Issue(s): Thor annual #15 (Thermal Man story only)
Cover Date: 1990
Title: "The return of the Thermal Man"
Credits:
Randall Frenz - Writer
Gary Hartle - Penciler
Mike DeCarlo - Inker
Michael Heisler - Assistant Editor
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
This back-up story features the return of the Thermal Man. The Chinese military accidentally revives the Thermal Man at a neutron bomb test site.

Meanwhile, a horde of giants are preparing to attack Asgard. The Vizier wants to summon Thor, but Odin says that Balder leading an army of Asgardians can handle it. However, the Vizier apparently disagrees, because he contacts Thor anyway and asks him to come home. But Thor is already in the middle of a fight with Thermal Man, who apparently made a beeline from China to New York. So Thor tells Vizier he's unavailable. Vizier curses Thor's "fetish for mortals".

Back in China, the government is worried that the Thermal Man will cause an international incident. So they bring out of prison the guy who created Thermal Man in the first place. This scientist was subsequently locked up as a traitor, but it's now determined that he was swept up as part of the mass incarcerations of the Cultural Revolution and he didn't really deserve his imprisonment. The weirder bit is that he was apparently once a servant of the Mandarin and claims to have helped design Ultimo.

The scientist works on a device that will stop the Thermal Man, and you might get a little nervous when you see his facial expression and the fact that he intends to use the device to control the robot.

But when the scientist gets to the robot, it kills him.

Thor then figures he can "fell two birds with one weapon" and teleports the Thermal Man to Asgard, where it's left battling the giants.

Leaving aside my normal complaints about back-up stories, especially back-up stories that take place nowhere near the main story of the issue, this is a decent little thing. I do hope the frost giants are eventually able to subdue the Thermal Man, though. I wouldn't want Thor to be guilty of genocide. We'll actually find out in Marvel Super Heroes #9 (and it's worse than i thought).

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place while Odin is running Asgard and while it's still possible for Thor to travel between Asgard and Earth. The MCP place this after Thor #400 (when Odin is returned to Asgard) and before Thor #402, when Asgard starts drifting into the Negative Zone.

References:

• The Thermal Man previously appeared in Thor #168-170.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Unfortunately, this comes back to haunt Thor in a summer special in a few years. And in that one he really commits genocide against the frost giants.

Kveto, it was a Marvel Superheroes story- there's a reason they were initially rejected.
Note that the scientist guy claims to have helped design Ultimo-another contradiction to the "Ultimo was created by aliens" retcon.