Secret Invasion: Thor #2

Nov 9

Nov 9 Secret Invasion: Thor #2

Secret Invasion, Part 2

Secret Invasion continues from Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #30…

The Earth has been invaded by the Skrulls,[1] and one of their targets is the city of Asgard, located just outside of the town of Broxton, Oklahoma.[2] Leading the charge against the invaders are Beta Ray Bill (armed with Mjolnir) and Balder, but where is Thor in all of this?[3]

Thor is in his mortal form, that of Doctor Don Blake, at a storm shelter in Broxton. He is there because one of the locals, a woman named Marie, is in labor and needs assistance giving birth. Unfortunately, their situation has made it impossible to get any drugs to help her, not that it would matter as it is too late for them anyway. Marie will have to endure the pain of giving birth. The birthing process is long and labored, and the contractions eventually take a lot out of her.

As Marie stops to rest, Don and his nurse get a moment to take a break and get some coffee. She notices that Don is distracted and assumes that it is due to the storm raging outside. She assures him that they’ll be safe. That’s when he overhears some of the local volunteer firefighters discussing going out into the storm again. When he asks why they would want to do that, they tell him that they heard an explosion earlier that came from Asgard and that their new neighbors might need their assistance putting out the fires. Their bravery in the face of danger delights Don as mortals continue to show him their humanity even after all these years.[3]

Back in Asgard, the battle continues on, and the Asgardians are so pre-occupied fighting back the invaders that the fires rage out of control. That’s when the volunteer firefighters arrive with their firetruck to help. Meanwhile, the invaders unleash their most powerful Super-Skrull, one with the powers and abilities of Thundra, Titania, Volcana, and Battle Axe. When Beta Ray Bill goes to confront her he notices that the two axes in her hand were fashioned out of Storm Breaker, which the Skrulls managed to split in two. Bill is furious that they destroyed his sacred weapon. When he tries to attack the Super Skrull, she unleashes a torrent of flame that he deflects by twirling Mjolnir at great speed.

This causes fireballs to rain down on the ground below. This convinces the firefighters that they are ill equipped to help and they race back to Broxton before they get themselves killed. However, when they return to the emergency shelter, they don’t tell the locals what is going on so as not to cause a panic. Instead, they say the Asgardians are doing fine and that it appears as though the storm will be passing through pretty soon. That’s when they hear the screams of Marie, as Don is assisting her through the birthing process. As painful as it is, Blake encourages her to keep pushing because the baby is now crowning.

As Beta Ray Bill faces an onslaught from the Super-Skrulls wielding Stormbreaker, Don Blake delivers the baby. Holding her child in her hands, Marie decides to name her daughter Faith.

With the job over, Don’s nurse can tell that Blake is itching to get outside to see who he can help in Asgard, as she figured out that there is more than a storm going on outside. She tells him to be careful and sends him on his way.

By this point, the Super-Skrull has overpowered Beta Ray Bill and throws him all the way to Broxton. Balder tells his fellow warriors to stop the monster before it can reach the mortals but they are too slow. However, when the Skrull arrives where Bill landed, Don Blake tells Bill that it’s going to be ok now that he is here.

… Secret Invasion continues in Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #5.

Recurring Characters

Don Blake, Beta Ray Bill, Balder, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Skrulls

Continuity Notes

The majority of this invasion will be covered in Secret Invasion #1-8.
At the time of this story, the city of Asgard stands just outside of Broxton and has done so since Thor (vol. 3) #2.
Thor gave Mjolnir to Beta Ray Bill because his own hammer, Stormbreaker, was stolen from the Skrulls as seen last issue.

Topical References

Don Blake’s assistant says that she survived tornados in 1980, 1982, and 1990. While this was possible when this comic was first published in 2008, it will become increasingly impossible without prematurely aging the character as the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward in time. Modern readers should interpret this to mean that this woman experienced tornados 28, 25, and 18 years prior to the main story, rather than specific dates.