While the conflicts between the Marvel Thor and Loki and the Thor and Loki of Utgard can be read in pure superhero terms, as the familiar characters we know do battle with their older and more powerful counterparts, Ewing also uses the concept to comment on the nature of storytelling itself. As he did in Loki: Agent of Asgard — and as Alan Moore and Grant Morrison have done throughout their careers — Immortal Thor presents the characters as extensions of a vast cosmic mythology that comes to life through the stories we humans tell one another.
What does that mean for Thor’s death in Immortal Thor #23? Well, first of all, it means that Thor isn’t going to die, not for good. Even if we see the end of this version of Thor, which has been hinted at in signs and omens from throughout the series, the Thor concept will live on because we still tell stories about Thor. Within the comic, that might mean a new version of Thor in the form of Magni Thorson, whom Ewing and Bazaldua recently brought back after a twenty-year absence. Or might just be that Thor gets rebooted again, which is what most people expect.
And that isn’t a bad thing. Immortal Thor is less about reinventing the wheel and more about exploring the concept as it is, revealing the philosophical underpinnings of myths and superheroes. So as much as Marvel tries to hype Immortal Thor #23 as a Death of Superman style event, the fact is that the issue doesn’t even mark the end of the series or the storyline — on the contrary, it kicks of a three-part arc.
Then again, Ewing clearly isn’t interested in the usual gimmicks. Thor’s death will just be one more opportunity to examine the stories we tell one another, stories that repeat without end.
Immortal Thor #23 blasts into comic stores on May 14, 2025.
Thor will die in an upcoming comic, but writer Al Ewing has more than shock value in mind for Immortal Thor. Read More