As seen at the end of the previous issue, the Silver Surfer arrives on Earth in
response to Balder’s emergency beacon. When he learns that it was a god that
summoned him, Silver Surfer declares that he will not help because he has been
tricked by Asgardians before (Silver Surfer #4, I assume). Pleading with him to
aid Thor in his battle against Durok, Balder declares that he would give his
life for Thor. This enrages Karnilla, who in her anger magically causes a
rockslide to crush Balder. The Silver Surfer makes Karnilla remove the stones
that buried Balder, only to find that he has been gravely wounded and is near
death. Karnilla is distraught, and the Silver Surfer uses the Power Cosmic to
revive Balder. The Silver Surfer decides that if Thor is noble enough to
inspire such devotion, then he is worthy of receiving help. The Silver Surfer
leaves Balder and Karnilla and sets off for Washington, D.C.
In D.C., Thor continues to struggle
against Durok. In the skirmish, Thor destroys the street below them, causing
the two to fall into the sewers. Just as Durok gains the upper hand and
seriously wounds Thor, the Silver Surfer arrives. Durok sets his sights on the
Surfer, and quickly gains the advantage. As Durok holds the Silver Surfer
underwater and tries to drown him, the Surfer strikes Durok with his board.
Using his board, the Silver Surfer keeps Durok pinned and struggling long enough
to attend to Thor. If a god can die, the Surfer states, then Thor is dead!
Meanwhile, Loki feasts in Asgard
with Sif and a bevy of trolls. He reminds Sif that Durok is sure to kill Thor, and
that Loki and Sif will be married. As he taunts Sif and reflects on his
glorious triumph, Loki realizes that Karnilla and Balder are missing. He looks
upon “the Screen Mystic” and sees that the two have gone to Earth, but quickly
returns them to Asgard with the Odin Ring. Defiantly, Balder admits that he
went to Earth to help Thor. As a punishment and a demonstration of his power,
Loki takes hold of Balder and transforms him into a hideously deformed, green,
ogre-like creature. Then, to further demonstrate the power granted to him with
the Odin Ring, Loki transforms molecules of air into a gigantic golden statue of
himself. Finally—to demonstrate his great mercy, according to Loki—he returns
Balder to his original state.
Back on Earth, the Silver Surfer
uses his power to revive Thor, just as he had done with Balder earlier. Thor
then explains that Durok is a construct created by the powerful ring that Loki
wears. The Silver Surfer suggests that he continue to fight Durok, and that
Thor take the battle to Loki. Thor agrees and sets off for Asgard, where he
meets Heimdall on Bifrost. Heimdall tells Thor that although he doesn’t want
to, he must obey Loki’s command to attack Thor on sight. The battle is short:
without harming Heimdall, Thor uses Mjolnir to whisk him over the edge of the
Rainbow Bridge. Not willing to kill his friend, Thor catches Heimdall and
returns him to safety. Heimdall then admits defeat, apologizes, and lets Thor
pass. Thor realizes that his entrance into the city of Asgard won’t be that
easy, though, as he finds that three humongous Storm Giants guard the gates of
the city.
At the same time on Earth, the
Silver Surfer continues to battle Durok. Just as he had with Thor, Durok
overpowers the Surfer. During their battle, the Silver Surfer catches Durok on
the front of his board and pushes him skyward, but Durok grabs onto the
Washington Monument as they fly past it and frees himself. When the Surfer
pursues him, Durok fires a blast from his hands that knocks the Surfer from his
board. Then, astonishingly, Durok takes hold of the Surfer’s board and shatters
it! With his strength failing him, the Silver Surfer uses the Power Cosmic to
restore his board, then takes to the sky. Below him, Washington, D.C., is in
flames as the military fruitlessly battles Durok. The Silver Surfer swoops down
from the sky and again scoops Durok up on his board, taking him skyward. This
time, the two duke it out atop the Surfer’s board while, unknown to Durok, they
begin traveling around the Earth faster than the speed of light. Tearing
through the fabric of time and space, the two arrive in a far future in which
all the cities of Earth lie in ruins. The Silver Surfer leaves Durok there,
stating that it is fitting for a creature meant only to destroy to be abandoned
in the fruits of man’s destruction. Then, the Surfer departs.
Back in modern times, Thor fights an
exhausting battle against the Storm Giants. He finally defeats them and forces
his way into the city, where he finds Sif dressed in a wedding gown. As the two
embrace, Loki arrives and declares that this will be the end of Thor. Using the
power of the Odin Ring, Loki removes Mjolnir from Thor and sends the revived
Storm Giants to fight him. As the giants surround Thor, Loki states that Thor
will become mortal in sixty-seconds and stand no chance against his enemies.
The issue ends on a cliffhanger with the three giants looming over Thor.