Thor
sits brooding over his actions when he was hulked-out, including destroying Bifrost,
the Rainbow Bridge. Odin, his spirit residing within Mjolnir, calls him on it but
Thor insists as All-Father and King that he must accept final responsibility.
Loki arrives, telling Thor he is there to check on Donald Blake, being tormented
for his evil deeds by having a serpent’s venom drip on him for eternity, a punishment
once meted out to Loki himself. Loki offers to repair Bifrost…
…though
once he has a look at it, he realizes it will be a tougher job than he
imagined. Sif mocks him over it so Loki suggests that Midgardian technology
could be adapted to serve their purpose. Thor declines, preferring something
Asgard would control. As a test, Loki opens a portal to Limbo but Darkoth the Death Demon,
in a rage, steps through and assaults Loki. Tearing black goo from
himself, Darkoth leaps away. The black goop reforms itself into Venom who
introduces himself to Thor…
Darkoth
comes down in the city where he encounters the Warriors Three (now Four, with
Hildegarde) and attacks them. Thor arrives, with Venom, Sif, and Loki and Thor
bonks Darkoth on the head with Mjolnir. Venom explains that Darkoth is being
controlled by a new symbiote, which he calls Bedlam’s Child. Venom tries to
fight Darkoth but Bedlam’s Child is stronger than he thought, taking full
control of the Promethium in Darkoth’s body. The young symbiote uses Darkoth’s
power to recreate the most powerful weapon he sees—and is soon standing there
with a red and glowing copy of Mjolnir….