Synopsis
Thanos and his ally Mangog have taken the Designate and left her world and all its inhabitants dead. Thor has arrived too late with Firelord and a Rigellian Recorder, and Mangog left without Recorder's tracker so they don't know how to follow them. And with the Designate Thanos will be able to destroy all life in the universe (including Asgard, which is what Mangog wants).
Recorder predicts that Thanos will use a centrally-located lifeless planet as his base for the final step of his plan, but there are too many to search. However Firelord uses his Power Cosmic to scan for the signature of the Illumination Stone (which the villain used to identify the Designate), and he succeeds. So Thor whirls Mjolnir to open a portal to take them there.
Thanos, Mangog and the Designate are on the Titan's spaceship with Tarakis, Odin's treacherous vizier. But Tarene is refusing to help the villains destroy all life by weeping into the Chalice Of Ruins. Thanos threatens to make her comply.
In the land of the Trolls the seer Orikal shows Odin what is happening. He already displayed a vision of this future which ended with Thanos' success. Odin wishes he could join the fight but he is weakened by Tarakis' poisons and his earlier torture by the Dark Gods. His only hope now is Balder, who arrives on horseback with the mutated Dark Elf Jagrfelm - who we learn now is a weapon-maker. Last issue Balder promised him that Odin would grant any wish in exchange for his skill. Jagrfelm now asks Odin to prove it by using his power/magic to make him master of the big box he carries in a sack. The Lord Of Asgard complies without asking what's in the sack, and the Dark Elf goes away to begin blacksmithing.
Thanos & co have landed on a lifeless icy world. Tarene escapes from Tarakis' grip but Mangog grabs her in a giant claw. But then Thor's hammer makes him let go. Firelord blasts Thanos but the Mad Titan isn't worried about either of them. Then Tarakis drops his Asgardian guise and is revealed as a flying dark alien creature who emits the usual eyeblasts, so Firelord takes *him* on. Thor vs Mangog and Firelord vs Tarakis continue for a while leaving Thanos free to do whatever he wants! Then Thor's hammer blasts Mangog out of the picture, and Tarakis blasts Thor as he protects Tarene. Then FL blasts Tarakis who retaliates by entombing him in ice. Recorder has of course been recording it all until irritated Thanos blasts him to bits.
Back in the Troll domain Orikal points out to Odin that events are transpiring as they did in his predictive vision (#22 supposedly a fortnight ago).
Thor blasts Thanos with Mjolnir to no effect. He proposes to use his hammer to send the Designate to safety but returning Mangog lands on him and starts pummeling him mercilessly. The Thunder God is beaten senseless and hung up by his cloak on an ice projection. And Thanos prepares to complete his plan.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Jagrfelm, Orikal, Recorder from Rigel.