And So, To Battle!

While Odin, Thor, Loki, and Surtur took center stage in the Asgardians' battle with the fire demon, writer Walt Simonson took care to provide us with other entertaining scenes with various characters who injected some of the more (dare I say it) human moments of the conflict. And while what follows isn't a comprehensive run-down of those scenes, it should give you a good idea of what Simonson was going for.

Let's first drop in on the all-out state of war on Earth between the Asgardians and Surtur's "Sons of Muspell" (i.e., his demon army) at the initial stage of the battle. The Asgardians could definitely use some back-up, and they get it from a most unexpected source:

The timely arrival of Major Sauleda and the 82nd Airborne!

These brave men may not have swords, but they can lay down fire and drop demons just the same.

Back in Asgard, Odin's wife, Frigga, is handling the evacuation of Asgard's children. But even Lord Odin can find himself stymied by a child's stubbornness:

Fortunately, Odin is no stranger to a child's wish to assert their bravery, and an "All-Father" knows a thing or two about psychology:

Let's go back a bit, to when Odin was assembling his forces to descend to Midgard--and where the lady Sif engages with Beta Ray Bill, Thor, and Odin in camaraderie which warriors going off to face a daunting campaign find comfort and fortitude in:

In a nice touch, Sif is clothed in an outfit similar to what she debuted in (as a grown-up, that is):

Finally, there's Karnilla, Queen of the Norns, who has yet to choose a side in this conflict. In her love of Balder the Brave, Karnilla in past encounters has preferred to use her leverage as a powerful ally to take a quid pro quo approach with Balder when she knows his back is against the wall--while Balder, in his allegiance to Asgard, has often resisted:

But this time, in petitioning her for aid against the forces of Surtur, Balder provides a surprise reaction to the queen, while completely turning the tables on her:

Let's just say it didn't take her long to saddle up.