Praise these heroes! Bill, who has become the second son I never had! And Thor, who is now and forever, indivisibly, the first son of Odin, the god of thunder and heir to the throne of Asgard! 
- —Odin
Appearing in "Though Hel Should Bar the Way!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Toothgnasher
- Toothgrinder
- Hanson[1]
- Korbinites (flashback)
Locations:
- Asgard
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America
- New York
- New York City
- Central Park
- Lorelei's Penthouse (First appearance)
- New York City
- New York
- United States of America
- North America
Items:
Vehicles:
- Skuttlebutt
- Astraglia[2]
Synopsis for "Though Hel Should Bar the Way!"
Thor, Beta Ray Bill, and Sif finally catch up to the last ship of Bill's fleet, only to find it destroyed by the demons. They slay the demons on that one ship, and Sif leaps out. She will stay and try to defend the rest of the ships while Thor and Bill fly on to destroy the source of the demons. They finally reach the galactic core and discover not stars but a portal, out of which flows countless demons. On the other side of the portal, the giant is continuing it's forging, while, on Earth, creatures begin to awaken. Meanwhile, Sif is about to be overrun by demons when massive blasts destroy the immediate horde. Sif turns to find a warship, which she surmises is Skuttlebutt. Skuttlebutt confirms this and they team together to try and lead the demons from the fleet. Back in Asgard, Volstagg continues telling Agnar of Balder's journey through Niffleheim. Seeing Nidhogg consuming the dead, and meeting the warriors that he himself sent there, changing him forever. Volstagg goes on to tell him that both he and Thor are warriors, and might understand and forgive Agnar if he were to bring harm to Balder. After finally letting him up, Agnar turns and sees Hogun standing there. Volstagg tells him that Hogun would never forget, or forgive. Back in space, at the portal, Thor has a plan. With him on one side and Bill on the other, they both throw their respective hammers to collide within the portal, destroying it. Back aboard Skuttlebutt, the ship is about to self-destruct, taking the demons with them, when they simply vanish. As Sif and Skuttlebutt wait for Thor and Bill's return, Sif asks to know all about Bill. Back on Earth, Lorelei asks Loki what he is getting out of their game, to which Loki replies that it will amuse him. Bill, Sif, Thor, and Skuttlebutt return to Asgard with the victory and are greeted with cheers. Bill and Thor clean up and change, and discuss Bill's melancholy. Bill tells Thor that though he knows he must return to his people, he is loathed to leave Asgard. He has found companionship here, and even the touch of a woman's hand while his own people can barely look at him. Elsewhere, Odin has called for Sif and wants to discuss Bill. Sif tells Odin that Skuttlebutt revealed the entire truth to her. Even though his story was true, it was not complete. How he won over thousands of others in grueling tests of power and endurance. Then came the psychological tests that left most of them dead or insane. Then the surgical alterations, including excruciating pain, out of which only Bill survived. And the change is irreversible, with his own people unable to even look at him. At the feast, Odin honors both heroes with a gift. They both raise their hammers and Odin unleashes vast energy into them both. Bill states that he feels no different, but Odin states he had an old enchantment that has outlived its usefulness. He strikes Stormbreaker on the ground, and Bill is transformed into his original, unaltered self, before the test and surgeries. The next morning, after the celebrations have died down, Sif decides she will go with Bill on his quest, to help regain her senses, and Odin transports them both aboard Skuttlebutt. Back on Earth, the tanker Astraglia is broken in two by a gigantic clawed hand rising from the sea. The gigantic dragon roars to the heavens above, to Odin, that he has returned and Thor's life is forfeited.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
- Thor's enchantment allowing him to become Donald Blake is transferred to Beta Ray Bill, allowing him to transform into the form he had before becoming his people's protector.
See Also
Links and References
References