WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Thor #4 by Donny Cates, Nic Klein, Matt Wilson and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
Thor #1 not only featured a new beginning for Thor -- who began his tenure as the King of Asgard -- but the arrival of a deadly new threat to the Marvel Universe: the Black Winter, aka the Star Plague. The Black Winter is what destroyed the universe prior to the one Marvel characters occupy now. The only one who was able to escape its onslaught was Galan, a man who would be transformed into Galactus in the next universe.
So far, readers have only caught glimpses of the Black Winter. It had devastating effects on Galactus when it attacked him and its black snowflakes fell upon another reality that was wiped from existence. In Thor #4, the coming menace is finally revealed in all its frightening glory — and it only creates more anxiety for the outcome of the coming battle.
The Black Winter was first mentioned in Silver Surfer: Black #4 by Donny Cates and Tradd Moore. In the comic, a time-traveling Silver Surfer reached into the mind of Galan (before he became Galactus) and saw the Black Winter. At the time, readers didn’t know much about it, but all of that has now changed. The Star Plague became the primary focus in Cates and Klein’s new Thor series, as it has been a looming threat ever since Thor #1, where it was revealed that when someone looks into the Black Winter, they witness a vision of their one true end.
Now, in Thor #4, as Thor exercises his new duties as Galactus’ new herald, the Black Winter finally manifests itself. Thor, wishing to avoid its terrible curse, rips a piece of his cape off to cover his eyes. But even though he doesn’t look upon the Black Winter, readers certainly do.
As Galactus consumes the fifth and last planet on the Silver Surfer’s secret list, the Black Winter arrives — and it’s safe to say it’s bigger than anyone ever imagined.
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In the endless void of space, the Black Winter appears as a celestial giant. It is hundreds of times bigger than Galactus, who himself can make a planet seem small, but the Star Plague makes the cosmos itself look tiny in comparison. It appears to be almost of a gaseous life form, its large smoke tendrils giving it a raw, nearly regal look. It could be compared to Stranger Things’ villainous Mind Flayer, a monstrous creature composed entirely of smoke. The Star Plague also has something the Mind Flayer didn’t: a distinct face and glowing purple eyes that only add fuel to its menace.
Galactus has reached his final form and Thor is more powerful than ever, thanks to the Power Cosmic and his regular abilities as the God of Thunder. Still, both appear to be nothing but cosmic insects next to the Black Plague. Hopefully, their combined strength will be enough to defeat the Star Plague, because the fate of the entire Marvel Universe now hangs in the balance.