Comic Browser:

Thor #465

Aug 1993

Ron Marz, Bruce Zick

Story Name:

Holy Sacrifice

Synopsis

Thor #465 synopsis by Rob Johnson

Rating:

The Super-Skrull is dismayed to find that the crew of his spaceship, and he understands the whole Skrull race, have been converted to peace and love by someone called the Goddess (in Infinity Crusade #3). So he bursts into flame and flies off into space to find her.

In Goddess' cathedral on Paradise Omega, the planet she created on the far side of the Sun from Earth, her spokeswoman Moondragon finds Thor and reminds him that the Goddess has many enemies who oppose her imminent universal nirvana. They have detected 1 such dangerous foe approaching the planet and she wishes the Thunder God to go out to stop him. It's the Super-Skrull (who Thor remembers fighting in #142).

Meanwhile on Olympus Pluto continues scheming. In #462 he and Ares attacked Thor hoping to defeat him in his current madness (before Goddess persuaded him to join her cause in #463), but Thor severely injured Ares. Then in #463 Pluto told Zeus that mad Thor attacked Ares unprovoked, and Zeus swore vengeance. Now he proposes to send messenger god Hermes to Odin to demand that his son be handed over for justice. But Pluto 'fears' that mad Thor will harm Hermes, and persuades Zeus to confront the Thunder God personally.

Super-Skrull is nearing Paradise Omega when he runs face 1st into a flung hammer. Mjolnir returns to Thor's hand and is launched again, but SS uses the flexibility of Mr Fantastic to bend out of the way. And he hurls fireballs which the Asgardian uses his cloak to defend against. Then he becomes invisible to sneak up behind the God and uses the fists of Thing to bludgeon him. He declares that he is fighting to rescue his people from this imposed 'goodness', but also to regain the honour and rank that was taken from him (in his backup tale in Fantastic Four Annual #24).

Thor fights back for the Crusade but the Skrull wraps him in his flexible arms and sets him on fire. However the Thunder God just grins and blasts him with lightning from Mjolnir. SS now lies unconscious on a piece of drifting rock and Thor prepares to kill him. But Moondragon mentally intrudes to call him back for a bigger task (the defence of Paradise Omega). He objects a bit but then submits.

But before he can go his imaginary companion Valkyrie appears to him. (She's part of his madness and paranoia since #460.) He's surprised to see her because he thought Goddess killed her in #463 and that her brief app last issue was an illusion. Val assures him she is still alive and tries to get him to stay with her. He replies that he does love her but he must obey Goddess. And he flies off.

Review / Commentaries

Thor #465 Review by Rob Johnson (February 18, 2023)

This is an Infinity Crusade tie-in to IC#3.

Super-Skrull has the powers of the Fantastic Four. Originally (FF#18) they were artificially given to him and relied on power being remotely beamed to him. This lasted until at least Marvel Team-Up #62. But somewhere along the line his powers became built-in.
He was considered a hero of his people and rose in rank. But he was disgraced and demoted in Fantastic Four Annual #24 after he disobeyed an order which conflicted with his sense of honour.
He was last in Quasar #34 and will next be recruited by Thanos into Secret Defenders #12-14.

Thor and Moondragon will return to IC#3-5 where he will be sent to stop 2 Avengers quinjets that are approaching Paradise Omega. He will be drawn into a space battle against Hulk and Drax The Destroyer. He will send Hulk plummeting to the surface of the planet but will have a long fight with Drax that will be depicted in Warlock & Infinity Watch #21, and somewhat in our next issue.

Pluto and Zeus will be back next issue. But Hermes, last seen in Sensational She-Hulk #36, will disappear again until Thor (1998) #7.

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Ron Marz

Bruce Zick

Mike DeCarlo

Tom Vincent

Bruce Zick (Cover Penciler)
Mike DeCarlo (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Phil Felix.
Editor: Mike Rockwitz. Editor-in-chief: Tom DeFalco.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Moondragon
(Heather Douglas)

Pluto
(Hades)

Super-Skrull

Thor
(Odinson)

Zeus

Plus: Hermes.

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