Thor #800 Review

Writers: Al Ewing/Kieron Gillen/Chris Condon
Artist: Pasqual Ferry/Declan Shalvey/Jesse Lonergan
Lettering: Matt Milla
Colors: VC’s Joe Sabino
Editor: Wil Moss
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $6.99
Release Date: August 19, 2026

Previously in The Mortal Thor, The Serpent has trapped Sigurd Jarlson in the worst of all possible worlds for his greatest trial. Now, without even a weapon in his hand, he must prove himself worthy to enter the Realms of the Gods. Somewhere in the city, a man without even a hammer begins the ultimate quest… the quest for Thor!

Thor is dead, whatever that means for a god of Asgard. In his place is Sigurd Jarlson, created by Odin to be as human as possible, but still possessing something of the late Thunder God in his makeup. That’s why he has been forced through a gauntlet of Thor’s foes, but now that he has faced Thor’s enemies, he must face Thor’s doom. Trapped within the world inside Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent, Sigurd spends decades in prison, only to be released into a world of endless red tape and misery. Freezing on the streets of New York City, he is visited by Odin himself, who points out the one detail Sigurd had missed: A glowing red eye in the sky, the Serpent itself, spying on him. With a little help from Loki, Odin once more takes up his son’s role as The Serpent’s Bane, starting a metaphysical battle that also speeds up Jarlson’s torture, a cycle of life, misery, horror, and death, moving faster and faster to break his spirit...

...but Jarlson will not yield.

By the end of this issue’s main story, Sigurd Jarlson has regained Mjolnir and been tasked with a third trial, described by Odin as “the quest through Winter to find the Thor of Spring.” The second tale in this issue is a lovely short by Gillen and Shalvey, calling back to their long run on Thor and giving us insight into the enchanted hammer and what it means to be worthy. That story on its own is a 5-star affair, but we also get the first chapter of a story set light-years from Midgard/Earth, where the nature of legends is questioned, and an obscure Marvel hero returns to make those who remember them happy. (What does “obscure” mean to me? Try 20 appearances in FIFTY years, never a solo series to their name, and last seen circa 2023.) That story is, oddly, my favorite of the issue, but there’s not a sour note to be found in these pages. Ewing and Ferry are a seamless storytelling pair, balancing the cosmic battle between Jörmungandr and Odin with Sigurd’s endless torment, giving us a Loki who is both whimsical and fearsome, a true paradox made of lies, and offering up a truly touching moment where Odin flat-out tells Loki that he loves and favors them as much as Thor.

There is a lot to love in Thor #800, with my only meaningful complaint being that of the 7-dollar price tag (and my petty complaint being that Marvel is still counting 86 issues of Journey Into Mystery that don’t feature Thor in their legacy numbering scheme), leaving us with three lively, well-crafted stories and 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited for Thor’s adventures, and I’m especially psyched knowing what madness Al Ewing is capable of creating.