Synopsis
Avengers Island is sitting atop a solidified column of lava which is now crumbling away and threatening to drop the team’s island HQ into the harbor. Jarvis, the only one occupying the building, is desperately radioing for help. His message is picked up by Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman who hurry to the site. At Reed’s suggestion, Sue creates a wedge-shaped force field to hold the island level while Reed tries to raise Jarvis….
In the underground cavern, the Avengers (Captain America, Thor, She-Hulk, Black Panther, Gilgamesh, Sub-Mariner, Quasar) are battling the avenging avatar of Cha’sa’dra, directed by Jinku, the Lava Men’s witchdoctor, and losing. The monster spits lava all over Gilgamesh, instantly solidifying into a stone prison from which he soon escapes. She-Hulk attacks and is clobbered. Black Panther tries to overpower Jinku but the villain directs the monster to hurl Sub-Mariner at him. Thor calls up a hurricane but Cap warns that it may bring down the cavern’s walls. The heat is increasing, causing the heroes to pass out one-by-one….
As Sue begins to weaken, Wonder Man arrives and holds up the island while Sue takes a breather. Reed directs Sue to make her force field spiral around the stone column….
As the Avengers continue to battle the flaming avatar, Jinku rehearses the history of the Lava Men and denounces the heroes for killing his god. She-Hulk again tries to explain that Cha’sa’dra was no god, just a minor demon they killed but Jinku won’t have it. Thor, Gilgamesh, and Jen strike the monster at once, bringing the cavern roof down on it but it immediately rises again. Gilgamesh, desiring the sole victory, takes it on singlehandedly and the avatar hits him so hard it hurls him across the cavern and he lies there, apparently dead. Jinku claims the victory but, to his surprise, his acolytes, turned to stone, have merged as glorious golden forms. They appeal to Jinku to put away his anger and accept the transformation and a light smack shatters his lava form, exposing his new golden body. After some explanations, Jinku apologizes to the Avengers…but Gilgamesh still looks dead….