Immortal Thor #16 Brings Back A Classic Marvel Comics Villain [Exclusive Preview]

Al Ewing’s “Immortal Thor” is one of Marvel Comics’ best ongoing series. A spiritual sequel to Ewing’s earlier “Immortal Hulk,” the book has a satirical bent; this Thor will even swing his hammer at Marvel’s own worst habits.

The upcoming 16th issue looks to reintroduce one of Thor’s oldest villains: Radioactive Man. Not the comic book hero from “The Simpsons,” but Chen Lu, whose skin glows green. Debuting in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s “Journey into Mystery” #93, Lu was a Chinese scientist who incrementally exposed himself to radiation. Instead of poisoning him, however, the experiment gave him the ability to absorb, emit, and manipulate forms of radiation.

Radioactive Man combines two repeating motifs of early Marvel superhero comics: radioactivity as the key to gaining superpowers and communist villains. (Thor’s second outing, in “Journey into Mystery” #84, was against a Fidel Castro-like dictator on the fictional island of “San Diablo.”) Marvel’s superheroes are products of the Cold War and, according to Stan Lee, even the Norse Gods would be on the side of the USA.

In 1964’s “Avengers” #6, Radioactive Man was one of Baron Zemo’s first Masters of Evil (along with other B-listers the Melter and the Black Knight). This was a sign of things to come; Radioactive Man has been shuffled around among different heroes, such as Iron Man and the Hulk, as “Thor” found its identity as a fantasy comic.

Marvel has now shared an exclusive preview of “Immortal Thor” #16’s opening pages (interiors drawn by Jan Bazaldua) with /Film. The series’ covers have been drawn by Alex Ross, who is renowned for his photorealistic line-art rendered with painterly colors. #16 is no exception.

Radioactive Man is at a shooting range, making a finger gun expression behind a half-melted photo of Thor. Next to him is Dario Agger, head of energy company Roxxon and one of Thor’s nastiest foes. (Thor’s mother, the Earth spirit Gaea, is intending to retaliate against mankind for poisoning her and Thor must find a way to quell her. Naturally, his current adversary is an oil CEO.) Based on this cover and the early pages, Agger might be recruiting Radioactive Man to destroy their mutual enemy.

The full synopsis of “Immortal Thor” #16 reads:

“A BLAST FROM THE PAST! In Asgard, Thor weighed his obligations as All-Father and as Gaea’s child … and what he owed to both sides of his nature. While on Earth, a risen evil sought new Gods to challenge the old … and found them in Thor’s earliest foes. This is the story of the IMMORTAL THOR … and the Radioactive Man.”

Read on for the next four pages.