In Norse mythology, of course, Ragnarok is the fabled Twilight of the Gods, the ultimate Odin v. Loki throwdown. No one wins, everyone dies, nobody remembers to bring doughnuts.
I know that the portrayal of the Norse gods and events in Marvel continuity is only loosely based on real-world Norse mythology. And, from my long-ago readings of Thor (pre-Simonson), I know that Ragnarok got mentioned occasionally. Is it still fated to happen in the Marvel-verse? Has Loki ever been tied up under the earth with snake venom dripping onto his face, as in the Norse mythos and Sandman comics? Has Ragnarok happened, with consequences less dire than those foretold in Norse legends?
Side question: have Thor and Sif ever been married in Marvel continuity?
Another side question: has Thor ever been worshipped by characters in the Marvel-verse? How does he feel about it?
And finally: is there an official explanation for discrepancies between Marvel Norse god continuity and the stuff that happened in Viking legend?
Odin died about a year or two ago. Thor was given control of Asgard and has slowly been becoming…well, something, I’m not sure what, but it doesn’t seem none too friendly. The situation is that the gods are now directly intervening in human affairs, having parked Asgard straight over Manhattan itself. You pray, Thor answers your prayers. Seriously. Even Loki has been given a cushy new job, and doesn’t object too much.
The storyline that’s ultimately being set up is that Thor is supplanting human responsibility. Zakarro the Tomorrow Man is presently one of the few people opposing Thor, having seen a future where mankind is desolate, but hey, Thor statues are everywhere.
Side note: Thor was also worshipped in Marvel’s briefly-lived “2099” line. Thor, much less ANY Marvel characters, hadn’t been seen in a century, but a cult of Asgardian worshippers had formed over time. They were largely a running gag in Peter David’s Spider-Man 2099.
Ragnarok did indeed come to pass . . . sort of. In the Simonson issues (around #350-354, I believe), old Uncle Walt brought the house down with one of the coolest comic book story arcs ever. One of the issues carried my all-time favorite story title: “Ragnarok and Roll!” How can you not love that? The title alone kicks all kinds of hiney.
Anyway, as thrilling as the tale was, it wasn’t exactly mythologically accurate. Basically, the fire god Surtur sent his legions of demons to attack the earth – which, in the Marvel Universe, means New York City – intent on destroying the world with his big-ass sword, Twilight. Gotta love a villain who names his sword.
All earth’s superheroes came to the rescue, while Thor went after Surtur to “openeth yon can of whoop-ass, ye verily!” Unlike the original legend, there was no Loki with snake venom dripping on his face, and the good guys won, thanks largely to Odin, who apparently died in the battle but returned several years later. (I don’t know the circumstances of that, because I stopped reading when the book went down the crapper approximately 15 seconds after Simonson left it.) I do remember the Rainbow Bridge being shattered, which was part of the original tale . . . but the rest of it seems a little, um, apocryphal. For all I know, there may have been another Ragnarok after that; I wouldn’t be surprised, considering Marvel’s recent willingness to throw its own history out the window.
But who cares! It was a great story, and Simonson still rules. Grab up those old issues if you’ve never read 'em!
I forgot to mention something else . . . toward the end of Simonson’s run, Thor also fought the dreaded Midgard Serpent – a battle which was, according to the Ragnarok myth, supposed to culminate in the deaths of both the Serpent and Thor. It didn’t of course . . . the Serpent died, but Thor pulled through, I forget how.
That was one of the first “all splash page” issues, too. At the time it was a pretty big deal . . .
So…do the Avengers care? Do they object or approve, or are they waiting and seeing? The Fantastic Four? S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Is there much crossover with other titles in the Marvel U on this one, or is it an intra-Thor arc? I can imagine Daredevil having some problems with the “Thor as active god” concept, what with being Catholic and all.