Idunn to Asgard, leaving the pair puzzled.
They then send Sif to deal with the rogue mortal. At first she tries reasoning with Thunderstrike, but he refuses to surrender. As the two fight, Sif reminds Eric of their bond of friendship and this is enough to make Masterson stop long enough to explain why he has come to Asgard…[1]
Earlier
Eric Masterson was called down to Salon Steele by his ex-wife Marcy Steele. There he was surprised to see that “Leah Princess”, his new roommate who is really an alien known as Stellaris, has taken up work there.[2] Even more surprising is that Marcy still wants to pressure him into using his connections with the Avengers to convince Thunderstrike to become a pitchman for her company. Eric is reluctant to do this — since he’s secretly Thunderstrike — but Marcy reminds him how the hero trashed her apartment recently and if he does this promotion she’ll drop the lawsuit she filed against him.[3] Before Eric can give her an answer the phone rings. It’s a call from the hospital — apparently Kevin collapsed while at school. Marcy and Eric then raced to the hospital where Doctor Gary Paretsky informed them that Kevin was in a coma but they have no idea what’s wrong with the boy or how to cure him. Worse, his life signs are starting to fade and he might die as a result of this mysterious illness.
Eric then went up to the roof to get some fresh air where he suddenly an evil presence around. Quickly changing into Thunderstrike, Eric turns to face the intruder and isn’t really surprised to discover that it is the demon known as Mephisto. The devil then told Thunderstrike that he had the power to restore Kevin to full health if the hero carried out a specific task for him…
Now
Thunderstrike explains to Sif that Mephisto sent him to Asgard to steal one of the Golden Apples of Idunn and to save his son he will do whatever it takes. Sif reminds Eric that the apples are the only thing that sustain Asgardian’s immortality and taking one will condemn a god to death. Thunderstrike doesn’t care at first, but when he finally gets one of the apples he realizes that he cannot sacrifice one life for another, even his own son. Sif then orders the remaining warriors to sheath their weapons as only Odin can determine Thunderstrike’s fate from here on.
Meanwhile, in the netherworld, a demon observing events in Asgard reports to Mephisto that Thunderstrike has failed his mission. However, the devil already knew that Thunderstrike wouldn’t follow through on this plan and beings making preparations to claim his true prize.
Back in Asgard, Thunderstrike and Sif seek an audience with Odin, but the Grand Vizier tells them that the All-Father just departed on a secret quest. He then allows Eric to view his son on the Sphere Enchanted and sees that Kevin’s condition is getting worse. They witness as Susan Austin leaves Kevin’s hospital room in tears. Outside, she is comforted by Gary Paretsky unaware that they are secretly being observed by Kevin’s teacher Ed Marrero. Ed is furious that Gary has been dating Susan recently and vows that a confrontation between the two of them is fast coming.[4] Pulling himself away from the Sphere Enchanted, Thunderstrike then begins trying to figure out why Mephisto wanted a Golden Apple. That’s when he realizes that this was all part of a much grander deception to claim a very special soul. Now knowing what Mephisto’s master scheme is, Thunderstrike goes back to the sphere to call in some help.
Back on Earth, Jackie Lukas has arrived at Salon Steele. After hearing the news about Kevin she believes it is not fare as she has a strong belief that children shouldn’t have to suffer.[5] As she leaves the locker room she is greeted by Leah Princess who introduces herself and reveals that they have a mutual friend in common: Eric Masterson. Jackie is surprised to hear that “Leah” is Eric’s new roommate and that he talks about Jackie all the time.
Meanwhile, Thunderstrike returns to the roof of the hospital for his rendezvous with Mephisto. He has to go alone due to an edict from Odin that no Asgardian is allowed to set foot on Earth.[6] Just as Eric is about to offer his soul in exchange for Kevin’s life, Thor arrives on the scene and tells Thunderstrike that he will offer up his soul in his place. Thunderstrike tells the thunder god not to go through with this as he has an ace in the hole already lined up. That’s when Hela — the Asgardian goddess of death — appears before them all. She is furious that Mephisto is attempting to steal a soul that rightfully belongs to her. Mephisto tries to argue with her, but Hela won’t budge on her position. When she threatens waging war with Mephisto’s realm, the demon cowers because such a conflict would be mutually assured destruction not just for both of their realms, but all existence itself. While the two death deities argue over jurisdiction, Odin appears in Kevin’s hospital room. Believing that children are the most precious and need to be protected, Odin lays a glowing hand on Kevin before teleporting back to Asgard.
At that same moment, Mephisto’s contract with Kevin suddenly bursts into flame revealing that someone else has intervened on the mortal’s behalf. Admitting defeat, Mephisto decides to retreat but he warns Eric Masterson that he is eternal and they will meet again sooner or later. Hela thanks Masterson for summoning her and promises that when she comes for him at his moment of death she will make it as painless as possible. Thunderstrike thanks her but hopes that won’t be for a very long time. After Hela departs, Thunderstrike can’t help but notice that she kept checking him out. Thor tells him that perhaps Hela could finally discover love through Masterson. When Eric wonders if that is really possible, Thor has to tell him that he was only joking.[7]
Recurring Characters
Thunderstrike, Thor, Mephisto, Odin, Grand Vizier, Sif, Hela, Marcy Steele, Bobby Steele, Kevin Masterson, Jackie Lukas, Susan Austin, Gary Paretsky, Ed Marrero, Stellaris
Continuity Notes
When Eric Masterson was forced to become the new thunder god while Thor was exiled in Thor #432 he and Sif eventually earned a grudging respect for one another. This almost blossomed into love when the pair went into the bowels of Hell itself to recover what they thought was the soul of Thor in Thor #453-455. Ultimately, they remained friends as Thor was returned in issue #457 and she opted to renew her romance with the true god of thunder thereafter.
Stellaris took on a human identity and moved into Eric’s apartment in Thunderstrike #12.
This happened when Bobby Steele — Marcy’s new husband — went crazy from steroid abuse and locked himself in a room with Eric’s son Kevin. Eric desperately became Thunderstrike and smashed in through the wall to rescue his son, but the plan backfired on him spectacularly since nobody wanted a superhero to butt in on a domestic dispute. See Thunderstrike #8.
Susan and Gary went out on a date in Thunderstrike #13. Marrero’s statement here is all bluster but also a red herring to trick readers into thinking he’s secretly Bloodaxe. Who is Bloodaxe really? Keep reading…
This is the time that writer Tom DeFalco really tips his hand with the clues surrounding the identity of Bloodaxe. Jackie is confirmed to be Bloodaxe in Thunderstrike #22. If you thought it was anyone else after this point (like many in the letter pages did) you are an idiot.
Odin decreed that his people would refrain from being active on Earth in Thor #479. Everyone complied except Thor. This will remain the status quo for quite some time until all the people of Asgard were forced to exile themselves to Earth following the events of Thor #491. See Journey into Mystery #503-513.
This is a call back to Thunderstrike #10 when Thunderstrike made a joke and then had to explain it to Thor.
Topical References
The original twin towers of the World Trade Center are depicted as part of the New York City skyline in this story. This should be considered a topical reference as they were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 and subsequently replaced with the Freedom Tower.
The Thermal Man is Back!
With government contacts starting to dry up, Redfield Electronics has been desperately trying to stay afloat. They have put everything being Project 16, which seeks to restore the Thermal Man and sell the robot to the US government.
Company owner Jim Redfield has tasked Paul Conklin to get the robot back in working order. To impress Paul on the power the robot has, he plays back some of the on-board recordings to show it in action. It contains footage of the Thermal Man’s recent battle with Thor, wherein the robot was lost in the arctic. There it was recovered by what appeared to be Ice Giants who transported the robot to another dimension. Unfortunately, that’s where the recording cut off until it briefly turned back on again as the robot was dumped in a junk pile out in New Jersey, where Redfield Electronics recovered it.[1]
Paul Conklin thinks it is too dangerous to try and reactivate the robot now because they haven’t run enough tests. However, Redfield disagrees and orders them to boot up the Thermal Man. Once they start feeding it power, the robot takes full control and absorbs enough electricity to reactivate all its functions. Breaking free from its restraint harness, the Thermal Man then begins slaughtering the scientists on site before fleeing outside.
Paul Conklin manages to escape unharmed and races to the phone in his office to tell his wife that the Thermal Man has gotten lose. This is horrific news because Thermal Man is heading into a civilian area where the Conklin children are currently attending school. He then hangs up the phone so he can get to work trying to figure out some way to stop the rogue robot.
Shelly on the other hand knows how to handle the situation and calls Code: Blue’s leader Marcus Stone and tells him to send his team out to stop the Thermal Man. When Marcus reminds her that they need clearance from the mayor’s office before going into action, she lies and tells them that she got clearance.[2] Marcus knows she is lying but knows what’s at stake and mobilizes his team anyway. However, before the team can get rolling, Shelly arrives and insists on accompanying them on this mission since her husband and children are also in danger. It’s not long before Jim Young finds out about it anyway and he calls to voice his displeasure to Chief O’Grady. O’Grady knows that this means he’ll probably have to fire Shelly.
Soon, Code: Blue arrives at Redfield Electronics and begin deploying their high tech weapons to try and stop it. It easily shrugs off shots fired from their motorized rocket launchers. They then try their liquid nitro cannons. While this freeze the Thermal Man in place, it only lasts a few moments as the robot turns up the heat and melts the ice away. That’s when Thunderstrike arrives on the scene to lend a hand.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Captain Conklin searched for her husband among the wounded. Instead she finds Jim Redfield who insists that he is not responsible for the rampage and assures her that his lawyers will make sure he stays out of legal trouble. At that moment, Shelly doesn’t care and goes into the ruins of the Redfield Electronics building to find her missing husband.
At that same time, Thunderstrike and Code: Blue are still struggling against the Thermal Man. As the battle rages on, Shelly finds her husband Paul who had run in to get a file that will pin this disaster on his boss. Unfortunately, the battle causes a wall to collapse on Paul, killing him instantly. Shelly manages to recover the file and reading through it she is furious by what it contains.
By this time, Code: Blue has called in something they had developed for them by Stark Enterprises after the Doombot fiasco. This weapon is a monomolecular razor-wire made out of Adamantium. Putting on protective gloves, Thunderstrike and Mad Dog Rossitano each grab and end of the wire and run past the Thermal Man. The wire is so sharp it claves through the robot’s legs sending it crashing to the ground. While it is disorientated they then use the wire to decapitate the robot, ending its threat.[3] With the battle over, Thunderstrike takes off and Code: Blue has to pull Shelly Conklin off Jim Redfield. He denies the accusations that he was responsible for the Thermal Man running amok, but after examining the file Shelly got from his wife, Marcus Stone agrees with her and puts Redfield under arrest. As Shelly is dealing with the loss of her husband, Chief O’Grady arrives to inform her that she is being suspended pending an investigation into why she mobilized Code: Blue without approval from city hall.
Back in the city, Kenneth and Kevin Krask — of Krask and Krask — have just learned about the incident at Redfield Electronics. They are pleased to hear about all the damage caused as it will help them win their case against the city. As the two gloat prematurely over their legal victory they boast that nothing can stop them now. However, at that moment, in the basement of their building, a machine that has been running in secret for years suddenly shorts out. It then begins radiating energy that takes on human form as it bellows a single word “KRASK!”[4]
Recurring Characters
Code: Blue (Marcus Stone, Rigger Ruiz, Mad Dog Rossitano, Fireworks Feldstein, Mother Majowski), Thermal Man, Kronin Krask, Shelly Conklin, Paul Conklin, Jim Redfield, Jim Young, Chief O’Grady
Continuity Notes
Jim Redfield goes over the origins of the Thermal Man and details some of its more recent appearances. The robot was created by the Chinese government as a weapon to use against the United States until it was first stopped by the Thor and the Warriors Three in Thor #168-170. It was later revived and fought Thor again in Thor Annual #15, where it was lost in the Arctic. The instance where it was captured by Ice Giant is a reference to when Loki used the robot to attack Asgard in Marvel Super Heroes (vol. 2) #9.
Code: Blue has been hampered by the mayor’s office for two reasons: The team costs the city a lot of money and they are also facing a lawsuit from Krask and Krask, a firm that blames Code: Blue for damage done to their properties by a rogue Doombot. See Thunderstrike #13 for the details.
This isn’t the end of the Thermal Man. The robot will be recovered and repaired in The Order (vol. 2) #1-2.
This is the essence of Kronin Krask who previously attempted to have his mind transferred into the body of Thor so he could achieve godhood. He lost a mental battle with the thunder god in Thor #172. As explained next issue, Krasks’ mind wasn’t destroyed but contained in this machine that ended up being stored in the basement of his law firm. Per the Sliding Timescale, Krask has been imprisoned for about 6 years as of this story.
Topical References
The footage of Thermal Man’s recent battles are depicted as being recorded on to a VHS tape that is then put into a VCR for playback. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete technology.
When trying to convince Paul Conklin about the potential of reactivating the Thermal Man, Jim Redfield compares it to the moon landing, and the development of a space station. That’s when one of his security guards sarcastically compares it to the Challenger disaster. Lots of historical references here. Since they are being referenced in a historical context they would not be considered topical. These references are:
The moon landing: Referring to the Apollo 11 mission that saw the first humans to visit the surface of the moon. This took place on July 20, 1969
a space station: Redfield is likely referring to Skylab, the first space station that was launched by the United States back in May of 1973. However, this station prematurely suffered a decay in orbit and was destroyed in re-entry on July 11, 1979. Since this reference is general, a modern reader could apply this comment to a more contemporary space station such as the International Space Station which has been in orbit since 1998.
The Challenger Disaster: Is reference to the NASA space shuttle Challenger, which exploded during lift off on January 28, 1986. At the time this story was published it was the only space shuttle explosion. A second, the Columbia, exploded in a very similar set of circumstances on February 1, 2003.
In this story, Jim Young states that the lawsuit filed against the city by Krask and Krask is seeking damages in the ballpark of 12 million dollars. Adjusting for inflation this would be a cost of 24 million in 2022 money.