Thor #361
The Quick and the Dead!
Thor is leading an army into Hel to rescue the souls of mortals that have been trapped there.[1] At the cavern enterance into the domain, they encounter Garn, the massive wolf that guards the gates. The massive wolf agrees to let Thor and his compatriots pass but warns them that he will not let them out so easily, if they ever return.
When they enter the cave, it is black as pitch but Thor is able to light the way with his enchanted hammer, Mjolnir. The army travels for nine whole days until they reach the Gjallerbru Bridge which crosses into Hel. There they meet the second guardian, the silent Modgud, who waves them pass.
When they cross over into Hela’s domain, they are shocked to discover lush green fields instead of the blazing hellscape they were expecting. Trailing behind the rest of the army is the Executioner who is visited by what appears to be the Enchantress. She tells Skurge that she was only showing interest in Heimdall to make him jealous and asks him to stay behind to be with her. The rest of Thor’s army are similarly tempted when the souls of their loved ones.
Back in Asgard, the reconstruction of the kingdom is well underway.[3] Overseeing the reconstruction efforts is Frigga, Odin’s widow, who is out on a walk with Sif. Frigga looks forward to the restored glory of Asgard as it will make her live with contentment following the seeming demise of her husband. Sif, on the other hand, is going through an emotional conflict of her own. She had returned to Asgard to be with Thor, only to be struck by him.[4] Now she wants nothing more than to leave the realm and intends to leave after the althing is over and a new ruler of Asgard is selected.
While in Hel, even Balder is not immune to this when he is visited by the soul of Nanna, his dearly departed lover.[2] Thor tries to get his warriors to come back but he too is visited by the vision of Sif, who tells Thor that she has come to take him back into her arms. However, Thor quickly finds this behavior out of character and strikes “Sif” with a tree he uproots from the ground. This breaks the spell revealing that this is not Sif, but Hela in disguise. Summoning a storm to force the death goddess back, Thor finally notices that the dead souls are leading his warriors to a nearby cliff and pushing them over the edge. When Nanna tries to do this to Balder, he gets his senses back enough to avoid being shoved over the edge. Grabbing Nanna in a headlock, she admits to wanting to kill him so they can spend eternity together in the afterlife.
With her ruse exposed, Thor challenges Hela to a battle for the souls of the mortals trapped in her domain. Hela gladly accepts this as she is confident that her deadly touch will prevent Thor from defeating her in combat. However, Thor has prepared for this and has brought metal arm bands to cover his arms and uses his cape as a crude mask to shield his face. Thor lunges into battle and as he pummels Hela with his fists, the souls of the departed begin to vanish, freeing the thunder god’s armies from their thrall.
Back in Asgard, the Warriors Three return to the home of Volstagg, where his children have been eagerly awaiting their father’s return. Volstagg has gifts for the children from his trip to New York. However, Hildy is unimpressed with the offerings until Hogun gives her a baseball cap he bought for her.[5]
Meanwhile, back in Hel, the battle begins to turn in Hela’s favor as she manages to swipe Thor’s face with sufficient force to horribly maim him. As the thunder god recoils in pain, Hela gives him her deadly touch, causing him to rapidly age. With his life slipping away, Thor quickly grabs Hela’s cape and pulls off her mask revealing that she that her face is a half decomposed mockery of life. Hela demands that Thor give back her mask, but the thunder god threatens to rip it to shreds unless she concedes the battle and returns the souls she has taken. Hela relents and restores Thor’s vitaility.
In the aftermath of the battle, Nanna approaches Thor and explains that she was being forced to do Hela’s bidding but pleads with him not to tell Balder the truth. She explains that the world of the living needs him and if he is led to believe that she has been corrupted in the afterlife, he’ll forget about her and move on with his life. Thor agrees to keep this a secret and rejoins his fellow warriors. They are all shocked by how horribly scarred Thor was in their battle, but the thunder god thinks nothing of it since he succeeded in his mission. As they depart to collect the stolen souls, Thor tosses Hela back her mask. As the thunder god departs, Hela vows to get her revenge.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Hela, Harokin, Executioner, Balder, Frigga, Sif, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Hildy, Alaric, Rolfe, Gudrun, Flosi, Garm, Modgud, Nanna, Toothgnasher, Toothgrinder
Continuity Notes
These were souls that had their bodies hijacked by dark elves during Thor #345-348.
Nanna sacrificed her life to prevent Balder from being forced into a marriage to Karnilla in Thor #306.
Asgard was severely damaged during the war against Surtur in which Odin seemingly perished. See Thor #350-353. Odin’s still alive though, as we’ll see in Thor #398-400.
While under Lorelei’s spell, Thor struck Sif in the face. See Thor #359.
Hogun bought this cap for Hildy back in Power Pack #15.
