How 'Thor' #2 Aligns Galactus and the God of Thunder

Warning! This article contains spoilers for today's THOR #2, so read on at your own risk, oh frantic ones!

Not even the gods can stop the Black Winter’s universal assault.

The first issue of the Thunder God’s latest ongoing series established the threat of the Black Winter, the enigmatic threat that destroyed the previous iteration of the Marvel Universe. In this week’s THOR #2, writer Donny Cates and artist Nic Klein kicked things off with a look at a very distinguished world as it faced the arrival of the Black Winter...

This world had Super Heroes of its own, each of whom was clearly inspired by archetypes that have withstood the passage of time. “A sun god, a god of emerald light, a god of dark, a god of the ocean, of speed, [and] of strength.” That’s six heroes, for those of you keeping count at home. So it’s not quite the group that Hawkeye once lovingly called "a bunch of Squadron Supreme wannabes." And yet for all of their power, these god-like heroes were helpless against the Black Winter. We don’t see whether the Black Winter has a personality of its own, but its hand grasps their entire reality and simply crushes it. Against that kind of power, even the All-Father of Asgard has reason to fear.

However, Thor isn’t simply the All-Father anymore. As seen in the landmark THOR #1, the God of Thunder is now Galactus’ new herald. But we can lay aside any fears that Thor is no longer in his right mind. Unlike Galactus’ previous heralds, Thor doesn’t feel any loyalty to his new “master.” That may be due in part to Galactus’ weakened state. Big G simply hasn’t been himself since his encounter with the Black Winter. And we haven’t forgotten why Galactus claimed Thor as a herald. The Black Winter appeared to Galactus as the instrument of his demise: Thor.

Surprisingly, Thor’s undoing came not at the hands of Galactus, but from the inhabitants of the planet Clypse. Thor strove to prevent Galactus from feeding on Clypse in order to spare its people. But the people believed that Thor was part of that threat and retaliated. Like the great kings of old, Thor hastily arranged a compromise. He gave the Clypse people sanctuary on Asgard while allowing Galactus to feed once the evacuation was complete.

Clypse is one of five planets that the Silver Surfer hid from Galactus’ sight eons ago. But once he consumes those worlds, Galactus will have the power to face the Black Winter. Simply consuming Clypse was enough to upgrade Galactus and restore his lost limbs, though it may have also caused a long term problem for Asgard. Thor promised to send the refugees back to Clypse someday. With the planet’s destruction, Thor can’t keep that promise. That has all of the makings of a crisis to come, assuming that Thor can survive the ordeal ahead...

Before resuming their battle, Thor and Galactus were interrupted by the arrival of Beta Ray Bill, Thor’s longtime comrade-in-arms. Bill may be unaware of the Black Winter, but he’s all too familiar with the aftermath of Galactus’ planet-eating buffet. To save the universe, Thor may have to stay between his “brother” and his reluctant master.

Even if Thor and Galactus make it past Beta Ray Bill, the Black Winter awaits them both.

Read THOR #2 for yourself at your local comic shop now!