Warning: this article contains spoilers for Thor #11!
As Thor tries to undo the havoc his former human persona Dr. Donald Blake is causing his friends and allies, he's finding that everyone his father Odin ever blessed with Asgardian power has been taken off the board. Thankfully, a couple of the most unlikely Avengers just arrived to intervene. Now, one of the God of Thunder’s most personal battles is on track to get very bizarre.
Blake was originally created by Odin to host Thor’s being as he learned humanity and humility. However, after being abandoned indefinitely for years in a false reality, Dr. Blake went mad and stole the power of the fearsome Midgard Serpent. Dr. Blake’s mission is to slay anyone who has held the title of “Thor” and take their enchantments for himself. His carnage has felled Red Norvell, Beta Ray Bill and countless Asgardian warriors so far, sparing only Jane Foster for sentimental reasons. Next on the hit list is the Thor comic fans adore and MCU fans can't believe exists, but this pint-sized warrior has allies of his own.
Donald Blake’s massacre has earned him a confrontation with the Pet Avengers, namely Throg, the Mighty Frog of Thunder, and Lockjaw, the Inhumans' teleporting dog. In Thor #11, from Donny Cates and Nic Klein, Blake angrily combs through swampland, hunting Throg. However, Lockjaw, the trusty teleporting hound of the Inhumans, had previously left the side of the recovering Beta Ray Bill to warn his fellow Pet Avenger. Together, they get the drop on the unhinged doctor, unleashing a forceful thunder blast and informing the villain he's officially being hunted and should run.
Formed by the animal sidekicks of the Marvel Universe, who Lockheed is able to gather into a formal team using his teleportation powers, the Pet Avengers roster also includes Redwing, Lockheed, Zabu, Hairball and Ms. Lion, the companions of Falcon, Kate Pryde, Ka-Zar, Speedball and Spider-Man’s Aunt May, respectively. The team originally formed in Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers, after Lockjaw stumbled upon an Infinity Stone and sought help from heroic creatures after being dismissed by the other Inhumans. As a unit, they took on the Savage Land, Devil Dinosaur, and even Thanos himself. Lockjaw was able to wield all the Infinity Stones, a feat only accomplished by truly powerful beings. After defeating the Mad Titan, they used the Mind Stone to create a permanent mental link between themselves, forever cementing their union and earning the right to consider themselves a true, though very strange, Avengers team.
Seeing Lockjaw and Throg reunited should strike fear into any opponent, especially since the team's mental bond means the other Pet Avengers may not be far behind. If Dr. Donald Blake truly seeks to murder those who have held the mantle of Thor, he’ll have to go through Throg to do so. Encountering Lockjaw as well, a member of the Inhumans' royal household, is an unexpected hurdle. While the scene shows that even Blake himself expected Throg to be a pushover, the Pet Avengers may actually be the biggest threat to Blake's rampage so far, if only because of the incredible web of contacts they represent throughout the Marvel Universe. If Blake’s lucky, Throg and Lockjaw are the only Pet Avengers he will face off against. Though even then, he's not doing very well so far.