Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Giant-Size Thor #1! While the rest of the original MCU Avengers have completed their story arcs, Thor’s is only just beginning, as his most recent appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder set up an all-new nemesis the God of Thunder will soon be facing: Hercules. And now, in the pages of Marvel Comics, Thor’s upcoming one-shot Giant-Size Thor is putting added emphasis on Hercules’ all but forgotten codename, the God of Heroes.

In a first-look at Giant-Size Thor #1 by Al Ewing and Brian Level shared by AIPT Comics, fans are given the official description for the issue plus three covers (one main, two variants) by artists Bryan Hitch, Dave Bardin, and Walter Simonson.

A GIANT-SIZE THOR SPECTACULAR — GUEST-STARRING HERCULES! Thor All-Father and Hercules, God of Heroes, had joined forces many times, as fast friends and fierce rivals… but never before like this. For in the farthest reaches of space, the Deific Duo faced the greatest and most terrifying war machine ever created… and it bore the Thunderer’s face. This is the story… of the GIANT-SIZE THOR! ALSO: Reprinting Bob Harras and Jackson Guice’s THOR #365 — a Thor and Hercules tale told by the only real authority on such things: Hercules himself!

Giant-Size Thor will feature the famous friends/rivals Thor and Hercules together like readers have never seen them before, as they are adventuring to the farthest reaches of space to face an enemy described as “the most terrifying war machine ever created”, one which “bore the Tunderer’s face”. The issue will also include a reprinting of Thor #356 by Bob Harras and Jackson Guice.

Writer Al Ewing shares their excitement for the upcoming Giant-Size Thor in the preview shared by AIPT Comics, offering a few words that give readers great insight into what they can expect from this Thor/Hercules adventure.

Al Ewing: For Giant-Size Thor, I figured it’d be fun to tell a Thor-centric tale in one of Herc’s old stomping grounds – both to showcase their friendship and also to act as a prelude of sorts to Herc’s upcoming visit to the pages of the regular Immortal Thor title – and that ended up becoming quite a literal tale of what happens when Thor’s power is abused in a truly Giant-Size fashion.

Hercules’ God of Heroes Title Will Find New Significance in Immortal Thor

While Marvel Comics fans have seen Hercules referred to as the God of Heroes before, the fact that it’s used so prominently in the solicitation for Giant-Size Thor #1 before Hercules joins the main Immortal Thor continuity means writer Al Ewing wants fans to remember it. So far in the series, Immortal Thor has emphasized the godly titles and cosmic duties of every god that has appeared, even going so far as to dig into the core differences between the God of Stories and the God of Poems, with the latter effectively being a god of truth, and the former a god of lies.

That’s just one example of how titles carry deeper meaning and greater significance in Immortal Thor, with time and energy dedicated to explaining that significance. In other words, Hercules being called the God of Heroes after years of fans not hearing that title isn’t an accident. It seems Hercules’ upcoming appearances in Al Ewing’s Thor titles will force him to prove why he’s the ‘God of Heroes’, and readers should be very excited about that possibility.

Giant-Size Thor Will Be a Tribute to Thor & Hercules’ Marvel Comics History

Giant-Size Thor Has the Chance to Be a Blueprint for the MCU

While the MCU may be setting them up as enemies, Thor and Hercules are actually old friends in Marvel Comics, going all the way back to when they fought side-by-side with the Avengers during the early days of the team’s Marvel history. That being said, the two gods have always had a healthy rivalry, which is playfully depicted in the story Giant-Size Thor is choosing to reprint, Thor #356. In it, a little boy asks Hercules who’s stronger, him or Thor, to which Hercules offers entertaining anecdotes of their adventures together, all of which paint him in a flattering light.

It’s almost guaranteed that the new story in Giant-Size Thor will mirror the Thor #356 reprint, especially as it relates to Thor and Hercules’ relationship. And what Al Ewing’s new story will add (which will be carried over into Immortal Thor) is the heightened significance of Hercules’ God of Heroes title. All-in-all, it seems Giant-Size Thor could be the blueprint for Thor and Hercules’ relationship in the MCU, especially if Hercules is able to live up to his God of Heroes codename.

Giant-Size Thor #1 by Marvel Comics is available August 21, 2024.

Source: AIPT Comics