Warning! Spoilers ahead for Avengers #58
While Jane Foster who was wielding his old hammer Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor, he's having much bigger and more complex issues with his ex in the comics. Having become a new Valkyrie since the War of the Realms event, Jane is on the current roster of Avengers right alongside the God of Thunder. While the two heroes have been friends and haven't been romantically involved for quite some time, it seems as though both Mephisto and the Phoenix Force are creating a major rift in their partnership (which could have disastrous consequences).
In recent issues of Jason Aaron and Javier Garrón's Avengers run, Jane Foster was captured by the demon lord Mephisto as part of his plans to destroy the Avengers and take over Earth-616 with the Council of Red, a legion of multiversal Mephistos who've ed forces to end the age of heroes for all time. Putting Jane in a fantasy reality where she was faced with her greatest temptation, it was revealed that Jane still misses the power that came from wielding Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. While she hasn't used the hammer in quite some time ever since Thor became worthy again, the power was intoxicating.
Now, the new Avengers #58 reveals that Jane's temptation has remained even though she was freed from Mephisto's trap. As such, Thor and Mjolnir (now inhabited by the spirit of his father Odin) can clearly see that Jane wants to wield the hammer again. Furthermore, Thor's also unwilling to talk about the recent revelation that the original Phoenix Force is his true mother, a truth that has rocked the God of Thunder to his very core. With both heroes being incredibly stubborn, it certainly seems as though their ability to work together has been compromised in this new issue.
Given the incredibly high stakes with Mephisto seeking to destroy the origin point of heroes, there's not a lot of room for conflict between Avengers at the moment. Thor and Jane Foster are two of the team's strongest hitters. They need to be able to trust and rely on each other to be effective to help save the world and the entire multiverse in general. While they certainly have a long history, a new rift like this could easily be exploited and taken advantage of in future issues by a demon lord such as Mephisto.
At any rate, this current run of Avengers is only going to get bigger and more intense as Earth's Mightiest Heroes head toward their imminent battle with Mephisto and his Council. Here's hoping Thor and Jane Foster's Valkyrie can be honest with each other in the issues to come (so they can help each other).
Avengers #58 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
