Thor leaves Asgard in the cosmos-craft and begins his quest for Galactus.
On Earth, Balder is released from the hospital. The Warriors Three arrive to assist him defending Earth. They read a newspaper detailing a secret atomic blast in the Far East.
In space, Thor finds his ship taken with "a strange and mighty structure."
In a Chinese atomic plant, scientists finish their project, creating the unstoppable Thermal Man, which they plan to inflict on the West. When activated, the robot runs amok until halted with a sonic blast. Loading it into a rocket, the Chinese launch it at the USA. US planes shoot the rocket down but Thermal Man survives and awakens on US soil.
Meanwhile, Thor exists his cosmos-craft and finds himself about Galactus' ship. Beckoning Thor out onto a barren world, Galactus appears. He halts Thor's impeding attack, telling him he is weary of the chase, then unleashes a "visi-cloud" that allows him to transmit mental images of the Watcher and plague ship.
Meanwhile, the Thermal Man arrives in Manhattan and Balder and the Warriors Three set out to confront it.