The Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, and
Hawkeye) are shocked to find Thor seemingly dead after his battle with the
Destroyer. They attack the armor, animated by Colonel Preston Case, Cap warning
them not to give in to anger and be defeated as Thor was. Case responds that he
was fed up with the army and is exulting in raw power for the first time in his
life, touching off a debate with Cap who is trying to break the neck of the
armor with his shield. Cap fails. Wanda tries to keep Thor alive with her magic
but Case unleashes another visor blast and Thor is hurled into the water where
he sinks…
…and then he finds himself in the presence of Hela, Goddess
of Death, who is pleased to finally have him. Thor is defiant but a stranger
approaches, an armored figure calling himself Marnot arrives, silencing the
nagging Volla the prophetess by making her mouth vanish. Marnot keeps his
purposes and intentions a secret while revealing that his job is to fix things
when the arrangement of life falls out of balance. But he is not there about
Thor; instead, it’s about a mortal named Jake Olson. And as Marnot speaks his piece
we see Demitrius Collins visiting Jake’s fiancée Hannah Fairmount to tell her
of Jake’s death in an explosion while saving a trapped woman; Hannah is
shattered. Marnot informs Thor that Jake died a hero but Thor was so intent on
defeating the Destroyer that he failed to protect an innocent caught up in his
actions, an EMT whose talents could have led him to save countless lives. Thor
is humbled. But Hela insists Thor, being dead, belongs to her. Marnot asks her
if that is certain; she checks and discovers that a spark of life remains in
Thor, therefor he can return to Midgard. Marnot tells Thor he must atone for
Jake Olson’s death; Hela objects but Marnot silences her and she knows he has
the power to punish her. For Thor to exist on Earth, so must Jake Olson, though
not the real one as even Marnot cannot restore the dead as he sends Thor back;
Marnot also bids farewell to Hela, brushing off her threats….
Back at the docks, the Destroyer exults over the defeated
Avengers, bound in metal at his feet, as he shows off his possession of Cap’s
shield, Iron Man’s arc reactor, and Wanda’s cloak. The villain spots Thor’s
hammer and tries to lift it, surprised that he cannot when Thor emerges from
the wreckage, gripping the handle. Thor bashes the Destroyer and when he
threatens to open his visor, Thor uses Mjolnir to open a porthole in time and
space, carrying him into outer space. He frees his comrades and departs,
declining to offer an explanation. He flies over the city but an unknown force
guides him down through a skylight and into a loft apartment. He lands,
striking his hammer on the floor and transforming….
Hannah arrives at Jake’s apartment, distraught over his
death, and entering…encounters Jake leaving the shower. She is shocked and Jake
does not know who she is….