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Thor #479

Oct 1994
Roy Thomas, M. C. Wyman

Thor #479 cover

Story Name:

This Mortal Coil


Synopsis

Thor #479 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4.5 stars

In Asgard, Odin has agreed to tell Thor what he wants to know: the real history of Dr. Donald Blake, his former secret identity. Many of the heroes of Asgard stand by: Sif, Balder, Beta Ray Bill, Warriors Three, Freyja, Sigyn. Thor accuses Odin of preparing another lie as the he has already admitted that the previous version was a false one; Odin bristles and the new Thor, Red Norvell, steps forward to defend his new master. Odin breaks it up and orders everyone to stop whispering comments to one another then begins his tale…

…with a visit by Volla the Prophetess who told him of a vision that, if he remained among the gods, Thor would die long before Ragnarök. So Odin devised a scheme to protect his son: the All-Father followed the guidance of his Runestaff to a small town in Minnesota USA where he found the Blake family. They were sending their lame son Donald off to medical school. Seeing Don as the perfect vessel in which to hide his heroic son, Odin told Thor he was being exiled so he could learn humility. He wiped Thor’s memory and placed his dormant spirit into Don Blake, hiding Mjolnir away until it would once again be handled by Thor. Don became a noted surgeon with Jane Foster as his nurse who secretly loved him, his divine nature hidden from all….

Then, after a momentous battle in Asgard, Mjolnir began to glow, signifying that the danger Volla saw for Thor was now past. Odin placed the mighty hammer in a cave in Norway, enchanted to resemble a stick and then, to take him away from Jane Foster whom he was falling in love with, put it into his head to visit Norway. Trapped in the cave, Don struck the huge rock with the stick and his body was frozen in time as Thor took over. He defeated the Kronans and began his historic career in Midgard. Odin hid Blake in a cavern replica of the cave in Norway deep inside Mount Wundagore, placing a suggestion in the High Evolutionary’s mind to stay away from the place. From this point on, when Thor resumed the identity of Don Blake, he would be inhabiting a shell newly created each time he struck his hammer on the ground, explaining why Don Blake slowly grew more like Thor as the years went on. But, like Don Blake, Thor fell in love with Jane Foster so Odin tried multiple plans to break them up, eventually making Jane a goddess to show how unfit she was as a companion for Thor. He then hooked Jane up with Keith Kincaid while he pushed Thor toward a romance with Sif….

Thor takes this poorly (as does Sif), feeling manipulated by the old man. Odin says it was all done to save his son’s life, though now he has lost his son. But Odin gives Thor another chance to remain in Asgard but Thor again refuses, citing his new association with the Godpack. Odin respects his choice and reminds him that Red Norvill will be his new Thor. Thor again asks Sif to accompany him to Midgard and again she declines and Thor heads alone to Earth….

Characters: Thor, Odin, Sif, Balder, Beta Ray Bill, Warriors Three, Thor (RN), Freya, Sigyn, Don Blake Construct, Jane Foster, High Evolutionary,  


 

Review / Commentaries


Thor #479 Review by (January 2, 2024)

Review: And Roy Thomas retcons Thor’s situation one more time. Apparently, Thor being forced to learn humility was no longer desired but Thor being hidden from the bad guys while thinking he was being forced to learn humility made something better. This would be revised several more times, even into Donny Cates’ run on the title in 2020-2023. So maybe it’s best to not try to figure it all out and just take it as it comes. And there’s no other point to the issue so….

Comments: Part two of two parts. Title comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, referring to the human body.




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M. C. Wyman
Mike DeCarlo
Ovi Hondru
M. C. Wyman (Cover Penciler)
Mike DeCarlo (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Phil Felix.

Characters

Listed in alphabetical order. All stories.

Balder
Balder

(Balder the Brave)
Freyja
Freyja

(Frigga)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)
Thor
Thor

(Red Norvell)
Warriors Three
Warriors Three

(Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg)
Plus: Donald Blake Construct, Sigyn.

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