The dead and weakened Thor rides a wooden ark with two other deceased deities into the maw of the massive Demogorge; he recalls fighting the monster with other gods but his memory of how he came to his present pass grows dim….
In Broxton, young Loki speaks to Dr. Don Blake about Thor; Loki is the only one who vaguely remembers him, not Tanarus, as the God of Thunder. When Don knows only of Tanarus too, a frustrated Loki snatches up Don’s walking stick and dashes out, startling Jane Foster….
In Asgardia, the All-Mother proclaims the first Congress of Worlds with representatives of the Nine Worlds there to lay the foundations of a new republic. The Frost Giants see this as merely another scheme of domination by the Norse gods and revolt. The All-Mother unleash their fury and destroy the rebels….
On Earth, Tanarus joins with the Avengers to battle Terminus and once the alien menace is defeated, Captain America and Iron Man express concern that the Thunder God may be a bit stressed from the recent events in Asgard (Fear Itself, etc.). Tanarus assures them he is fine and departs for home…
…which turns out to be the realm of the Trolls, where he reports to his King Geirrodur since he is really Ulik, disguised by the magic of Karnilla the Norn Queen as part of a scheme for him to assassinate the All-Mother. In the wilderness outside Asgardia, the bereaved Kelda, searching for her lost Bill, comes upon her Weird Sister who is actually Karnilla in disguise, participating in the council with Geirrodur by remote magic. Caught, Karnilla hastily concocts a cover story that she is searching for Bill’s lost spirit….
In the desert, Loki comes across the Silver Surfer in human form allowing vultures to feed on his intestines to experience the chain of life and death. On questioning, Loki discovers that even the great Silver Surfer remembers only Tanarus as God of Thunder. The Surfer detects an odd power within Don Blake’s staff which Loki still carries. He snatches it away and dashes it to the ground—and it is transformed into a hammer….
In space, Thor suddenly recovers some of his strength and memory and determines he will not die this day….