Every installment of this feature is about odd comic book plot points that were rarely (sometimes NEVER!) mentioned again after they were first introduced.

Today, based on a suggestion by reader Ron F., we take a look at the time that Jane Foster was specifically deemed UNworthy of being a goddess!

In 2014's Thor #1 (by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman and Matt Wilson), Jane Foster proved that she was worthy by picking up Mjolnir and becoming the new Thor...





First off, can we take a break to just marvel at how good Russell Dauterman is? I mean, holy moley, that guy is amazing.

So anyhow, we NOW know that Jane is worthy, but there was actually a story where she was specifically deemed UNworthy!

It all began in Journey Into Mystery #124 (by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta), although I suppose you could say it goes all the way back to the first Thor story in the title, as righr from the get go, Don Blake/Thor and Don Blake's nurse, Jane Foster, have had this heavy tension as they both love each other but are separated by the fact that Thor can't reveal his secret identity to Jane and so thus Jane just thinks Don Blake routinely abandons her.

This comes to a head in the aforementioned #124...







Wow, first Dauterman, and now Kirby - it's almost TOO much amazing Thor art! Such power in Kirby's pencils. Man, he was just way too good.

The next issue, Odin expresses his displeasure by calling Thor to Asgard and then banning him from returning to Earth. Thor is displeased...





Naturally, Thor ends up getting back to Earth by the end of the issue (disavowing his heritage if that's what it takes to marry Jane). But he sees Hercules flirting with Jane and he starts to brawl with Herc. That carries over into the next issue (now titled Thor). Odin decides that now is the best time to punish Thor, so in the middle of the battle, he strips Thor of half of his power and Hercules kicks his ass. Odin regrets it pretty much right away...



Odin asks for forgiveness from Thor and then allows Thor to go get a rematch with Hercules, but Thor ends up allied with Hercuels instead. They have a multi-issue arc fighting against Hercules' uncle Pluto.

Finally, in Thor #121 (still by Lee, Kirby and Colletta), Thor asks his father again to be allowed to marry Jane, and this time Odin says yes, under certain conditions (I wonder if the conditions will be met?)...





After Thor and Jane get caught up in some other misadventures, Thor decides that Thor #136 is the time to take her to Asgard to marry her...





And so Odin makes her a goddess...





Go to the next page to see how it all fell apart...

Odin tests Jane and Jane...well, she doesn't do too well...









Those pesky conditions.

So Jane is sent back to Earth with her memory messed with and she instantly finds a new doctor to fall for...



And by the end of the issue, Thor has run into Sif and it's practically, "Jane who?"



As we noted last week, Sif and Jane later ended up sharing a body, but that's a story for that column.

In any event, as Ron noted when he wrote to me about this, it is pretty funny that we actually saw Jane Foster be dubbed "unworthy." Obviously, times change, and who was once unwrothy could easily now be worthy, but it is still funny either way. Thanks, Ron! If anyone else has a suggestion for a comic book pot that has been pretty much forgotten since it happened, drop me a line at either brianc@cbr.com or bcronin@comicbookresources.com!