Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Fed up with being attacked by Kang from the future then original Avengers decided to take the fight to *him*. They went to use Dr Doom's time machine in the Baxter Building but the Fantastic Four were away and even Iron Man (secretly Tony Stark) and Giant-Man couldn't figure out how to make it work. However chance events did turn it on and it fetched Sindri, king of the Asgardian Dwarves, from his feasting hall in Nidavellir. Not happy, he detected traces of Thor and blamed *him* and demanded to be sent back. A fight ensued during which Sindri took control of the Thunder God's hammer Mjolnir, which after all he and his Dwarves had created.
Sindri and Thor continue their argument. The Dwarf hurls Mjolnir which severely damages a nearby building so the other Avengers leave them to it to go help civilians. Giant-Man grows several storeys high to prop the building up while Shellhead's repulsors break up falling rubble and Captain America herds people out of danger. Wasp takes over getting them to safety leaving Cap free to throw his shield to knock the hammer out of Sindri's grasp. But overconfident Thor doesn't think he needs it to defeat a Dwarf, allowing the king to summon Mjolnir back into his hand and belt his foe with it. They tussle for the magic weapon until the Thunder God summons lightning which makes his opponent let go.
The Dwarf King refuses to surrender and causes the pavement to open up and swallow him. The team see a hole leading down into the depths breaking utility lines and pipes and then closing up to stop them following him. Thor doesn't know whether Sindri has found a way home or if he's still on Midgard planning more mischief. He also doesn't know how to respond when Wasp flirts with him.
We see the Dwarf King walking past huge machinery and not noticing Moloids watching him from the shadows. Nor does he realise he's standing in the footprint of 1 of the giant monsters that lurk down here. But he attracted by smoke the fire-glow to where Lava Men watch their shaman Jinku calling on their gods. Jinku spots him and orders his followers to capture the intruding spy. But then they sense Sindri's power over the flames of a forge and bow down before him.
In the far future Kang berates his minion Baltag for daring to suggest that something his lord wants is impossible. He insists that they can't see into the past. But Kang is determined to discover the Avengers' weakest moment so that he can capture them and bring them to the future to destroy them.
'Meanwhile' the team convene in Avengers Mansion, but they only have time to summarise the situation before they have another menace to face - volcanic lava flowing down the streets of Manhattan. They correctly jump to the conclusion that it's the Lava Men (who they fought recently in their #5), and Thor also correctly guesses that they are in league with Sindri. But for now they leap to the aid of civilians again. Cap rescues a man from atop his lava-trapped car just before it explodes beneath him, and they surf to safety on his shield. The Golden Avenger rescues 2 more people and Giant-Man grabs a whole truckload. Thor rustles up a snowstorm to put the fires out.
But then they are surrounded by Lava Men and all but the flying Wasp are soon submerged in burning-hot bodies. Her sting doesn't have much effect. And then Sindri appears from below to grab Mjolnir again. He bites Thor's arm to make him let go, and gives the Asgardian an ultimatum - send him home or he'll use the hammer to conquer Midgard. And then he disappears underground again, and the Lava Men follow him. A Daily Bugle photographer (not Peter Parker) snaps the scene ...
... and Kang sees the front page scoop from the future and knows that *this* is the weak point he was looking for.