Of all the "Secret Wars" tie-in series, this one has been the one most centered around one main character, namely Ultimate Thor. Most of the other series are connected to previous events and, as a result, feature sprawling casts. (Even "Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows" focused on the nuclear Parker family instead of just Peter.) But, "Thors" has really been Lief's story.
That story comes to a fitting end here, as Lief confirms that it was Rune Thor that murdered the Janes and Donalds as well as Beta Ray Bill. We learn that he did so to hide the truth that Doom isn't god. The interesting twist that Aaron puts on this revelation is that Runey didn't try to hide the truth from some sense of allegiance to Doom: he merely enjoyed wielding the power of Thor.
We learn that these events were set into motion when he found a Jane Foster helping a group of refugees crossing a border. He saw the fear in her eyes that she knew the truth, so he killed her and began killing every Jane that he found. My only complaint with this revelation -- one that I generally buy -- is that Aaron doesn't explain why the Janes (and, apparently, the Donalds) see the truth any better than anyone else does. What makes the Janes special in this regard? Is it because the "prime" Thor is a Jane? It's an important piece of the puzzle to be missing, since the entire plot really revolves around that question.
However, Runey's grasp on the situation deteriorates since, as we saw in "Secret Wars" #7, our Thor convinces the other Thors of the truth, that Doom isn't god. Although we get the more extended sequence showing this conversation that I identified as lacking in my review of that issue, it still feels a bit rushed. The Thors just allow themselves to believe Thor. An answer could be that they're able to see more clearly because Doom's power is fading; for example, we see Runey lose his grip on his hammer because his faith in Doom (as opposed to Asgard) makes him unworthy. But, I don't know why Doom's power would be fading. We don't see anything in "Secret Wars" #7 to imply that it is. Maybe it's in issue #8?
Despite the issue's flaws and loose ends, I still enjoyed this series. Aaron did possibly the best job of all the "Secret Wars" authors of creating a fun supporting cast, and I still find myself hoping to see a "C.S.I. - Thor" series in the future. As I said in a previous review, it's one of the series -- like "Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows" or "Civil War" -- that made me wish some areas of the "Secret Wars" Universe would continue. That's saying a lot, since usually, at this point in an event, I'm just hoping it all ends soon.
*** (three of five stars)
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