The Ten Realms aren't doing so hot right now. War, instigated by the dark elf Malekith the Accursed, has ravaged nearly all the realms. In the upcoming War of the Realms #1, the fight for the final realm, Midgard, begins in earnest. In a twist befitting a fantasy epic, though, a preview for the event's first issue reveals that one of Marvel Comics' most prominent leaders falls just before the fighting starts.
That leader is none other than Odin, who can be seen surveying the ruined scraps of Asgard from his crumbling throne. Asgard, formerly the grand, opulent protector of all other realms, has been utterly decimated in the lead-up to War of the Realms. The Rainbow Bridge is shattered, Heimdall is blinded and the city itself is nothing more than a blasted shade of its former glory.
Asgard is, for all intent and purposes, no longer a threat. That's not enough for Malekith, though, who sends assassins to the throne to dispatch Odin. The All-Father himself is in something of a tattered state, which is perhaps why he falls to the assassins' blades. Meanwhile, Thor is on Earth, trying to glean whatever insight he can ahead of the fight, when something massive crashes into the water before him.
War of the Realms #1 goes on sale on April 3. Jason Aaron writes the issue. Russell Dauterman provides art. Arthur Adams illustrates the cover.
