On Roxxon Island, Dario Agger relates his origin to Malekith: his wealthy father owned an island in the Aegean; his family was slaughtered by pirates, young Dario the only one to escape. He hid in a cave and prayed for deliverance—and so when he was discovered he was transformed into the Minotaur for the first time. And, as he now shows his Dark Elf visitor, the pirates were kept alive as bodiless heads on life support for Agger’s enjoyment. The two allies enter into negotiations: Malekith wants the Frost Giant King’s skull; in return, Agger wants the oil underneath Svartalfheim….
At the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge, Thor asks Heimdall who the new Thor is; the guardian of the bridge does not know and the Thunder God mourns his lost worthiness. Heimdall tries to awaken him to his responsibilities by telling him of the evil portents he sees around the Nine Worlds including Malekith, trolls, a serpent in heaven, a queen of fire, and a king in Hel. With a sight, Thor travels to Texas…
…where he ponders the new Thor’s identity while he battles the trolls that helped destroy Broxton…
…then he heads to the moon to try to puzzle out who could have visited the moon to find Mjolnir. Volstagg interrupts him there with news of someone he cares for….
Thor returns to Asgard and heads to the Hall of Medicine where Jane Foster lies. She is struggling with breast cancer and has forbidden the healers to use any magic to slow the disease’s spread. She is very optimistic and she and Thor share a tender moment before she is taken back to her room. Thor crosses her name off the list of suspects for the new Thor….
Thor then goes looking for the next suspect, SHIELD Agent Roz Solomon; he visits the Helicarrier where Agent Coulson nervously tells the irritable god that SHIELD does not know the new Thor’s identity either. He tries to contact the absent Roz (she’s on leave after the events on Roxxon Island that ended THOR GOD OF THUNDER) but there is no answer….
In Asgard, Freyja confronts Odin over putting his brother Cul in charge of the deadliest weapon known to the gods…. Meanwhile, Malekith and Dario Agger have concluded their deal for the mineral rights to Svartaflheim when an alarm rings. Agger dispatches security and they discover the new Thor on the roof. Bullets bounce off her as she calls on Agger and Malekith to come out. There is a sudden heavy crash; Thor looks up to see…the Destroyer….