Appearing in "3: Time Like a River"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Other Characters:
- Vikings
- The Wise Man of Lakstad (Only in flashback)
- Sigrid (First appearance)
- Magnus of the Danes (First appearance)
- Erik (First appearance)
- The Avengers
- Marines
- Stuart ⏴
- The Mayor of New York City (Death)
- Ragnar the Dreamy (First appearance)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "3: Time Like a River"
In Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a reporter, Stuart, is interviewing the Mayor of New York City by the East River, as Manhattan burns in the distance. While Stuart presses the Mayor for his opinions on the crisis, the Mayor seems unmoved by the invasion of Vikings. The Mayor remarks that the Avengers are en route to the scene, and a Marine regiment is standing by to engage, and predicts that by the next evening, everything be back to normal, as things of this nature usually are. As the report expresses disbelief in the Mayor's optimistic attitude, citing eyewitness reports on the invader's power, a spear strikes the Mayor in the head, impaling him through his brain and killing him. While the reporter attempts to hold back vomit, across the river Harald Jaekelsson hands a second spear to one of his crew, remarking that he landed his first throw.
After finding an injured Thor, Dr. Strange brings the Thunder God back to his mansion. As Thor's wounds heal, they discuss the enemy at hand, and conclude that the Vikings are in fact from the ancient past. In order to better understand their enemy, Strange opens a door to an other-worldly dimension, a place where, as Strange puts it, "time flows by like a river, and may be observed as such".
As Strange and Thor search through the rivers of time, they come across the point in time when Jaekelsson and his crew were cursed by the wise man of Lakstad. Strange recognizes that the wise man is using a runestone, and remarks that rune magic is very tricky, and not something that should be attempted by amateurs. Strange informs Thor that runestones are fed by human blood, and the blood is what fuels the spell. He points out that when the wise man was killed by Jaekelsson, his blood continued to flow into the runestone, causing the spell to be amplified many times over, which resulted in the Vikings ability to live on for a thousand years.
Strange tells Thor that the only way to defeat the curse is to find members of the wise man's bloodline. As they search through time, they find three warriors that look promising: Sigrid, a female Viking, Magnus of the Danes, a Teutonic Knight, and Erik, a Luftwaffe pilot.
Meanwhile, back in Manhattan, the Avengers have failed in their battle against Jaekelsson's forces, with Iron Man and Hawkeye both suffering major injuries. As the heroes pull back from the front lines, the United States Marine Corps prepares to advance.
Notes
- Although the first issue confirms the story takes place in 2003, Iron Man is wearing the Armor Model 4 instead of the Model 20, while Scarlet Witch is wearing a costume resembling her 1960's costume.