Synopsis / Summary / Plot
In the past umpteen issues corrupt lawyer Kerwin Broderick has tricked Moondragon into thinking San Francisco is infested with her enemies the Thralls of Thanos. She created super-powered henchmen for him:- Angar the Screamer, Dark Messiah and Ramrod. Now she has given him Terrex. But Daredevil has opened her eyes and she realises she's been duped. She's now fighting alongside DD, Black Widow and their policeman friend Paul Carson.
She has turned Dark Messiah back into the human she evolved him from. We don't know where Angar is at this moment. But Ramrod is here with Broderick who is going to merge with Terrex to get absolute power. Now read on.
Moondragon explains that Terrex has been created from the life-force of the planet giving it power over life and death (as we saw last issue). It is mindless but it is linked to Broderick's mind. So far he has only been remote-controlling it, but now he will merge with it and it will become *his* body. And Broderick does just that.
He says that now he has the power to suck all life out of the city. He gives SanFran 1 hour to surrender to him. DD swings in on his billy-cable to double-kick the monster in the head. But falls with paralysed legs, crippled by the brief contact. Widow and Moondragon carry him to Lieutenant Carson's patrol car. But the hero is despondent because he can't see how they can win this 1.
Jason Sloan, the other partner in the law firm of Kerwin Broderick and Matt Murdock, is watching events on TV with his secretary. He realises that he'd blinded himself to what Broderick had been doing. But now he rushes out saying he's got to do something about it.
Our 4 characters fail to persuade Police Commissioner O'Hara of the gravity of the situation. O'Hara is even more brusque than usual. After he storms out of his office Paul sees a telegram on O'Hara's desk informing him that his brother has been killed in Africa. And we are reminded (or learn?) that his wife was killed a year ago by a bullet aimed at *him*. Meanwhile DD's legs have nearly recovered. And another cop bursts in with news that Captain Marvel is fighting Terrex in Golden Gate Park.
It seems that the Titanians know all about Terrex, and Mar-Vell flies too fast for the lumbering monster to touch him with his power. So Broderick tells Ramrod to deal with the annoying foe. In the ensuing battle Ramrod uses his cyborg strength and his steel-plated skull. But CM uses that strength against him judo-style, and also displays psychological insight into Ramrod's character. His final trick is to use the clashing of his Nega-Bands to temporarily blind his foe, causing him to smash through a wall and bury himself in rubble and some machinery.
Of course the Nega-Bands made him exchange places with Rick Jones in the Negative Zone. But the smaller youth presumably dodged agilely out of the way and now slips off for an ice-cream. Mar-Vell mentally contacts him from the Neg Zone saying the battle's not yet over. But Rick says they need some down-time after Mar-Vell's cosmic metamorphosis in his #29 and an adventure in Marvel Team-Up #16-17. But then our 4 characters arrive by police helicopter.
But now we also find out what's happening with David Angar. He had come to join Terrex with his girlfriend Janice. But Terrex sensed that Janice was against the idea so it aged her to death. David is now even more conflicted than usual. His hippy ideals and his anger management problems had made him a radical activist. He had got his superhuman vocal power from Broderick and Moondragon because he thought it would help him bring about a better world. But now he's going to turn his anger on Terrex and Broderick.
The police take Ramrod into custody. Daredevil's changed his tune. He's now gung-ho but Moondragon and Black Widow now urge caution. Better to surrender to Broderick to save the city while they find a way to defeat Terrex. Rick switches back to Captain Marvel to help DD. But Matt Murdock thinks he's another attacker until Moondragon introduces them. CM says the Titanians will be pleased that she survived Thanos' destruction of the Shao-Lom monastery (see #105). Natasha Romanoff finally really believes Moondragon's origin story.
Mar-Vell then summarises the plot of the Thanos War (from his title and our #105). Evil Thanos has taken over Titan from his father Mentor. His mercenary army has invaded other worlds as well (which contradicts Jim Starlin's version) and now has come to Earth seeking the Cosmic Cube (he already got hold of it in CM#28). But now he adds new info. Terrex was designed on Titan as a scorched-earth weapon to use against Thanos but the scientist was killed before he could use it. Moondragon is the only other person who understood the science and she brought it to Earth.
CM also says that Terrex, a being of life, can be destroyed by un-life, as matter can be destroyed by anti-matter. Death is just the absence of life, as a vacuum is the absence of matter (and anti-matter). His cosmic awareness tells him that un-life exists but unfortunately isn't available here. So after that waffle he says they'll have to defeat Kerwin Broderick rather than Terrex.
While they concoct a plan Jason Sloan confronts Broderick/Terrex. He blames himself for helping Broderick achieve his aims, and tries to kill him with a pistol. Of course the bullets have no effect on Terrex. Sloan then breaks down and asks Terrex to kill him because he deserves to die. Broderick just laughs.
But then Daredevil turns up as blind lawyer Matt Murdock. Broderick is too confused to kill him immediately, and this is part of the plan. Then angry Angar arrives too and uses his scream to cause everyone to see reality mutating in front of their senses. Matt uses the opportunity to personally attack Terrex (with acrobatic leaps without the aid of billy-cable). Those who aren't privy to his secret id assume this is all part of the illusions cast by Angar. Murdock also doesn't suffer the crippling touch that DD did earlier because confused Broderick can't focus Terrex's power. Captain Marvel joins in with his flying fists, and Black Widow with her Widow's Bite.
But then CM breaks off and tells Moondragon she can use Angar's illusions to stop Terrex. David Angar protests that he can't control his illusions. Moonstone enters his mind and does the job for him. The world turns completely black. As the criminally-insane Broderick's mind starts to crumble he sees a large egg floating before him. Terrex hits out at it and as it breaks it pours (the illusion of) un-life all over him.
The next thing we see is Terrex gone and Broderick's lifeless body. Angar's power is drained too. And Captain Marvel flies off to continue his campaign against Thanos.