What Has Come Before: In Asgard, the proud Asgardians were celebrating their victory over the menaces of Infinity, Galactus, and Morg when their celebration was interrupted by the presence of Ulik and his troll minions!

Majestic Asgard has recently been the sight of a pitched battle, followed by a festive victory celebration in the Viking tradition—filled with revelry, plenty of fine Asgardian mead, and the most beautiful women. Today, however, it is once again the scene of turmoil, as Ulik bursts into the very celebration hall, flanked by his finest troll warriors, brandishing maces, swords, spears, and various other instruments of war.

“Thou wouldst dare invade the realm eternal…e’en amidst our celebration!” Thor calls out, challenging his foe Ulik. “Thy impudence must be exceeded only by thy stupidity!”

“Brave words, Asgardian!” Ulik responds, striking Thor across the face, driving him back, where he slams into—and through—a heavy oak table, causing warriors and maidens alike to scatter out of the way of Thor’s invulnerable body. “I will see to it that it is carved on your tombstone!”

Thor gets to his feet quickly, brushing aside the splinters and other table fragments, as he glares at Ulik with fire burning in his eyes. “Great pleasure indeed will I take in battering sense into thy head, Ulik!” Thor challenges. He leaps across the distance separating them, slamming into the powerful troll and driving them both back through the outer wall that Ulik had just entered mere moments earlier.

Immediately, the Warriors Three rush into action. Fandral brandishes his sword, striking a troll, who is carrying a large mace. “Thy hideous visage explains much,” Fandral remarks. “If I looked like thee, I would also seek my own destruction!”

Hogun leaps across a table, shattered by another troll. He brings his own mace down across the troll’s head, as a loud CRACK! is heard, as the troll falls to the hard floor, lifeless.

Volstagg rolls his eyes, as he slams two trolls’ heads together, and returns to his large meal. “The varlets seek to take our food,” Volstagg calls out. “I will guard the food ‘lest they steal it!”

As the trolls rush towards Loki, the god of mischief becomes a mist, causing three spears to go through him! In his astral form, Loki looks down on the trolls, glaringly. “After all our mutual endeavors,” Loki calls out, “thou would seek to kill me?” He fires blasts of energy at the three trolls, striking them all in the chest, and sending their lifeless bodies to the ground. “Most distressing.”

Three large trolls rush towards Odin, who sits on his throne. He gets to his feet, holding his trident in his powerful arms. As the trolls approach, he throws the trident, which goes through the first two trolls, lodging itself in the chest of the third trolls, as they all fall to the ground. Odin holds out his hand, and the trident returns to his fingers, obeying his unspoken mental command.

Sif leaps over the thrusts of a troll’s blade, as he swings it over and over again, trying to cut her to pieces. “Thy movements are sluggish and slow,” Sif comments, as she brings down her blade across the troll’s face, sending him crashing to the ground. “Thy time underground puts thee at a disadvantage in a land of light.”

Balder the Brave walks through a hail of arrows, as he reaches the archers. He sends out a series of punches that disable five archers, who are soon lying on the ground, unconscious.

The halls of the celebration room soon shake with the sounds of something akin to thunder, as blows are exchanged by Thor and Ulik—both with the power to shatter mountains with their blows.

Ulik delivers a powerful blow, striking Thor in the face with his pounders. A blow that has demolished a mountain strikes Thor squarely in the face, driving him back with the impact of the blow. “You Asgardians sicken me,” Ulik angrily utters. “You live in a golden city, and believe we are beneath you…casting us into the dark depths.”

“Thou art mad!” Thor responds, blocking the next blow with his forearm, and then driving a powerful blow into Ulik’s mid-section, doubling him over. “We hath always welcomed thee and others here, yet ye always seek to rend the golden realm asunder. Thou art unwelcome here not because of who thou art, but because of thy own actions!”

“It does not matter!” Ulik exclaims, putting his hands together into a two-fisted blow, which he slams down on Thor’s head. “Your pretty realm will soon be ours! If there are any of your people left, let them live under the surface, as we have done for eons!”

“It would matter little to thee if we lived here or in your own realm,” Thor responds, kicking Ulik in his thigh, driving him back. “Thou wouldst seek to take what is not rightfully thine regardless! Thy hatred and envy will by thy own destruction!” So saying, Thor continues his assault, tackling Ulik and bringing them both crashing to the ground, shattering the mortar pavement beneath them upon impact!

Inside the great celebration hall, Hermod races through the hall, as waves of trolls fly to each side of him, pummeled by his super-speed punches. He is but a blur of super-speed motion, and the trolls cannot raise their weapons before they have been laid out on their backs.

On the Rainbow Bridge, Heimdall is standing tall, swinging his two-handed sword at a large, hideous storm giant that is advancing on the bridge, seeking to join the trolls in their siege of the eternal city. The storm giant is carrying a club that is twice the size of Heimdall, and he stands well over fifty feet in height. On each side of his weathered face are sideburns that reach almost to his chin—reddish-orange hair that matches the small amount on the top of his head. Behind him are two more storm giants, who likewise seek a way into the city through its tireless guardian.

“Thou and thy brethren will fall back, or die here!” Heimdall warns the first storm giant, as he swings his sword, which radiates Asgardian energy, striking the storm giant on the knee, causing him to call out with pain. “For you will not reach Asgard! Not while Heimdall still draws breath!”

Heimdall takes a step around the giant’s leg, and spins, avoiding an attempted pounding by the giant mace. Heimdall then slams his fist into the same spot that is still pouring blood—the giant gash in the giant’s leg. The giant staggers, falling back. Although he makes a vain attempt to steady himself, he is unable to do so, and falls over, falling off the Rainbow Bridge, and disappearing quickly into oblivion!

Heimdall draws up his sword, looking through the sword at his two remaining opponents, who continue to advance towards him. Despite himself, Heimdall lets a slight smile cross his face, as his eyes burn into his foes. “Come, foolish giants,” Heimdall calls out, “and meet thy fate, just as thy ally hath done! Hela’s embrace doth await all of thee! Come, giants, and I will assist thee in meeting her this day!”

Thor ducks under a powerful punch by Ulik. The blow continues forward, slamming into the side of the celebration hall’s outer wall, exploding mortar and bricks outward in all directions, showering down on the two combatants, and creating exploding missiles within the celebration hall on the other side.

“Our battle doth endanger my fellow Asgardians,” Thor silently considers, as he ducks under the blow, pulling his right arm forward. “This, I cannot allow to continue!” With that, Thor moves forward, hitting Ulik with a powerful uppercut that lifts the strong troll off the ground, and sends him flying back away from the city, over the forests, and into the uru mountains several miles distant!

As Thor flies over the tall forests, the trees of which stretch hundreds of feet into the air, at times bordering the clouds in that area, he notes the density of the forest, and how easy it would be for the enemies of Asgard to hide within the forest and plan an attack, such as this one, virtually right under their noses. “Perhaps it is time,” he muses, “to clear some of these trees away, ‘lest a great conflagration consume the forest, and cause harm also to Asgard itself.”

Thor’s flight takes him into the Uru Mountains beyond the forest, and his superhuman eyesight soon spots Ulik, who is rising from the ground, stunned but still conscious, after the terrific blow that Thor struck which sent him there. “Time to think of that later,” Thor considers, flying down towards Ulik, who comes closer and closer into his view. “For now, Asgard is threatened by Ulik and his legions. With their leader vanquished, the others will doubtless fall quickly before us.”

“Ho, Ulik!” Thor calls out, suddenly increasing his pace drastically, creating a series of BOOMS as he repeatedly breaks the sound barrier, flying down towards Ulik. As he reaches the super-troll, he sends out a powerful blow to Ulik, knocking him back down, where the back of his head slams against the base of the mountain. “Have at thee!”

Thor lands before Ulik, who shakes off the dizziness in his head from the pounding he has received, and sends out his large foot, slamming into Thor’s mid-section, driving him back slightly, but more importantly, giving him a few precious seconds to get to his feet, and to re-join the battle.

“I am pleased that the battle has taken us here!” Ulik exclaims, punching Thor in the mid-section with his pounders, as Thor doubles over in pain from the blow! “There will be less chance of your fellow Asgardians interfering with my plans to beat you to death!”

Ulik throws another punch, but Thor moves to the side, and Ulik’s blow merely strikes the uru mountain with great force! Ulik pulls his hand away, painfully reminded of just how hard uru metal is!

As Thor slams his fist into Ulik’s face, jerking his head to one side, he is reminded that Morg was beaten to death in these very mountains by the Absorbing Man.* He wonders if Morg’s rotting corpse is still drifting through the nether-regions beneath the Rainbow Bridge, or if Hela has claimed him yet.

[*As readers of Thor #12 (this series) will remember.]

Thor’s thoughts have distracted him, however, enough for Ulik to block his next blow. “You are a fool, Asgardian!” Ulik exclaims, ever disgusted by his foe. “Your lack of focus on this battle will cost you your life!”

Ulik then delivers a powerful blow to Thor’s cheek, driving the thunder god’s head slamming back against the uru mountain behind him. Pressing his advantage, Ulik sends his knee slamming into Thor’s mid-section, doubling him over again! Thor falls to the ground, and Ulik advances on his foe.

“Prepare to die, Thor!” Ulik exclaims, as he lifts his foot, preparing to kick Thor in the face, driving his head against the uru in hopes of crushing his skull between his foot and the uru. However, this theory will go untested, as Thor grabs Ulik by the foot, using his fantastic strength to twist Ulik through the air, and cause him to fall on his side.

Thor and Ulik both get to their feet quickly, despite the punishment that their invulnerable bodies have been through during their titanic struggle. Thor slams his fist into Ulik’s face, pushing him back against the uru rocks. Thor then delivers a powerful blow to Ulik’s mid-section, and another to his mid-section.

“’Tis true that I should not allow myself to be distracted in battle,” Thor agrees, as he punches his opponent in the stomach. “But my life is not thine to give, or to take!” As Thor strikes his opponent, he does not notice that Ulik has picked up a stone made of uru.

Ulik swings his arm forward, striking Thor in the side of the face with the uru rock, driving Thor back. Ulik, a master of weapons like his troll brethren, continues his assault on Thor, hitting him again with the uru rock. Defensively, Thor brings Mjolnir forward, blocking the next attempt to strike him, as the uru hammer meets the uru rock in a terrific clamor!

“Uru against uru,” Ulik comments. “I have fashioned a uru hammer like your own in the past.** It might be time to do so again.”

[**See Thor #137-139 (February-April, 1967) for details]

“Thy people are master weapons makers,” Thor responds sharply, bringing his hammer forward, knocking the uru metal out of Ulik’s hand, ever as the hammer continues forward in its arc, striking Ulik in the side of the face, driving him back with tremendous force, “there is but one Mjolnir!”

“Ah, yes,” Ulik responds, blocking Thor’s next blow with his pounder, creating a tremendous impact that sends out reverberating sound waves for miles distant. If not for the fact that they are fighting in the uru mountains, the mountains themselves would be damaged by the impact of the sound waves. “A mere mortal from Midgard did create a construct—with two false hammers—to battle you, I heard***.” Ulik then slams his fist into Thor’s face, driving him back.

[***He created a duplicate Thor, in fact, with two hammers, as was shown in Journey into Mystery #95 (August, 1963).]

Ulik lunges forward, swinging his mighty arm, as his pounder seeks Thor’s face. At the last moment, however, Thor raises Mjolnir in front of his face. As Ulik strikes Mjolnir, his pounders slams against the surface of the hammer, creating a tremendous impact, even as his draws his first back from the force of the impact.

Thor presses his advantage, swinging the hammer and striking Ulik in the side of his face, jerking his head to one side from the impact of the blow. Ulik staggers, as Thor continues his attack, striking the troll again, as Ulik falls back towards the side of the mountain.

As Thor continues to press his attack, Ulik leans down, grabbing a small uru rock. As Thor moves forward towards him, Ulik rubs the uru rock between his palms at great speed and force, creating friction . When Thor is upon him, he blows into his hands, releasing uru dust that blows into Thor’s eyes, stunning him and blinding him!

As Thor staggers back, his hands in front of his eyes, as he tries to clear them from the dust that is blinding him, Ulik goes on the offensive, striking Thor in the stomach with the force that has made mountains turn into powder. “Asgardian fool!” Ulik utters angrily. “I have long dreamed of the day when I fight you without any interference from your Asgardian brethren! I know that you will fall to my power.” With that, Ulik hits Thor again and again in the mid-section, doubling him over.

Holding his hammer to his face, Thor sends out a blinding blast of energy that strikes Ulik in the face, driving him back! More importantly, however, it temporarily blinds the troll, putting the two warriors on equal footing for the moment, while Thor tries to clear the uru dust out of his eyes, as the tear ducts in his eyes start to drain the dust from his eyes.

“Thou art a coward, Ulik!” Thor contends, as he looks forward, seeing Ulik again, after a period of blindness. The troll is still staggering, but his sight is likewise returning, although he sees spots and occasional blinding light. “Resort not to tricks with me, ‘lest thou be ready to suffer the consequences!”

“Your threats are meaningless to me, thunder god!” Ulik replies, as he moves forward towards Thor, but is stopped by a powerful punch to his mid-section that doubles him over. Thor then slams his knee forward, striking Ulik with powerful force to his chin, sending the troll’s head jerking back from the impact of the knee, as he flies back, slamming against the mountain!

“And now, villain…” Thor starts, holding Mjolnir in his hand, even as he moves forward towards Ulik, who is even now getting to his feet to meet Thor’s planned attack.

However, at just that moment, Sif materializes before Thor and Ulik, holding her sword in her hand. “Ulik!” she calls out, as the troll turns away from Thor to look at her. “Thy minions hath met their defeat. Thy cause is lost!” Thor looks over at Sif, and alternatively back towards Ulik, but makes no more movements towards his foe…at least for the moment.

“WHAT?!” Ulik responds, obviously enraged by her words. “I know not how you came here so quickly, but your words are senseless!”

“Asgardian women have the power to teleport once a day****,” Sif explains. “But thy minions—giants and trolls alike—hath been vanquished. Thou art undone!”

[****This is true, and was revealed initially in Thor #143 (August, 1967).]

“The fools! I should have known they would fail me! I do not know how you came to be here,” Ulik continues, as he rushes forward, back-handing the lovely Sif, who then flies back, slamming back into a cluster of trees, stunning Thor with the surprise attack.

As Thor rushes over to Sif, who is lying at the foot of a tree, Ulik takes advantage of the distraction. With his incredible strength, Ulik uproots a tree that is easily three hundred feet in height, weighing hundreds of thousands of tons. He slams the tree against the ground, breaking it in half, even as the ground shakes around them for miles, creating tremors that shake the very foundations of the outskirts of Asgard.

Using his massive strength, Ulik spins the tree trunk in his powerful hands, causing it to literally drill into the ground. His super-strength and heightened speed cause it to drill deep into the ground, even as Thor lunges towards him.

“Thou will pay dearly for thy unchivalrous attack ‘gainst beauteous Sif, villain!” Thor warns, as he leaps the distance separating him and his foe. Ulik, seeing Thor coming, swings the tree around, catching Thor in the mid-section with the tree, driving him back.

Before Thor can move closer towards his foe, Ulik has leaped into the hole he created, and his massive fists are pounding the hole deeper and deeper into the ground, as he makes his way towards his underground world. As he continues to pound a hole deep under the ground, the ground quickly re-seals itself, making it impossible for Thor to follow.

Thor turns to Sif, who is even now getting to her feet. “Art thou all right?” Thor asks.

“I will be fine, milord,” Sif replies. “’Twould seem that Ulik hath fled. I apologize for preventing thine victory.”

“’Tis a victory merely delayed, milady,” Thor returns, as he feels the trembling of the ground subside, indicating that Ulik has arrived at his destination. “For today, however, Ulik and the others hath learned that Asgard is ever at the ready to repel any invasion.” Taking her in his arms, Thor takes to the sky. “Let us return to the golden city, milady. We hath much to celebrate.”