Ultimate Comics: Thor
Encyclopedia
Ultimate Comics: Thor is a comic book
limited series published by Marvel Comics
that debuted in October 2010. The series was written by Jonathan Hickman
, current writer of Fantastic Four
, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Secret Warriors
, with art by Carlos Pacheco
.
In an interview, Hickman said that the series would be a prequel
to The Ultimates,
The series also features the debut of the Ultimate Baron Zemo
and portrays the events of Ragnarok
.
Eons ago, a war raged between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants. Odin's three sons, Thor, Balder, and Loki, become the greatest of the Asgardian warriors. Eventually, Mjolnir is forged and with its power, the war is brought to a swift end in favor the Asgardians. After a public tournament in which Balder is the victor, Odin takes Thor aside and privately confides in him that he is the source of Asgard's power, and when he inevitably dies during Ragnarok, Asgard will be destroyed along with him. However, he reassures Thor by telling him that his legacy will live on through Mjolnir and the Norn Stones, which are extensions of his power. Meanwhile, Loki decides to betray Asgard and steals the Norn Stones, killing Balder when he tries to interfere before fleeing Asgard.
During World War II, Baron Zemo approaches Heinrich Himmler and asks for an army to invade Asgard. While Himmler is skeptical at first, Zemo shows him that he possesses the mythical Norn Stones. Himmler immediately approves Zemo's plan. Zemo then uses the stones to summon the Frost Giants, and the combined German and Frost Giant forces attack Asgard. Zemo then reveals himself to be Loki, finally making his move on his former home. The Asgardians are taken by surprise and slaughtered, leaving only Odin and Thor left. In anger, Odin pushes Loki into the World Tree, where he is locked in the Room With No Doors. Odin himself is killed by the Frost Giants. In a rage, and with Asgard burning and crumbling around him, Thor attacks the advancing Frost Giant and German forces.
In the modern era, Thor is reincarnated as a human who was participating in the European super soldier project. Fearing that he has gone insane, Dr. Braddock enlists the help of Dr. Donald Blake, who examines Thor, and declares that Thor is telling the truth about his godly heritage. While Dr. Braddock is skeptical, he decides to continue with the project. Later, it is revealed that Dr. Blake is in fact the reincarnation of Balder. He tells Thor that the other Asgardians have also been reincarnated, and that it is only a matter of time before Odin returns to rebuild Asgard. As part of the super soldier project, Thor is given advanced equipment that mimics his godlike abilities, including flight, invulnerability, teleportation, and weather control. He then leaves to assist in various humanitarian efforts. Nick Fury attempts to recruit Thor into the Ultimates, but is rebuffed. Meanwhile, in Germany, an old German World War II veteran follows instructions given to him by Loki and uses the Norn Stones to free him from the Room With No Doors. Thor and Balder sense Loki's escape. At the same time, Bruce Banner injects himself with his flawed super soldier serum and begins rampaging through New York as the Hulk. In order to combat Loki, Thor finally decides to fulfill his role as a hero and teleports to New York to fight the Hulk, leaving events to be continued in The Ultimates.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
that debuted in October 2010. The series was written by Jonathan Hickman
Jonathan Hickman
Jonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for the Image Comics series The Nightly News and currently writes FF , and S.H.I.E.L.D for Marvel Comics.-Career:...
, current writer of Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Secret Warriors
Secret Warriors
The Secret Warriors is a Marvel series featuring Nick Fury and Team White, a fictional team of superpowered agents in the . Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, the characters were introduced in Mighty Avengers #13, and debuted as a team in Secret Invasion #3, both published in...
, with art by Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco is a Spanish comic book artist and penciller. Pacheco was born in San Roque, Cádiz. He is best known in the United States for his work on titles such as Avengers Forever, X-Men and Green Lantern...
.
In an interview, Hickman said that the series would be a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to The Ultimates,
"It starts eons ago, in the long ago time of mystic Asgard, and, yes, takes us up to the start of [the first issue of] ULTIMATES. If I do my job well, it should jive with all the Ultimate Thor things we've seen up to this point."
The series also features the debut of the Ultimate Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo is the name of two fictional characters, both supervillains, in various Marvel Comics comic books, notably Captain America and the Avengers...
and portrays the events of Ragnarok
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
.
Plot
The series takes place over three different time periods: the ancient era eons ago when the Asgardians warred with the Frost Giants, the 1940s during World War II, and modern times shortly before the events of The Ultimates.Eons ago, a war raged between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants. Odin's three sons, Thor, Balder, and Loki, become the greatest of the Asgardian warriors. Eventually, Mjolnir is forged and with its power, the war is brought to a swift end in favor the Asgardians. After a public tournament in which Balder is the victor, Odin takes Thor aside and privately confides in him that he is the source of Asgard's power, and when he inevitably dies during Ragnarok, Asgard will be destroyed along with him. However, he reassures Thor by telling him that his legacy will live on through Mjolnir and the Norn Stones, which are extensions of his power. Meanwhile, Loki decides to betray Asgard and steals the Norn Stones, killing Balder when he tries to interfere before fleeing Asgard.
During World War II, Baron Zemo approaches Heinrich Himmler and asks for an army to invade Asgard. While Himmler is skeptical at first, Zemo shows him that he possesses the mythical Norn Stones. Himmler immediately approves Zemo's plan. Zemo then uses the stones to summon the Frost Giants, and the combined German and Frost Giant forces attack Asgard. Zemo then reveals himself to be Loki, finally making his move on his former home. The Asgardians are taken by surprise and slaughtered, leaving only Odin and Thor left. In anger, Odin pushes Loki into the World Tree, where he is locked in the Room With No Doors. Odin himself is killed by the Frost Giants. In a rage, and with Asgard burning and crumbling around him, Thor attacks the advancing Frost Giant and German forces.
In the modern era, Thor is reincarnated as a human who was participating in the European super soldier project. Fearing that he has gone insane, Dr. Braddock enlists the help of Dr. Donald Blake, who examines Thor, and declares that Thor is telling the truth about his godly heritage. While Dr. Braddock is skeptical, he decides to continue with the project. Later, it is revealed that Dr. Blake is in fact the reincarnation of Balder. He tells Thor that the other Asgardians have also been reincarnated, and that it is only a matter of time before Odin returns to rebuild Asgard. As part of the super soldier project, Thor is given advanced equipment that mimics his godlike abilities, including flight, invulnerability, teleportation, and weather control. He then leaves to assist in various humanitarian efforts. Nick Fury attempts to recruit Thor into the Ultimates, but is rebuffed. Meanwhile, in Germany, an old German World War II veteran follows instructions given to him by Loki and uses the Norn Stones to free him from the Room With No Doors. Thor and Balder sense Loki's escape. At the same time, Bruce Banner injects himself with his flawed super soldier serum and begins rampaging through New York as the Hulk. In order to combat Loki, Thor finally decides to fulfill his role as a hero and teleports to New York to fight the Hulk, leaving events to be continued in The Ultimates.