*Cover to* ***“The Mortal Thor #8”*** (published March 18, 2026) written by Al Ewing, with art by Juann Cabal and colors by Jesus Aburtov
Cover art by Alex Ross.

Issue #8 of The Mortal Thor returns us to Asgard as Magni and his ally Blackjack O’Hare go forth on a quest in which nothing terrible or awful could possibly happen. Right? Writer Al Ewing gives Sigurd a much needed break given the previous issue as we shift gears and shine the spotlight away from the titular Mortal Thor and on the Son of Thor. Join me as I break down this tale in the golden halls of Asgard and give my thoughts afterward!

Warning: This article will contain spoilers for “The Mortal Thor #8”.

A Tragic Tale of Asgard

Amora’s schemes involve Athena of the Greek Pantheon as a weakened Zeus watches on.

After a harrowing series of events that befell Sigurd Jarlson, we depart Midgard to return to the Realm Eternal, Asgard. We’re informed that time has passed since Thor’s death and that the wound caused by his passing has closed, if not healed. The sun would shine once more on the Golden Realm. We are inside a humble hearth that evokes the Norse style of architecture as Ullr, the brother of Thor, presents an ominous weapon to Amora, the Enchantress in the form of a bow. But we’re quick to learn that the bow is no ordinary bow as Athena, Greek Goddess of War and Wisdom, is quick to point out. The bow is magically enchanted to manifest an arrow when the string is pulled and once fired, the arrow will fly for as long and as far as it needs to hit its target. Athena and Ullr impress upon the former Master of Evil that the magic has a cost, the cost being that it cannot be undone once fired and once fired, the arrow *will* kill its target. Amora seems unbothered by this given her history of various crimes and deplorable acts, but the gods who created the weapon warn her that what would be done cannot be undone and that fate may surprise even her. Confident and full of resolve, Amora steps outside of the hearth and takes aim towards the sky before letting the arrow fly.

We traverse the realms themselves, our scene taking us to Jotunheim as the son of Thor, Magni, oversees the frozen vista alongside his companion and best friend, Blackjack O’Hare. The two are joined by Mother Tjarvva, a frost giant who has invited Magni to the realm of Asgard’s most persistent foes. She explains that his father had only ever seen the frost giants as enemies to conquer or control and she hopes that he may seek an alternative where he could not. She takes Magni to the abandoned throne of Jotunheim as the corpse of Skrymir lies restless on a slab, his shattered skull slowly growing back. Had he exercised caution, he would have sat on the throne instead of Loki, who had since abandoned it. The throne itself would bolster the currently dead wizard’s power as a wizard-king is greater than simply a wizard. Magni asks what exactly is Mother Tjarvva asking of him to which she explains that it is not the strength of arms she seeks of Magni, but rather the strength of his heart.

Return to the Realm Eternal

Every Asgardian deity needs a Halfworld manager, in my humble opinion.

As Amora’s arrow cuts through the skies and travels through the realms, Blackjack balks at what he believes to be the idea of putting Magni on the throne of Jotunheim as Magni asks why she herself doesn’t take the throne. Tjarvva explains that the wisdom-keepers of Jotunheim have deliberated at length as to who best belongs on the throne…and that being is in another realm entirely…Muspelheim, realm of fire and flame and the domain of Surtur himself! Magni and Blackjack embark on a quest to aid the frost giants in pursuit of bringing peace to all the ten realms as Magni rides the legendary chariot of his father, pulled by Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher as they embark towards the hellish realm. All the while Amora’s arrow continues along its path.

Magni plunges the Sword of Solid Snow into the throne of Muspelheim.

The heat is of no concern to Magni as Blackjack complains how his weapons barely work before needing to cool down after firing a single shot, prompting the God of Strength to inform his furry friend to make every shot count. Magni commands the flying goats to halt in their tracks as he takes a leap of faith towards a massive fire beast, brandishing a “gift” from Jotunheim in the form of a crystal like sword. Dubbed the Sword of Solid Snow, the blade can increase in size to meet the users need and uses it to cleave the massive fire beast in twain without effort. We see Amora’s arrow again cross through the realms as Magni and Blackjack work in tandem to defeat fire demons which seek to impede the heroes. The fire demons retreat, confident that the invaders can’t possibly shatter the final door barring their path, made of solid phlogistone and strong enough to withstand a thousand Asgardians. But Magni is easily able to shatter it with a single blow, exposing the empty throne of Muspelheim! Without Surtur nor his daughter, the Queen of Cinders, to assume the throne it is idle and empty, making it a prime target for Magni to plunge the Sword of Solid Snow into. The Sword begins to transmogrify and in its place there now sits upon the throne…Tjarvva! Magni reveals to a stunned Blackjack that she is a shapeshifter after all and he did have a bathroom break and as such was none the wiser.

Amora’s arrow ominously crosses over into Muspelheim itself as Blackjack asks how exactly a frost giant was able to survive the trip into the domain of flame. Magni explains that the All-Power was able to sustain her until she reached the throne and having claimed it, the power of said throne was able to augment her already formidable powers, recalling how a wizard-king is greater than a wizard…and a witch-queen is colder than a witch. Tjarvva declares her first edict, which is to cool ancient tempers and heal ancient wounds. She frees Arinn, Regent of the Hearth’s Fire, a being who was unjustly imprisoned for centuries by Surtur for daring to beg compassion from the ancient fire demon. Arinn is named regent of Jotunheim for the distinct purpose of giving the land of frost giants a warm fire of hospitality whereas Muspelheim will have cool reason to prevail in the midst of flames. The politically savvy move has already been agreed to by Jotunheim and shockingly…Muspelheim also agrees (at least until Surtur or Sindr take the throne back). Magni warns the fire demons that this plan was not made in enmity.

And yet, as shocking as it is to see a tentative peace brokered between Muspelheim and Jotunheim, it is not as shocking as to what comes next. Throughout the entire issue, we’ve watched Amora’s arrow cut through the sky and travel across the ten realms before it arrived at the very plane our heroes find themselves on at this very moment. As Blackjack convinces Magni to take the victory the two of them achieved in spite of the fire demons already scheming, Amora’s arrow suddenly finds its mark: the head of the Blackjack himself. The rabbit doesn’t get the chance to finish his sentence as the arrow pierces his skull and instantly kills him.

Athena questions Amora’s reasoning for murdering Blackjack O’Hare.

Magni hasn’t even processed it as we see Amora, Ullr, and Athena scrying through flames back on Asgard. Athena asks Amora why she did not just kill her son as she covets the All-Power itself and the odds are high it may transfer to her in the event of his death. She calls it empty cruelty to which Amora counters with a phrase we’ve heard pretty often in the MCU: “glorious purpose”. She explains that Blackjack was a distraction that gave Magni leave to ignore his duties as the heir to the All-Power and Asgard alike in the wake of Thor’s death. She deviously reiterates what we’ve heard twice over in this issue in the form of a wizard-king being greater than a wizard. The throne of Asgard would augment the All-Power and she is all too happy to be the power behind the throne as Magni’s mother. Athena warns Amora of the folly of this path, citing her domain of war and wisdom alike, which only prompts Amora to blast Athena to the ground as a weakened Zeus watches on. The Enchantress warns Athena that she’s but a goddess of rich wine, sun drenched islands and crystal blue waters whereas the fjords of her own worshippers ran colder…and they drank from skulls.

Our comic finally draws to a somber close as Amora announces she will hear no more critique of her ambitious plans as she declares that Magni will soon become king of the Golden Realm and all of Asgard will rejoice as we are left with the heartbreaking image of Magni cradling his small friend’s lifeless body as Arinn and Tjarvva look on with sorrow.

Magni cradles the body of his best friend.

Mother Dearest

What an issue.

Amora performs what is arguably her most vile act yet.

As someone who has followed Thor pretty religiously (heh) and prides themselves as being well read and knowledgeable of both Thor and his supporting cast of characters - including his rogues gallery - I’m always pleasantly surprised when these characters can do something that genuinely shocks me while still being entirely within the realm of believability for their character. Amora, the Enchantress, has been a Thor villain for decades, debuting all the way back in Journey into Mystery #103. Originally, she was portrayed as alternating between wanting to destroy Thor to wanting to make him fall in love with her. She was a fun villain, but not particularly deep as her entire arc revolved around being a seductress. Within the past couple of decades, she’s undergone significant growth, evolving beyond simply using feminine wiles and being a multifaceted villainess.

Here, in the pages of The Mortal Thor #8, she does what is arguably the worst thing she’s ever done and she has a laundry list of evil deeds. She so covets power, she’s willing to break her own son’s heart and manipulate him to achieve lord knows what ultimate ends. This woman briefly contemplated murdering her own son and felt this was the next best thing. She’s come a long way since the days of Lee and Kirby and honestly she feels as big of a threat as any other Thor villain. She may not match the power of Surtur or the fearsome rage of Mangog or have the breadth of cunning of Loki in his villainous days, but man, killing your son’s best friend just so you can use him as a puppet sovereign is levels of twisted. And nothing about this issue suggested her bow of doom was a one time use weapon, either!

Magni and Blackjack ride the chariot pulled by Thor’s legendary flying goats, Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher.

The overall issue had great pacing and both read and flowed like a tragic myth, which is the vibe I’m assuming writer Al Ewing was going for all along. From the very first page to the last, you get the impression that whatever happens here has weight and gravitas and that Amora’s actions will surely have grave consequences before you ever discover what her target is. I liked the concept of how thrones in the realms augment magic, too; as powerful as one might be as a wizard or witch, a wizard-king (or witch-queen) is even greater. We do know Magni has inherited the All-Power in the wake of Thor’s death and it has afforded him the ability to easily dispatch Ulik masquerading as Tanarus as well as keep Tjarrva from melting in Muspelheim. Should he claim the throne of Asgard? It stands to reason Magni would be roughly within the realm of Odin or All-Father Thor’s tier of power, which perfectly explains why Amora is so hell bent on forcing her son to accept the burden of king.

Magni himself is a fun character who is just as courageous and noble as his father, but possesses a gentle heart that’s even mightier than his arms, which is saying a lot given his title of God of Strength. Putting him through the wringer like this seems cruel, but the best stories are often unkind to our protagonists. Will he accept the throne in the wake of Blackjack’s death? Or will his death push him further away from his birthright? More telling, what happens if/when Magni discovers his mother’s treachery? All great questions to look forward to in the coming months. Blackjack himself will be missed. He provided not only levity but also a sense of common sense wisdom that someone like Magni benefited from as a character. Farewell, sweet rabbit.

We see this single arrow travel from Asgard to all the ten realms (barring Midgard/Earth), with each vista being distinctly unique and visually compelling.

Ewing’s writing is joined by the talents of Juann Cabal and Jesus Aburtov, the artist and colorist of this issue respectively. I really enjoy how the art team and direction shift in the title as the story bounces between Sigurd and Magni and I hope this remains the case for the rest of the series. In our last issue, we were met with grounded and gritty visceral action. In this issue, everything feels larger than life and mythic, which is fitting as we’re in the realm of gods. The characters are grandiose and legends in their own rights which makes the issues where we return to Asgard feel more momentous than usual. Between the machinations of Amora, the thrilling battles in Muspelheim, and Blackjack’s tragic and sudden murder, everything here draws the attention of the eyes and holds it with ease. A particular favorite scene, or rather scenes, of mine in the book is watching this arrow travel through the realms before striking Blackjack unawares. It’s always great seeing just how environmentally diverse the realms are beyond just Asgard, even if it’s a fleeting moment.

Final Thoughts and Review

The saga of The Mortal Thor is compelling and has a wide array of characters to be invested in beyond just Sigurd. Magni, Thor’s son from a now defunct timeline, is one such character and this issue absolutely gutted this hero while elevating Amora to levels of villainy I didn’t even think possible. I’m actually kind of disappointed that we’re returning to Earth next issue as I *need* to know what happens next in the Realm of Eternal…which is about as much high praise as I can give.

Final Review: 9/10

The Mortal Thor #8 tells an excellent and heart breaking story with massive ramifications to come. Al Ewing masterfully takes classic Thor villain, the Enchantress, and somehow makes her even worse than she’s even been in what is the most emotional issue yet in the series to date.