Your comments made me imagine a Norse variant where when you retire Ragnarok starts and you just fight giants, monsters, and other uniques until you (inevitably) die. 
(Also, I recall Garm and Tyr fight each other at Ragnarok, but it was Fenrir that bit his hand off wasn't it?)

(Also, I recall Garm and Tyr fight each other at Ragnarok, but it was Fenrir that bit his hand off wasn't it?)
(Somehow, just walking up to Thor and handing him the hammer in mid-battle doesn't feel the same!) The other Big Bads will be Surtr (the fire giant who burns Freyr), Fenrir (the wolf who swallows Odin), and Garm (the dog who mauls Tyr). Nidhogg, the dragon under the World Tree, will become the Super Big Bad: the player doesn't HAVE to fight him after beating the first four bosses, but (like Melkor in ToME) Nidhogg will challenge veteran players who want a special victory message on their character sheet.
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