Thor #22

Apr 2000 · Marvel · 1.99 USD; 2.99 CAD

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★ 1st appearance — Tarene★ 1st appearance — Thor Girl

About this Issue

Thor vol. 2 #22 (April 2000) marks the debut of Tarene — the prophesied cosmic being known as the Designate — created by writer Dan Jurgens and artist John Romita Jr., making it the character's first appearance in the Marvel Universe. Tarene would later reinvent herself as Thor Girl, becoming the first female character in the post-Stan Lee era to adopt an Asgardian thunder-god identity and wield a hammer in Thor's own title, foreshadowing the thematic territory that Jason Aaron would revisit powerfully with Jane Foster over a decade later. The issue also delivers one of the Jurgens run's highest-stakes cosmic set pieces: Thor going toe-to-toe with Thanos (later retconned as a Thanosi clone) and the Lee/Kirby monster Mangog simultaneously on the alien world M'Hass, re-introducing Mangog to a generation of readers who had never encountered the character. As a chapter in the 'Tears of the Gods' arc, it anchors the creative peak of the Heroes Return Thor relaunch and remains the narrative linchpin that set the stage for Thor Girl's full emergence.

In "Tears of the Gods," Thor faces a chilling vision of a future where Thanos wields the ultimate power of death, and the god of thunder fails to stop both Thanos and the monstrous Mangog from claiming the Illumination Stone. Written by Dan Jurgens and brought to life with dynamic art by John Romita Jr., inks by Klaus Janson, and vibrant colors by Gregory Wright and Mark Bernardo, this 2000 issue delivers a haunting, high-stakes moment in Thor’s mythic journey. The cover, also by Romita Jr. with Janson inks, captures the weight of that fateful vision.

Contains 2 stories

Tears of the Gods

22 pp · Fantasy, Superhero

Orikal (guest)Jagrfelm (cameo)

In "Tears of the Gods," Odin peers into a grim future where Thanos wields the ultimate power of death, and Thor struggles to prevent him and Mangog from claiming the Illumination Stone. As the fate of the realms hangs in the balance, Orikal arrives with cryptic knowledge, and Jagrfelm’s presence hints at deeper forces at play.

Bullpen Bits #39

0.2 pp · Humor, Superhero

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History

Thor vol. 2 launched in July 1998 as part of Marvel's Heroes Return initiative, which brought the Thunder God back to the main Marvel Universe after the Heroes Reborn exile; the series was shepherded by editor Tom Brevoort, who specifically wanted John Romita Jr. on pencils and ultimately landed Dan Jurgens — fresh from his landmark 'Death of Superman' work at DC — as writer. By issue #22, Jurgens and Romita Jr. were in the final stretch of their extended collaboration (Romita Jr. would depart around issue #25), and the 'Tears of the Gods' arc represents their most ambitious cosmic storytelling together. The Thanos appearing here was later retconned by Jim Starlin in Infinity Abyss as a Thanosi clone, resolving the inconsistency with Thanos's established post-Infinity Gauntlet characterization. The issue was released on February 2, 2000, with an April 2000 cover date, and was inked by Klaus Janson with coloring by Mark Bernardo and Gregory Wright.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Tarene / the Designate (later known as Thor Girl), created by Dan Jurgens and John Romita Jr.; she is an alien entity prophesied by the sorcerer X'Hoss to elevate all sentient life to the next level of existence.
Written by Dan Jurgens, penciled by John Romita Jr., inked by Klaus Janson, colored by Mark Bernardo and Gregory Wright, lettered by Richard Starkings; edited by Tom Brevoort under editor-in-chief Bob Harras.
On-sale date: February 2, 2000; cover date: April 2000; part of Thor vol. 2 (1998 series), which ran from #1 to #85 (July 1998 – December 2004).
The primary plot follows Thor and Rigellian Recorder 211 pursuing Thanos and Mangog to the planet M'Hass, where the villains seek the Illumination Stone to help them locate and corrupt the Designate; Thor fights both Thanos and Mangog but is ultimately unable to prevent Thanos from escaping with the Stone.
A parallel subplot in Svartalfheim shows Balder searching for the troll craftsman Jagrfelm at Odin's behest — part of a plan to forge weapons capable of challenging Thanos.
The issue also contains a prophetic vision via Orikal of Earth-24240, an alternate reality in which a Thanosi kills Thor and collects the Designate's tears in the Chalice of Ruins to gain godlike destructive power — a glimpse that raises the stakes of the main narrative.
The version of Thanos in this arc was later retconned by Jim Starlin in Infinity Abyss (2002) as a Thanosi — a genetically engineered clone of the real Thanos — resolving the continuity conflict with Thanos's post-Infinity Gauntlet characterization.
The complete 'Tears of the Gods' arc (Thor vol. 2 #18–25, Thor Annual 2000) was collected in the Thor: Heroes Return Omnibus vol. 1 (2017, ISBN 9781302908133), which encompasses all 35 issues of the Jurgens/Romita Jr. run along with related tie-in issues.