Thor #467: Review

Oct 1993

Ron Marz, Bruce Zick

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Story Name:

Descent

Review & Comments

Rating:

Thor #467 Review by Rob Johnson (March 18, 2023)

This issue is bannered as an Infinity Crusade tie-in but in truth it is at best an epilogue. Thor is now presumably free of Goddess' influence.

Sif has been using the Norn Stones for a while now. She got them from Karnilla, Queen of the Norns, in her backup tale in #437 to help her and Balder on their quest to find the missing Thor (while Eric Masterson was standing in for him). She finally got him back in #457, but by #460 the madness had begun.
She and Thor will be here next issue for the start of the 13-part Blood And Thunder crossover between this title, Silver Surfer, Warlock Chronicles and Warlock & Infinity Watch. That event ends with the resolution of Thor's madness. It presumably all happens within 3 days because Zeus doesn't mnake a move before then.

Instead he and Pluto will appear next in Avengers Annual #23 where the Lord Of Hades will conspire with Loki to destroy both Thor and Hercules.
Ares will hang back until Av#381-384 as part of a different conspiracy with Hera against Herc.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Thor #467 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

This issue begins with Thor seeing the Sun going nova and destroying him along with the rest of the Solar System. This happened at the end of Infinity Crusade #5, and for him personally at the end of Warlock & Infinity Watch #21 where he'd been fighting Drax The Destroyer. But IC#6 revealed that this was a mass hallucination caused by Adam Warlock inside Goddess' mind to show her followers what she really intended. Be that as it may Thor himself wakes inside a large Asgardian-style building and discovers its owner is his (imaginary) companion Valkyrie. (Note that he had already thrown off Goddess' hold over him during WIW#21.)

But we avert our gaze to Olympus where Sif has just arrived to ask Zeus to help her with Thor. Coincidently Zeus was about to leave for Asgard to demand that Thor be handed over to pay for his base unprovoked attack on his son Ares (#462). Pluto, who has lied about this, warns the Lord Of Olympus that this is some trick to thwart his righteous anger. Sif admits that Thor is suffering from what she believes to be Warrior Madness, which if Odin learns of it will earn the Thunder God eternal banishment. But she can't believe that his madness would make Thor act so dishonourably. Zeus is swayed but Pluto calls her a liar and demands trial by combat. Sif agrees.

Val welcomes Thor to her home. He looks out the window and sees a view that is certainly not Asgardian, but seems familiar. We might recognise it as the folds of a brain, presumably his, for she is but part of his own mind and madness (since #460). But then he sees a statue of his father Odin who he now hates. He believes that Odin drove him from Asgard (#460) after years of abuse - giving his power to mortals Donald Blake and Eric Masterson (and merging him with them) and also to the alien Beta Ray Bill. Val herself has shown him how Odin has been using him, and now she encourages him to take revenge by destroying Asgard. As he now destroys the statue.

Back in Olympus the Olympian Gods (including Ares with injuries still in plaster casts) are gathered to witness the combat between Pluto and Sif. While they fight mace against sword he basically admits to her that it's all his plot which he won't let her stop. He won't even let Ares' conscience get in the way. He succeeds in disarming her and is about to kill her when she uses the Norn Stones to teleport away.

Zeus declares Pluto vindicated. But Sif 'ports in and spirits Ares away to a cellar where she appeals to his warrior's honour. He admits that the conspiracy and lying does not sit well with him, but it's no small thing to betray a kinsman like his uncle Pluto. Up above Pluto is gloating but then Sif pops up supporting Ares who confesses all to father Zeus. Pluto tries to bluster his way out of it then turns on Ares. But Zeus grabs him and banishes him back to his kingdom Hades, promising to kill him if he leaves it. He praises Ares for confessing but also intends to punish *him*.

But then he tells Sif that he feels bound to tell Odin about Thor's Warrior Madness if only to keep Olympus safe. However he feels he owes her a debt for exposing Pluto and stopping him from causing a rift between Olympus and Asgard. So he agrees to give her 3 days to find a cure for Thor, which she teleports away to do.

In Valkyrie's castle Thor is now determined to totally destroy Asgard and then kill his father. Val then shows him the way out of her hall, which is down a spiral staircase to darkness.

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