WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1 by Rob Liefeld, Chad Bowers, Adelso Corona, Federico Blee and Andworld Design, on sale now.
One of the most anticipated G.I. Joe comic books in recent memory is the new series, Snake Eyes: Deadgame, masterminded by legendary artist Rob Liefeld. As its name suggests, the series pits the Joes' titular ninja, Snake Eyes, against an ancient threat called Kirigan, the Grave Master.
In showcasing this new villain's origin, Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1 shows a fight between Kirigin and an equally ancient opponent, Thor the Norse God of Thunder. The Grave Master made a startling first impression by outright destroying this god's iconic hammer before setting his sights on the G.I. Joe ninja in the modern-day.
The first page of the issue takes place millennia ago on the hills of Norway, with a thunderous landscape making it very plain which Asgardian god is walking the Earth. Thor himself appears and challenges the mysterious red-clad warrior. Despite the supposed immortality of his opponent, the Grave Master shows no hesitation in facing the God of Thunder. The battle-hungry Viking god raises his weapon, the living hammer Mjolnir, into the sky as he lunges toward the Grave Master, but the response is likely the reverse of what he anticipated.
The Grave Master unleashes his own weapon against the living hammer, fittingly titled the Dead Sword. The sword takes the full brunt of Mojlnir's blunt force trauma but is none the worse for wear. In fact, the Dead Sword and its wielder showcase unflinching resolve, whereas Thor's anguished face tells a different story. Instead of breaking the Dead Sword or knocking back the Grave Master, Mjolnir actually seems to begin crumbling against the superior weapon's power.
The Grave Master makes his return in the present day in the middle of the comic book. After freeing the original G.I. Joe, Joe Colton, the silent Snake Eyes is informed that the reason for Colton's capture had to do with something called Deadgame. This immediately makes Snake Eyes seek out the Arashikage ninjas who had attacked him earlier, and he finds the stuff of nightmares. The Arashikage clan members are in a circle reciting some ancient text, which has the resulting effect of causing their flesh -- and possibly their spirits -- to burst into green flames. Meanwhile, the crimson bandage wearing body of the Grave Master rises from the ground, resurrected after centuries.
Snake Eyes, after taking down his followers, tries to take on the Grave Master himself, with seemingly no avail. Firing bullet after bullet into the old master, Snake Eyes' lines of hot lead have little to no effect on even slowing him down. Thankfully, the blade is a far more effective weapon against him, which gives Snakes Eyes the chance to get in a few pivotal hits. Unfortunately, Grave Master easily overpowers the Joe and nearly constricts him to death by telekinetically controlling the bandages on his body. A shotgun blast from Scarlett knocks the Grave Master back, but he quickly gets back up to make his escape.
This degree of invulnerability, as well as his potentially magical bandages, makes the villain one of the few truly supernatural elements within the G.I. Joe. That's to say nothing of the appearance of the mythological Thor himself, who is portrayed in all of his godly luster. The classic villains Cobra-La were similarly fantastical for the usually military franchise, though they were at still at least based in the series' science fiction elements. The introduction of the Grave Master, as well as the Norse god of thunder, pit the Real American Heroes against forces far more dangerous than Cobra.