For most of his existence, Thor has been one of the definitive heroes of the Marvel Universe, saving the world countless with his fellow Avengers or on his own. As the Asgardian God of Thunder, Thor has usually done his heroic deeds with considerable pride in himself. However, Thor's belief in his own nobility led him to go to war with his allies and even take over the world in one Marvel story.
Now, we're taking a closer look at how Dan Jurgens and Scott Eaton's "The Reigning" briefly turned Thor from one of the greatest Avengers into the Marvel Universe's most dangerous villain.
THE REIGNING
Throughout his history, Thor has taken on a human form in the past to temper his hubris, such as Jake Olson, a dedicated emergency worker in New York City. Thor and Jake were forcibly split by Odin after Thor was seriously injured in battle, allowing the human half to live his life while Thor recuperated. However, being separated for so long had an effect on Thor. He became disconnected from humanity, even cold towards them. When he became king after the death of Odin, Thor decided it was time for Asgard to receive the glory it had once been given by humanity, by using the Odinforce to merge Earth and Asgard together.
With the capital of Asgard floating above New York City, Thor and the Asgardians found themselves as both the praise and scorn of humanity. While some came to worship the Gods in the new-found Church of Thor, others tried to bring down the Asgardians. While Thor and his allies survived the battle, Asgard itself was destroyed, along with New York City. As Thor prepared to take out his fury on all of humanity, Jake Olson tried to get through to him by taking Mjolnir. But Thor merely killed his human half. But now he could no longer lift the hammer, as he was no longer worthy of it. Thor turned his anger against humanity and set himself as their ruler, casting Sif into exile when she spoke against him.
After 17 years, Lord Thor's reign had seeped throughout all of human culture. Thor saw to it that New Asgard was built over the ruins of New York, absorbing what remained of the city into Asgard. The Asgardians serve Thor, even Loki, who possesses the remains of Cerebro along with Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation and Eye of Agamotto., Thor married the Enchantress, and the couple had a son, Magni. Although Asgardian medicines and machines have improved the quality of life, but humanity has largely been reduced to being second-class citizens next to the Asgardians.
Secretly, Jane Foster was able to help an in-hiding Scarlet Witch give birth to a daughter, but the pair are captured and sent to a "reeducation" camp where they perish. The last heroes attempt to attack Thor and stop his rule. Wolverine was even able to seriously injure Thor and cut off one of his arms, only to be promptly killed by the overwhelming power of the Odinforce. Even when the Odinforce was briefly taken from him by Doctor Strange, Hulk and the Thing were incapable of putting down Thor and died in battle against him. The final heroes standing were Balder and Captain America, but Thor regained the Odinpower and used it to slaughter Rogers while Loki killed Balder.
By 2170, Scarlet Witch's daughter Kya has become a powerful sorceress dedicated to stopping Thor. Using a prophecy left for her by the seer Zarrko, Kya is able to predict the return of Thialfi, a speedster Asgardian ally from modern times. Revealing to Thiafi the true extent of Asgard's control over the Earth, Kya is able to rally some surprising allies, including the grown Magni who was now like his father in his youth. While a depleted Thor went into the Odinsleep to regain his power --which led to the death of Thiafi --Kya leads a failed attack against Loki.
Although Kya is killed for her attempted revolt, her spirit takes Magni on a journey to find Mjolnir, which he proves capable of lifting. Having seen the errors of his father's ways, Magni challenges his father to lift Mjolnir to prove that he's still worthy. But Desak the God-Slayer, awakened by Mjolnir being lifted, comes to Earth to kill Thor. It comes down to the Destroyer being unleashed, only for Desak to instead liberate the entrapped spirit of Thor Girl from within it, which led to the death of Loki. Realizing finally how far his rule has ruined the world and broken him and his allies, Thor is finally able to lift Mjolnir once more and use it to defeat Desak. Horrified by the destruction he's caused, Thor elects to change the past by preventing the destruction of Asgard and using the Odinforce to rebond Thor with Jake.
Although he had nothing but the best of intentions, the Thor of "The Reigning" had become a far greater threat than any other cosmic force, even compared to figures such as Thanos or even Galactus. And yet, his control of the world felt all the more personal and painful for the heroic potential he otherwise has. Even though his worst impulses were driven by noble intentions, they still transformed Thor into a fearsome threat.