Story continued from THOR #21.
Thor is determined to take off after Thanos and Mangog for
their invasion of Asgard but there are matters he must attend to on Midgard
first. He intends to end the life of his human alter ego Jake Olson but Jane
Foster pleads with him that too many people depend on Jake, suggesting he fix
the problems rather than eliminate them. So Thor resolves to turn Jake over to
the authorities for his crimes and vanishes. Odin, yet too weak to battle
Asgard’s enemies, offers to send Jane home if she wishes. Sif asks Odin to
listen to her—and Jane complains that Odin was always too willing for Thor to
abandon his human connections, which makes Odin angry. She apologizes,
suggesting that something sinister is at work here: how are there two Jake
Olsons? Hescamar, Odin’s raven concurs: Jake Olson is dead, so something is
amiss. Odin investigates by calling on the Flames of Truth to reveal the
deceit…and they all see Jake Olson, with a gun, being commanded to commit a
robbery by an unseen voice which is revealed to be Loki’s. Jane pleads with
Odin to intervene and help Thor out of Loki’s scheme; Balder requests that Odin
grant her wish. So Odin contacts Thor on Earth and shows him Jake Olson,
plotting a robbery…
…which is taking place at that moment, invisible Loki
encouraging Jake to stick up a liquor store, despite the owner’s pointing out
that his actions are being picked up by the security camera. And then, to
everyone’s surprise, another Jake Olson (Thor in his mortal form) enters and
begs Jake to stop. Loki advises dead Jake to shoot Thor Jake. But the owner
draws his own gun and dead Jake shoots him. Thor Jake punches dead Jake’s
lights out and tends to the man’s wound, using the skills of both EMT Jake and Dr.
Don Blake from his previous life. Dead Jake is unconscious so Loki inhabits his
body to revive him and shoot Thor Jake. Odin, watching via the Flames, is
reluctant to intervene in a feud between brothers but Balder convinces him and
Odin appears before Loki Jake and orders him to drop the gun. Loki balks so
Odin levies judgment: Loki is now permanently imprisoned in Jake Olson’s body,
making him mortal….
Detective Demitrius Collins is stunned: two Jake Olsons,
accompanied by Matt Murdock, Jane Foster, and Hannah Fairmount have walked up
to his desk. As Matt explains, Jake has a twin brother named Loren who was
committing all the crimes while impersonating Jake. Matt’s account is
persuasive so Collins has Loren (Loki Jake) locked up while Thor Jake goes
free. Outside, Jake tells Hannah that she was engaged to Loren and that he’s
going to leave for a while to take care of some family business and maybe
return; she looks forward to it. Thor takes off, happy to never to have to deal
with Jake Olson again….
Odin returns Jake’s spirit to the afterlife, not to Hell but
passing him upward to “a power far greater than mine,” where he will find
peace….
And Loren, housing Loki’s spirit, is thrown in jail to face justice for
Jake’s crimes….