In the world of comic books, anything can happen. Frank Castle can become the Ghost Rider. Thanos can become the Punisher. Doom can obtain the powers of a Beyonder. Captain America can become an agent of Hydra. There are so many whimsical storylines that have been put together by Marvel Comics all these years that we have already lost count. One such storyline that is currently on-going is the Thor issue by the talented Jason Aaron. In this storyline, Thor obtains the power of the Phoenix Force to become the strongest being to have ever existed in the Marvel Universe. And that is all thanks to Wolverine giving up the power of the Phoenix Force. Believe it or not, this is what is going down in the pages of Marvel Comics.
SPOILER ALERT: Major Spoilers for Thor #6 by Jason Aaron. If you intend to read it and still haven’t, we urge you to look away……
In the Thor issues, the continuity takes us to the far future of the Marvel Universe. It is a universe on the brink of extinction. All the stars and galaxies, all life that ever existed and the all the energies that drove the universe have all gone cold. The Universe is literally dying. There is no afterlife. There is no heaven. This is the finale of the Marvel Universe and it is dark and gloomy.
In this timeline, only two heroes exist. Thor, who is now the King of Asgard and the possessor of the Odin Force as well as vast reservoirs of magic that far exceeds that of even Dormammu, and Wolverine, whose natural longevity and grit has been compounded a million times by the Phoenix Force., are the only two heroes who now hold the torch of life and try to protect on in a universe that is coming to its inevitable end.
And yet, there is a catch. Thor and Wolverine are not the only two people who managed to stay alive and kicking. One Villain has also managed to cheat death and grant himself eternal life. And he too is super powerful now. It is because of him that Wolverine decided to transfer his power to Thor so that the Phoenix Force does not fall into the wrong hands. And that is what has made Thor the strongest entity of power to ever exist at any point of time in the Marvel Universe. Trust us, even the Living Tribunal will ground himself when he hears this.
But first, who is this villain that is so powerful that the Old Man Phoenix had to kill himself to ensure he never got his hands on him?
It is Doctor Doom!! Doctor Doom is literally the last supervillain alive in Marvel Universe’s far-flung future. In that timeline, Thor has decided to keep the last vestiges of life alive by pushing in magic to uphold humanity’s last stand on Earth.
Thor #6 showed us the spectacular battle between King Thor and Old Man Phoenix. That battle showed just how crazy the comic books could get and the movies, no matter how amazing they look, could never compete with the comic books. Thor #6 has proved it again. The storyline is so intricately planned that we could not stop ourselves from applauding Jason Aaron and Christian Ward for coming up with such an amazing arc.
Doctor Doom exists because of Thor. When Thor breathed new life to the planet in order to bring back life to Earth, he inadvertently also bought back Doctor Doom. Doom has since managed to gather up several arcane abilities to help him transcend into Godhood.
He now has the power of the Ghost Rider, the Starbrand, Doctor Strange, Iron fist and a shit load of other magic-based superheroes to become an entity that could challenge both Thor and Wolverine to a fight. And Earth’s only two mightiest heroes have absolutely no chance of winning, even though they decide to give it their all.
Thor and Wolverine vs. Doctor Doom
In Thor #5, we see Wolverine finally coming back to his senses after Thor talks him out of trying to destroy Earth and end all life in the Universe, which Wolverine calls a “mercy killing.” Doctor Doom is a threat that King Thor needs to help of Old Man Phoenix to beat the shit out of. Doom is new to the Godhood thing so Wolverine and Thor, who have millennia of experience to boast of under their belts, start taunting him.
Wolverine by himself is a force to be reckoned with. In Thor#5, we could not see much of the Cosmic Berserker Wolverine in action. Thor #6 showed us just how crazy powerful Wolverine could get once he lets the Phoenix Force take over his mind. Doom is cornered and is just about to be defeated when Wolverine starts showing his usual cockiness. And that costs him big time.
Wolverine’s over-confidence leads him to let his guard down and Doom sees an opening. He uses the combined powers of Doctor Strange, the Star Brand and the fires of the Ghost Rider to summon the greatest magic in the Marvel universe.
The Cosmic Furnace burns Wolverine to a crisp and fans see a withering, barely alive Logan trying to make sense about what just happened. You might think Doom has won, but the fight is far from over. What Wolverine does next just might be enough to turn the tide of the battle to the good guys’ favor.
Doctor Doom is now a threat beyond imagination. King Thor and his ‘Thor Force’ along with Wolverine along with his Phoenix Force can stand a chance against him but the fight has a high chance of ending up in a cosmic stalemate. Wolverine’s body is burned down to a husk but that is not enough to kill him. The Phoenix Force is powerful enough to resurrect Wolverine back from the dead if need be. Wolverine chooses otherwise.
There is only one way that the fight could ever have a chance of seeing a victory on the good guy’s favor. That is if Wolverine hands up the power of the Phoenix to Thor. Thor, on the other hand, becomes a victim of Doom’s Penance Stare, a power derived from his possession of the Spirit of Vengeance. Thor is now of the opinion that him trying to save the Earth and be a hero all these years has only resulted in more death and destruction than ever. He begins doubting himself.
Then Wolverine swoops in, holds the Mjolnir and transfers the Phoenix Force into it. Wolverine reminds Thor that the latter trying to give the universe hope even when there was none was a noble act and he is more than worthy of the mantle of the hero. Wolverine dies only for King Thor to rise back with new strength and vigor.
Enter King Phoenix, God of Fire and Thunder
King Phoenix is an entity with a burning Uru fist cracking with lightning in his right hand and holding the Mjolnir hammer supercharged with the fires of the Phoenix Force in his left. It is a sight to behold and Thor fans could not help but wonder just how powerful their favorite superhero has become.
Doom is still powerful enough to take on this new hero. Thor decides to take the fight to a place where Doom cannot ever hurt anyone until the fight is over. A fight of this caliber might leave a lot of collateral damage. And since it will probably go on for centuries, considering the power both the guys hold now, Thor pushes Doom into the core of the Earth.
Inside the planet’s heart, King Thor and Doom fight for centuries, where each strike one trades on the other leads to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions of epic proportions. In the end, Thor comes out of the ashes of a volcano several centuries later. The Earth has transformed into a garden of life where Thor’s, as well as human descendants, co-exist in perfect harmony.
Rest assured though that Doom might be dead (or is he?) but the threat to Earth is far from being over. King Phoenix, hold on. This is just the beginning.
