All throughout December, we will be examining comic book stories and ideas that were not only abandoned, but also had the stories/plots specifically "overturned" by a later writer (as if they were a legal precedent). Click here for an archive of all the previous editions of The Abandoned An' Forsaked.

Today we examine the story of how the Space Phantom tricked Thor into giving up the time-travel ability of Mjolnir.

Enjoy!

In Thor #282 (written by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio), Thor helps the Space Phantom save the Phantom's home world.

Here, we have the Space Phantom think to himself about how he needs Thor's help...

It ends with Immortus getting involved and he explains how Thor can save the planet - by giving up the ability of Mjolnir to travel through time...

In Avengers Forever #8 (written by Kurt Busiek), however, this was revealed to be all part of a plot by Immortus to get Thor's time-traveling ability as part of Immortus' plan to keep the Avengers from traveling through time willy nilly.

Here, the Space Phantom (well, A Space Phantom, we also learn that the Space Phantom that the Avengers met over the years was actually a bunch of different people who all just look alike) explains how he was even trained to THINK the lie he was telling Thor!

I still love that bit so much. "I trained myself to THINK the lie." Now that's devotion to a retcon!