WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Thor #6 by Jason Aaron, Christian Ward and VC’s Joe Sabino, out now.


Thor #6 takes place entirely in the far-future of Old King Thor, which writer Jason Aaron has been exploring ever since his earliest issues penning stories for the God of Thunder. While King Thor’s adventures at the end of the universe are far from over, they reach something of a head in Thor #6, an issue dedicated entirely to the battle between him, a Phoenix-possessed Wolverine and the deadliest version of Doctor Doom, ever.

Enraged that a new garden of Eden -- built by Thor -- has been nurtured over the grave of his native Latveria, Doom has returned to rid the Earth of this newly cultivated life. Doom -- now wielding some of the most ancient powers in the universe, like the Spirit of Vengeance, the Iron Fist and the Starbrand -- faces off against Thor’s granddaughters while the God of Thunder himself is facing a different threat entirely.

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On his quest to find evidence of any life anywhere else in the universe, Thor comes across his old friend Wolverine, bafflingly still alive. It seems that he is very literally being held together by the Phonix Force that now possesses him, and has done so for centuries. These two old friends come into conflict because Logan fundamentally disagrees that bringing new life into the world was a good idea. When they discover that Doom is close to destroying that new life, however, they put their differences aside to fight one of Marvel’s greatest villains, one last time.

As Jason Aaron has shown in recent issues of his run on Avengers, the Odinforce and the Phoenix Force have a long and complicated history. As revealed in Marvel Legacy #1, Odin and the Phoenix fought side by side as the Avengers of 1,000,000 BC, meaning that by the time King Thor and Phoenix Wolverine clash, these ancient powers have been in contact with each other for millennia. Their relationship is also far deeper than Thor and Logan realize, as back in the prehistoric era Odin and the Phoenix shared a love that would remain hidden for centuries.

With the powers of Starbrand, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist and the Sorcerer Supreme at his disposal, Dr. Doom is nigh unbeatable. In fact, King Thor and Phoenix-Wolverine cannot take him down, and the latter is stripped to his skeleton for even trying. However, Doom should know that Wolverine can’t be killed that easily, and, much like the Phoenix that he shares his lifeforce with, Logan returns from death one last time -- with a plan. Claiming that Doom is a “one-man Avengers squad” and “just too damn strong,” Wolverine shares with Thor the truth: The Phoenix Force didn’t choose him, it was stuck with him as its only choice. As Logan reveals though, he knows about the love between the Phoenix and Odin, and says that the universe could use more love in it.

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With that, Logan reaches out and grabs hold of Mjolnir, completing a union that first joined millennia before. Wolverine screams and his body disappears. In its place stands a Phoenix-charged Mjolnir, ready for Thor to claim. As he picks up his hammer, he is transformed into the Mighty Thunderbird, King Phoenix God of Fire. With “a heart of lightning and a fistful of burning Uru,” Thor charges into Doom and the two plunge into the very core of Earth itself, where they remain locked in battle for generations.

Above them, on the surface, humanity carries on growing and evolving, developing a new civilization around a gravestone marked with the symbol of the Phoenix, all while an epic battle rages below them. When Thor finally emerges victorious, the fight takes everything from him and he succumbs to the Forever Sleep.

Thor and Logan may have given their lives in the battle against Doom at the end of time, but as it is known to do, the Phoenix Force lives on. There is a young girl among the population of humanity at the end of time, one with bright red hair and flames in her eyes that is far more powerful than she appears. While a new evil is revealed on the final page of the issue, the Phoenix Force once again proves that it’s capable of rising from the ashes.