Thor, written by Donny Cates, with art by Nic Klein, and colors by Matthew Wilson, has the unenviable task of following one of the best runs ever for the Odinson. Jason Aaron set the bar high with his beyond-epic story of heroes and worthiness. Donny Cates, however, seems to know no fear. In his relatively short time at Marvel, he has successfully tackled the likes of Thanos, Venom, Doctor Strange, the Inhumans, and The Guardians of the Galaxy, and Thor seems to be the next character he’s set his sights on. Cates brings his signature confidence to this book and hits the ground running with cosmic concepts and an entirely new mission for the newly-crowned King of Asgard.
Aaron left Thor on a nigh-final note, having him take over his father’s throne, and even skipping ahead to the end of the universe to show the readers Odinson’s final acts of heroism. This left the next writer a bit of a box to write himself out of. How do you walk back Thor being the king of Asgard, and being as powerful as Odin? Cates’ answer? You don’t. You just give him something bigger to fight. In that regard, Cates succeeds in continuing the story without really undoing anything, and respectfully moves forward with his own story.