The Mortal Thor #800 is a massive milestone issue that feels like both an ending and the beginning of something completely new. There is a lot packed into this comic, but what I enjoyed most was that underneath all the gods, monsters, mythology, and huge battles, the issue is really about endurance. What makes someone keep fighting when everything has been taken away from them?
The main story, “Ouroboros,” was easily my favorite part of the issue. Sigurd Jarlson has gone from being a god to living as an ordinary man who has experienced years of suffering. We see him homeless, hungry, imprisoned, injured, growing older, and even dying, yet one thing continues throughout his life: he refuses to yield.
That repeated idea of “I do not yield” really became the heart of the story for me.
Sigurd doesn’t have Thor’s normal power or status for most of this story. He’s just a man trying to survive, which makes his refusal to surrender even more meaningful. The comic shows that what makes Thor special isn’t only Mjolnir, lightning, or being a god. There is something inside Sigurd that refuses to stay down no matter what life throws at him.
Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent, makes that struggle even more interesting. The serpent has been watching Sigurd and testing him throughout his life, waiting for him to finally break. Eventually Sigurd reaches the point where he admits to Kris that he has lost all hope. For someone who has spent the entire story refusing to yield, seeing him finally reach that point made the moment hit much harder.
I also really liked how Loki’s involvement is revealed. Loki explains the strange connection between Sigurd and the serpent and how their lives have become tied together. The mythology gets pretty complicated at times, but it gives the story the feeling of an old Norse tale where destiny, death, and rebirth are constantly repeating themselves.
Then Odin enters the story, and everything gets much bigger.
Seeing Odin confront Jörmungandr gave the issue the huge mythological battle it needed. Odin understands what has to happen and willingly throws himself into the fight, eventually allowing the serpent to swallow him. But that becomes part of the plan. Jörmungandr’s own nature works against him, and what looked like another victory for the serpent turns into its downfall.
The artwork by Pasqual Ferry really shines during this part of the issue. The quieter scenes with Sigurd feel grounded and almost sad, while the moment Odin and Jörmungandr begin fighting suddenly feels enormous. The bright gold energy, the massive serpent, and Odin charging into battle make it feel like the story has gone from an ordinary man’s life into full Norse mythology.
But even with all of that action, I think the emotional side of Sigurd’s story is what worked best.
When Sigurd tells Kris that he lost all hope, she sees it differently. Maybe losing everything and still continuing forward is exactly what makes him important. By the end, Sigurd’s story isn’t finished at all. Instead, it becomes the beginning of a new journey.
The ending reveals that Sigurd must travel through the Nine Realms on a quest to somehow bring Thor of the Spring back. That makes The Mortal Thor #800 feel like the conclusion of one chapter while opening the door to something much bigger.
The comic then moves into the bonus story “Worthy,” and I thought this was a great choice for an 800th issue.
Instead of trying to tell another huge adventure, the story asks one of the most important questions surrounding Thor: What does it actually mean to be worthy?
Thor looks back across his life and everything that has happened with Mjolnir. We see different battles, different versions of Thor, and different people who have held the hammer. It becomes less about whether Thor can lift Mjolnir and more about why someone should be able to lift it in the first place.
What I liked about this story is that Thor himself doesn’t act like he has the answer.
He has fought gods and monsters. He has won impossible battles. He has failed, struggled, and even faced death. Yet after everything he has experienced, the question of whether he is truly worthy still matters to him.
There is something surprisingly human about that.
Thor may be one of Marvel’s most powerful heroes, but he still questions himself. Even after everything he’s accomplished, there is still that small part of him hoping that when the time comes, Mjolnir will judge him worthy again.
Declan Shalvey’s artwork also gives this story a completely different feeling from the main one. The different images of Thor and Mjolnir throughout the years make the story feel like a quick journey through the character’s history, which was perfect for an 800th issue.
Then there is “Decide,” which might be the strangest story in the entire comic.
The artwork immediately gives it a completely different atmosphere. It’s darker, rougher, and feels almost like a crime or science-fiction comic instead of a traditional Thor story.
The story takes place in another universe where everyone believes the gods have died. Society has moved on, almost treating gods as something from the past, while the story begins questioning whether what everyone believes actually happened is true.
That’s where Monark Starstalker comes into the story.
He begins questioning Maxon Pryce about what he witnessed during a strange storm on Earth. Maxon describes seeing something impossible in the clouds—someone he believes was the Thunder God.
But Monark immediately knows something doesn’t add up.
According to the story everyone believes, the Thunder God was banished long ago. So if Maxon really saw Thor, then either the accepted history is wrong or something much stranger is happening.
The ending leaves us with a mysterious, older-looking Thor and the words “What If?”
I really liked that the comic doesn’t immediately explain what this means. Instead of giving us all the answers, it leaves us questioning everything Maxon has just described. If the gods supposedly died, why is Thor still there? And if the history of this universe is wrong, what else have people been lied to about?
It was a strange story, but it definitely made me curious to see where it goes.
That’s probably what I enjoyed most about The Mortal Thor #800 as a whole. Every story looks at Thor from a different direction.
“Ouroboros” is about refusing to surrender even when hope is gone.
“Worthy” asks what makes someone worthy in the first place.
And “Decide” questions whether the stories people believe about gods and heroes are even true.
They are very different stories, but they all come back to identity. Who is Thor without his power? What makes Thor worthy? And what happens when everything people believe about Thor may be wrong?
For an 800th issue, that feels appropriate.
There are moments where the mythology in the main story gets complicated, and this definitely isn’t an issue I would recommend as someone’s first Thor comic. There is a lot of history and a lot of ideas being thrown at you. But as a milestone issue, I think that works more often than it doesn’t.
Overall, The Mortal Thor #800 was a strong celebration of Thor while still moving his story forward. Sigurd Jarlson’s refusal to yield was easily my favorite part, the battle involving Odin and Jörmungandr gave the issue its big mythological spectacle, and “Worthy” was a great reminder of why Thor’s relationship with Mjolnir is about much more than simply being strong enough to lift it.
Most importantly, the issue doesn’t feel like it’s saying goodbye to Thor.
It feels like it’s asking what Thor is going to become next.
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