Thor (1966 series) #472

Thor has a nightmare of Ragnarok and his final battle against the Midgard Serpent and he awakens with a cry. His friends have gathered around his bedside, concerned about his recent bout of madness; Thor assures them that the malady has passed. Odin asks whether he is ready to take up his burden as Odin’s Heir, sitting beside him on the throne of Asgard. Thor says him nay, as the issues that drove him mad have not been resolved: Odin’s oppressive hand and manipulation of his son, with Don Blake and Jane Foster being just two examples. Odin tells Thor he is needed to fight in the coming Ragnarok and Thor interprets this to mean Odin’s only concern is winning the battle, not concerned with Thor himself. Thor vehemently rejects his duty and invites first the Warriors Three then Sif to join him on Midgard but they all decline. Odin orders the Warriors to seize Thor; this does not go well and the orders Balder in, then Beta Ray Bill. Sif is afraid of what she would do if the All-Father should command her to fight her beloved Thor. But Thor defeats them all and departs for Earth; he is concerned that Heimdall will try to stop him at the Rainbow Bridge but the guardian secretly sympathizes with him and waves him on….

In New York City, Thor stands on a rooftop regretting his rash decision as he has never fit in on Earth, pondering rejoining the Avengers, teaming up with Hercules, or adopting a new secret identity. Down below, the populace sees him and envies him as (they assume) he doesn’t have a care in the world. Thor flies over a depressed area of the city and hears the sound of battle. Investigating, he sees a trio of superpowered humans fight animallike people. A golden woman (Blitziana) fighting a bear-man, a dark-skinned man (Luminor) in combat with a lion-man, and a fiery-haired man (Loga) battling an elephant-man. The Thunder God steps in to help the humans when they appear to be having trouble and the High Evolutionary arrives to complain that Thor has interfered in his program of natural selection and he must pay the price….