Thor’s Final Battle With His Strongest Ever Villain Is Officially Here

Marvel’s Thor is about to go up against his strongest villain of all time, as Marvel fans witness the definitive battle between the God of Thunder and the Hatred Who Walks, aka the Mangog.

Debuting in 1968, Mangog is an ancient enemy of Odin and one of the strongest beings in Marvel lore. The Mangog was created when Odin slew an ancient species, with their hatred taking physical form in the Mangog, who possesses the combined strength of “a billion billion beings”

Mangog is an enemy not just of the Asgardian gods, but all deities in Marvel lore. When a god breaks the laws by which all deities must abide, the Mangog is released to destroy them, with immense strength and invulnerability even Thor isn’t close to matching.

It’s Thor vs Mangog for the Fate of the Universe

In a recently released preview of The Ultimates #23 – from Deniz Camp, Stipan Morian and Travis Lanham – Thor and Sif continue their battle to free the Nine Realms from Loki’s control.

Panicking, Thor’s brother unleashes the Mangog, promising to resurrect its forgotten species if it will bring down Thor. Other weapons like the Destroyer armor and the Casket of Ancient Winters are also teased.

Back in 2023, it was revealed that the Maker had traveled back in time, warping the history of Earth-6160. While the villain prevented the origins of most of Marvel’s mainstream superheroes, he couldn’t do the same to Thor, and so settled for helping Loki topple Odin and take control of Asgard, imprisoning Thor in the aftermath.

Now, as the Ultimates disassemble the Maker’s regime, Thor and his former jailer Sif close in on Loki. If they can find a way to win, then they’ll stem the tide of mythical beings being sent to solidify the Maker’s control over Earth, freeing the rest of the Ultimates to bring down the regime’s leadership.

Thor vs Loki Finally Gets an Ending

This penultimate issue of Ultimates will end Thor’s war against Loki, with Dike Ruan and Germán Peralta’s covers suggesting the God of Thunder will also go up against the towering Surtur.

The Ultimate Universe imprint was founded in 2000 (and brought back in 2023) to tell expansive stories that can’t be told in Marvel’s mainstream lore. Fans were shocked last year when it was revealed that the Ultimate Universe will permanently end following the epic Ultimate Endgame event – a final radical choice for the imprint.

That decision means that Thor, Loki, Sif and the rest of Asgard will get something they can never expect in Earth-616 – a definitive ending. Thor is about to face the worst version of his brother – one whose schemes came to fruition, fully and successfully betraying both Odin and Thor.

Will Thor find some way to show mercy to his brother, or will this epic conflict of the gods end with an execution?

The Ultimate Universe Is Experimenting to the End

Thor and Sif’s efforts were last seen in issue 11, which – like this new preview – was made up of ambitious splash pages and poetic narration.

This type of unusual presentation is exactly where the Ultimate Universe shines, increasing fan dismay that Marvel is putting a permanent, definitive end to the imprint. Indeed, Ultimates has been thrilling partly because of its ‘real-time’ approach of advancing the in-world story one month every issue.

The decision to end the Ultimate U has left many hoping (especially in the context of DC’s successful and highly comparable Absolute Universe) that Marvel follows the end of the Ultimate Universe with some kind of similar project, providing a new home to the unique narrative and presentational elements that make the Ultimate Universe so unique.

The Ultimates #23 is the final battle between this reality’s Thor and Loki, with the most powerful enemies of Asgard unleashed in the waning days of this cataclysmic war of the gods – including the perennially underrated but always epic Mangog.

The Ultimates #23 is coming April 29 from Marvel Comics.

First Appearance

Journey into Mystery

Alias

Thor Odinson, Eric Masterson, Kevin Masterson, Beta Ray Bill, Thordis, Throg, Red Norvell, Jane Foster

Alliance

Avengers, Warriors Three, Thor Corps, God Squad

Race

Asgardian, Human

Franchise

Marvel