Roxxon CEO Dario Agger has been a thorn in Thor’s side since before Jane Foster became the Goddess of Thunder, but the villain has found himself at the mercy of other corporate malcontents in the current storyline of The Mighty Thor. While Thor is dealing with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents coming ever closer to discovering her secret identity, Silver Samurai and Exterminatrix have kidnapped Agger and are making their big assault on Roxxon’s island headquarters, and these two threads are about to converge in what is sure to be a thrilling battle.
Writer Jason Aaron just scored a Best Writer Eisner Award last month, and The Mighty Thor is his strongest superhero project, offering a smooth mix of intense action, rich mythology, and sociopolitical commentary while turning Jane Foster into a compelling lead character. The importance of artist Russell Dauterman and colorist Matthew Wilson cannot be understated when discussing the appeal of this title, and they are doing remarkably detailed, expressive work full of personality and energy.
The titular heroine doesn’t appear in these preview pages of next week’s The Mighty Thor #10, but the villains do, making an especially dramatic entrance as they launch their first strike on Roxxon’s base. Dauterman has a clear appreciation for Exterminatrix in particular, and while there’s no way for a character in that costume to not be sexualized, Dauterman balances that inherent eroticism with unflinching strength and confidence in her physicality. She dominates a room when she walks into it, and at the moment, she’s also dominating Agger, who is stuck on a leash in his underwear. Things don’t look good for the Roxxon CEO right now, but given the character’s history, he probably still has a few tricks up his sleeve now that he’s back on his home court.