Back in October, we noticed that Thor had been removed from artist Mark Bagley’s original pencils for the Avengers Assemble #1 cover. We posted question marks all over Twitter and engaged writer Brian Bendis in a short dialogue in which he winked, nudged and refused to say any more.
We soon discovered why Thor wasn’t on the cover: because he died in Fear Itself and was replaced by Tanarus. Or, well, “died” anyway. He was later seen trapped in some kind of ethereal prison/space whale while Tanarus took his place, and it had been teased that Thor would come back, because heroes can die but legends are forever.
Now, with the March 2012 solicits for Mavel released online, we can confirm what you all knew was coming: by Odin’s beard, Thor returns! The Mighty Thor #12 will see Fraction and Ferry pitting Thunder God against Thunder God, and Thor will be amongst the team starring in Bendis and Bagley’s new Avengers Assemble, in which the Avengers battle against the “new Zodiac” (which may or may not be related to Casey and Fox’s Zodiac from Dark Reign: Zodiac and the background of Vengeance).
Here’s a joke for you. Q: What is death to a superhero? A: A quick nap between fights.
