Thor faces Loki, strengthened with Asgardian power to be
Thor’s equal, and the life of Kevin Masterson is at stake. Loki demands
Mjolnir; Thor sends it into another dimension to keep it away from Loki, and
then attacks. Loki punches Thor across the room—and he then recalls Mjolnir and
goes to break open Kevin’s bubble prison. But Loki is ahead of him, casting a
spell that keep Thor away from it. So Thor tosses Mjolnir to Loki and it pulls
him down through the floor, allowing Thor to free the boy and take off, his
hammer returning immediately. Then Loki burst through the floor, a giant vision
of his head preventing Thor’s escape….
Code: Blue arrives on the scene as Thor and Kevin run
through the mazelike structure of the building. Detecting the police intruders,
Loki animates the buildings statues to fight them. Thor begs Loki not to violate
Odin’s Law by killing another immortal (Thor) but Loki doesn’t care and the
battle is on again….
In Asgard, Odin has entered the Odin-Sleep with Heimdall
left in charge of the Realm….
In the Underworld, Mephisto sees that the Soul Shroud made
for Thor is complete….
Code: Blue makes it past the statues to the elevators and the
team heads up. Outside, Amora the Enchantress watches, fearing being implicated
in Loki’s crimes. She sends a hypnotic summons to Susan Austin, the only one
who can connect her to the villain, to have her come to the scene. Susan heads
over, followed by Jackie Lukus and Marcy Masterson….
As the immortal brothers battle, Code: Blue reaches the
floor and carries Kevin to safety. Once Thor knows the boy is safe, he lets
loose on Loki. The God of Evil blames Thor for all of his wicked deeds; the
Thunder God claims that all of his crimes are on Loki’s head. Marcus Stone
returns to the fight to help Thor. Loki pummels Thor first with severe cold and
then heat, Thor calls down rain upon them and punches Loki out, getting his
hands around his enemy’s throat and squeezing…but he can’t bring himself to
kill his wicked brother. Outside, Kevin is reunited with his mother and Loki,
from up high, sends a bolt down at the boy; prompted by Amora, Susan pushes
Marcy and Kevin out of the way and is struck down herself. Loki surrenders but
Thor summons the power of Mjolnir to drain Loki’s immortality, killing him. In
Asgard, Odin is woken out of his sleep by the knowledge that his son is dead…and
Thor must pay the price. Heimdall intercedes for Thor but it’s no use. Marcus
Stone also recognizes that Thor had no right to kill his brother but Thor flies
to a rooftop where the glowing visage of Heimdall pronounces his doom: Thor is
banished for all eternity. Eric Masterson finds himself alone on the rooftop as
Mephisto laughs in the Underworld. But Eric brings down his walking stick in
frustration—and is transformed into the new Thor….
“The Stone Men from Saturn!”
Reprinted from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #83.