On his way to the planet Rigel to release the Earth from the Colonizers’ Space Lock, Thor’s presence is discovered and a Rigelian force is sent against him. Thor quickly defeats them, despite their advanced technology, and assumes command of their ship. Meanwhile, Rigelian Colonizer Tana Nile has remained on Earth to be installed as Empress. She walks down the street without any disguise, and commands a police officer to take her to the U.N. The police officer, of course, thinks she is crazy and begins driving her to the precinct.
As Thor nears Rigel, another force is sent to stop him in his tracks: a powerful Rigelian robot known as an Indestructible. Thor struggles to defeat the Indestructible; even spinning Mjolnir fast enough to create a super-heated "atomic storm" did not stop it. Finally, though, Thor forces the Indestructible’s powerful arm backwards, causing it fire its own deadly upon itself.
On Rigel, the Grand Commissioner laments the new threat of Thor being added to the ongoing growing threat of the Black Galaxy. Thor finally arrives on Rigel, and a brief skirmish follows. Afterwards, the Grand Commissioner greets him and explains that Earth is in more danger from the Black Galaxy than it is from the Colonizers of Rigel, and that he will release the insignificant Earth from the Space Lock if Thor comes to their aid against the Black Galaxy. Back on Earth, Jane Foster has continued to journey further and further from New York City, though she is still unaware what has compelled her.
Thor agrees to investigate the Black Galaxy for the Grand Commissioner, so he and a humanoid robot, a Recorder, set off. As they enter the galaxy they learn that it is not a normal galaxy, but a living bio-verse. Once inside the Black Galaxy, Thor and the Recorder meet Ego, the Living Planet, who announces: "I have been waiting for you!"