Fear Itself

Lore & Background

The storyline's title is a reference to a famous quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt: "So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." The story's antagonist is the Serpent, an Asgardian being who sows doubt and fear among the superheroes of the Marvel Comics Universe. During this conflict, which is referred to among the characters as the Serpent's War, the Serpent is revealed to be Cul, Odin's brother, who assumed the throne of Asgard following the death of their father. Born at the dawn of time, Cul was subsequently banished and imprisoned by Odin following Cul's corrupt rule, and a prophecy by Yggdrasil that cost Odin his right eye, and which revealed that Cul's madness could only be cured by the death of Odin's son. The Serpent grants seven enchanted hammers to select individuals, transforming them into the Worthy: Kuurth: Breaker of Stone (Juggernaut), Nul: Breaker of Worlds (Hulk), Skirn: Breaker of Men (Titania), Nerkkod: Breaker of Oceans (Attuma), Mokk: Breaker of Faith (Grey Gargoyle), Angrir: Breaker of Souls (the Thing), and Greithoth: Breaker of Wills (Absorbing Man).

In Their Own Story

In Fear Itself: Book of the Skull, the Red Skull performs a ritual during World War II, on orders of Adolf Hitler, which causes the Hammer of Skadi to fall to Earth where it lands in Antarctica. Traveling to Antarctica, the Red Skull finds the hammer but is unable to lift it. Red Skull has Adolf Hitler's Thule Society seal it away and put it under their guard. Many years later, Red Skull's daughter Sin, with the help of Baron Zemo, retrieves the Book of the Skull that contains the location of the hammer. Sin finds the Hammer of Skadi, and after lifting it becomes Skadi, Herald of the Serpent. She then frees the Serpent from his underwater prison, after which seven celestial objects fall from the sky around the globe. Learning of the Serpent's escape, Odin withdraws his people from Earth against the protests of his son Thor. The seven celestial objects are revealed to be divine hammers that contain the essences of the Serpent's seven generals known as the Worthy. Coming into contact with four of the hammers, Juggernaut, Hulk, Titania, and Attuma are respectively transformed into the first of these beings. Along with Skadi, the Worthy go on a rampage all over the Earth for the Serpent. Among their targets are Washington, D.C. and the New York City superhuman prison known as the Raft, from which a number of imprisoned superhumans escape. In the tie-in books, Grey Gargoyle, the Thing, and the Absorbing Man find the other hammers, and are transformed into the remaining three Worthy. During their battle in Washington, D.C., Skadi mortally wounds the current Captain America, Bucky Barnes. In Asgard, Odin prepares his people to raze Earth completely in order to destroy the Serpent. Thor opposes this and returns to Earth. After Steve Rogers again assumes the mantle of Captain America, Thor confronts the Serpent, who reveals himself to be Odin's brother and claims to be the rightful bearer of Asgard's throne, before dispatching Thor. Thor then fights Angrir and Nul (the transformed Thing and Hulk) simultaneously, killing Angrir and knocking Nul halfway around the world, after which Thor collapses from exhaustion. Iron Man requests from Odin the use of his workshop to make weapons to fight the Worthy. Skadi and the Serpent easily repel resistance by Captain America.

Reader's Guide

The climax erupts in a desperate, fractured alliance between Earth's mightiest defenders and the remnants of Asgardian power. Thor is forced to confront his father, Odin, not with anger, but with a plea for the strength to face his own uncle, the Serpent. In a cataclysmic final battle that tears the sky apart, the enchanted hammers are shattered or reclaimed, severing the Serpent's grip on the Worthy. Yet, victory demands a terrible price: Asgard is once again reduced to rubble, and the event leaves deep, unhealed psychological scars on the heroes and the world, fundamentally reshaping the Marvel Universe for years to come.

Did You Know?

• "Fear Itself" was first announced by then-Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, Executive Editor Tom Brevoort and X-Men group editor Axel Alonso at a press conference held at Midtown Comics Times Square on December 21, 2010.
• The storyline consists of a seven-issue miniseries, a prologue book, and one hundred and sixteen tie-in books.
• The story's title is a reference to Franklin D. Roosevelt's famous quote: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
• The Serpent is revealed to be Cul, Odin's brother, who assumed the throne of Asgard following the death of their father.
• The overall storyline holds an average score of 7.4 out of 10 at the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup, with the core miniseries holding a 6.5.