Marvel has put Thor on an interesting path in the 21st century. In the ’00s, Marvel killed off the character for a short time, before bringing him back into the post-Civil War Marvel Universe. We’ve gotten Jane Foster as Thor for a time, when Thor Odinson was rendered unworthy of Mjolnir, leading to some of the most successful Thor comics ever. Thor has since regained his weapon and has been made the king of Asgard. This led, inexorably, to Immortal Thor, a story that pit Thor against the gods of Utgard, the home of the surviving Elder Gods. Immortal Thor also gave Thor a new foe, one that has long been in the background of the Marvel Universe — Roxxon Energy Corporation. Roxxon has become more important to Marvel than ever, and Mortal Thor #1, the newest volume of Thor’s life, has revealed that they’re up to their old tricks.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Roxxon became more important because of the amazing Hulk series The Immortal Hulk. The corporation had just become more powerful thanks to their boss Dario Agger, and Hulk fought against them. Immortal Hulk writer Al Ewing brought Roxxon to Immortal Thor, and the company used the magic of the Asgardian Enchantress to create a new Thor. Thor was able to defeat them, but their defeat saw Agger become powerful than ever. Mortal Thor #1 sees the newest version of Thor, a powerless man with no memory of his divine life named Sigurd Jarlson, encountering the agents of Roxxon. Roxxon has become the most evil company in Marvel history, their history showing how shady they’ve always been.
Roxxon Is Marvel’s LexCorp
Roxxon started out as a oil company, and first appeared in Captain America #180. It was founded during World War II by J.T. Jones., who left the company to his son Hugh. Roxxon played a big role in the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D., helping fund the organization, but also helped Hydra, allowing the terrorists to use Roxxon trucks to smuggle weapons. Roxxon would come to the attention of the heroes when Hugh Jones was abducted by the Serpent Society. This led to him wearing the Serpent Crown, a powerful and ancient artifact, that created a bond between him and the Crown until his death, which would throw a shadow over Roxxon. The company became embroiled in all kinds of shenanigans, with the Avengers and Spider-Man dealing with Roxxon’s actions. Spider-Man villain the Molten Man became an employee of Roxxon, and fought Spider-Man many times while protecting the company. Roxxon begin mining on Mars, which led to them getting the Serpent Crown again, getting involved with the Shadow Council and Steve Rogers’ Secret Avengers. The mutant Mentallo found himself working for Roxxon, using his mental powers to allow the corporation to take control of Monster Island so they could drill for oil there. The X-Men stopped them, and Mentallo lost out on the billion dollar reward he was promised.
Dario Agger, a Greek entrepreneur who sold his soul to become a Minotaur, took control of the company and they got even more overtly evil. Agger cared only about profit and the company started doing more damage than ever to the environment. This led to S.H.I.E.L.D. getting Thor involved, leading to Thor and Roxxon clashing. Agger started working with Ulik the Rock Troll, helping them attack Thor. Agger eventually joined the Dark Council, a group that wanted to destroy the Ten Realms of Asgard, and would even team with Malekith during War of the Realms. Eventually, the Devil Hulk decided to go after Roxxon, and Agger deployed Xenmu, the psychic monster, to erase and replace the memories of the world of the Hulk. Xenmu tried to devour Agger and make him into a slave, but Agger survived horribly deformed. Agger decided to go after Thor again, teaming with Enchantress. Enchantress helped Agger create a new Thor, one that Roxxon would own, and use against the old Thor. Roxxon bought Marvel Comics (yes, really) and Enchantress cast a spell that would make Roxxon’s Thor seem real, because of the comics, and make Thor dumber. Enchantress’s friend the Executioner was disgusted by Agger and killed him, with Enchantress framing Thor for the murder. Enchantress became the CEO of the company, but Thor defeated her and brought her and Executioner back to Asgard. Meanwhile, Agger was resurrected, and Roxxon has moved on to the next scheme.
Roxxon Has Played a Key Role in the Death and Resurrection of Thor
Evil corporations are pretty common in comics, with the most well-known being DC’s LexCorp. Marvel and DC Comics have been copying each other in many ways over the years, but Marvel never really had an evil corporation on the level of LexCorp until the 21st century. Roxxon had been around before that, but they were usually a background foe. It’s only recently that they’ve become more important, taking on two of Marvel’s most popular heroes — Thor and the Hulk.
Immortal Thor was the story of Thor’s death, and Roxxon played a huge role in it. Agger’s plan to use comics and magic made him into Earth’s skald, a Norse word for storyteller. This one power move was a huge part of Thor’s death, as he was forced to leave the Earth after being framed for Agger’s death. Mortal Thor #1 sees Roxxon trying to recruit new workers for a secret project, which Sigurd realizes is wrong. What’s really interesting is that the thugs Roxxon employs in the issue are wearing Norse symbols and claim to worship Thor, the god of strength. Roxxon is still all up in the business of the Asgardians, and it will be interesting to see how it shakes out.
Mortal Thor #1 is on sale now.
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Stage 6 Films -
Image courtesy of Lucasfilm.
