Thorhas complicated family dynamics, to say the least, but one member might take the cake as his deadliest “brother” returns, bonded with a symbiote whose history withVenomis just as complicated. With a new Venom set to also hit the stage soon,this comic might be setting up two plots at once with this former Thor antagonist as the new ‘King in Black’ of the Marvel Universe.
Marvel’s preview forThe Immortal Thor#17 – written by Al Ewing, with art by Jan Bazaldua – features the return of Donald Blake,former alter ego of Thor, who reminds readers that he now has his own symbiote powers.
InThor (2020)#9-14 – written by Donny Cates and illustrated by Nic Klein – Blake, separated from Thor, became a villain, and was eventually imprisoned beneath Asgard for all eternity. Later, inThor#28, hebonded with the symbiote child of Bedlam, an alternate timeline version of Eddie Brock. Now, Blake is back, just in time to taunt a dying Thor.
Donald Blake Is Back, And Marvel Could Be Setting Him Up For A Major Role In The “Venomverse”
Immortal Thor#17 – Written By Al Ewing; Art By Jan Bazaldua; Color By Matt Holllingsworth; Lettering By Joe Sabino
In the preview forImmortal Thor#17, Blake appears to Thor in a dream-scape while Thor’s body is dying, taunting him about the potential future destruction of Midgard. Thor has been fighting a war on several fronts, with the loomingthreat of the Utgard-Godson the horizon, summoned by Thor’s own mother, Gaia. If Donald Blake, last seen imprisoned beneath Asgard, is also coming back, then that’sjust another problem for Thor, who, as far as readers know, wasn’t even aware of Blake’s symbiote transformation before this moment.
With a new mysterious Venom set to appear in Ewing’s relaunchedAll-New Venom…reminding readers that Donald Blake is a symbiote host could be a clue that he’ll be back in a big way.
What’s unclear is whether this also holds significance forVenomas well. The current eventVenom War– written byImmortal Thorwriter Al Ewing, with art by Iban Coello –is shuffling Eddie Brock off the table, witha new mysterious Venomset to appear in Ewing’s relaunchedAll-New Venom, penciled by Carlos Gómez. Ewing loves to set up plot beats for one of his series in another book, and reminding readers thatDonald Blake is a symbiote hostcould be a clue that he’ll be back in a big way whenAll-New Venombegins in December.
Donald Blake’s Appearance Feels Earned, Thanks To Writer Al Ewing’s Careful Plotting
All-New Venom#1 – Written By Al Ewing; Art By Carlos Gómez; Available December 4 From Marvel Comics
It’s no surprise thatImmortal Thoris referencing Blake’s transformation, since that transformation happened in an Al Ewing co-written issue. What’s more surprising is how natural this addition feels. There’s a world where addingVenomized Donald BlaketoImmortalfeels random and unearned. However,Immortal Thorhas been full of portents of doom for Thor, so a horrifying Blake actually slots in nicely.What Donald Blake’s return actually means for bothThorandVenomis up in the air,but one thing’s for certain, it’s not going to be good for them.
The Immortal Thor#17 will be available August 16, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
Thor
Associated with the mythical realm of Asgard, Thor is a Marvel Comics hero who channels the power of thunder to slay their foes. Though the name is chiefly tied to Thor Odinson, several other characters also take on the role of God of Thunder, including Odinson’s love interest, Jane Foster. Odin is portrayed as a physically imposing hero with incredible strength and typically wields the dwarven forged hammer, Mjolnir.
