"The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill"
First appearance of Beta Ray Bill.
*Thor's alter-ego Donald Blake is approached by Nick Fury and SHIELD to investigate the disappearance of a probe into deep space. When Thor arrives at his destination, he discovers a large space ship and is met with battle by a fierce creature hell-bent on stopping Thor for some mysterious reason.
During the fierce attack, Thor becomes separated from his mystical Uru hammer for 60 seconds and reverts back to Donald Blake. The mysterious warrior, (who reveals himself to be called Beta Ray Bill) picks up Blake's walking stick and uses it to strike a nearby wall. When he does, the stick (and Bill) transform into a new being dressed in garb similar to that of Thor! Odin appears and mistakes Beta Ray Bill for Thor. He speeds him back to Asgard, leaving a confused and seemingly abandoned Donald Blake behind. *Source: The_Valiant_One