Synopsis / Summary / Plot
On the beach near Rick Jones’ honeymoon cottage, the Hulk, possessed by Dr. Strange’s aetheric double “Stevens,” is engaged in battle with his counterpart “Strange.” The latter implores Rick to merge with him and give him the power to destroy the invading virus which is “Stevens” and free Hulk. The interloper’s technomagick combined with Hulk’s strength overwhelms “Strange” and “Stevens” shreds his foe into little tiny pieces. Rick continues to refuse the fragmented “Strange” but leaps onto the Hulk’s back to try to distract “Stevens,” earning him a toss in the ocean. The possessed Hulk goes back to hunting down the remaining bits of his foe, which are burrowing into the sand.
Meanwhile, the real Doctor Strange is still in his Sanctum Sanctorum, preparing for the final battle with Salome. The Lilin captive Nil offers to help but one of Dr. Strange’s aetheric snares is prematurely sprung, endangering the sorcerer…. Back on the beach, Rick insults Bruce Banner, claiming that Hulk has welcomed this possession to remove him of all responsibility for the rampage. The anger excited allows Bruce Banner’s mind to assert itself and understand what has been happening. At this moment, “Strange,” drawing on his Earth magic through contact with the sand, reconstitutes himself and knocks the Hulk flat on his back. “Stevens’ and “Strange” decide to merge into a partnership and the two mystical beings depart. Rick assures his old friend that what he said was merely a ploy to get him angry and the two wonder is they will ever see these doppelgangers again.
In an epilogue, the sorceress Salome, hiding in a remote cave and griping about her betrayal by the Immortals, is suddenly brought before her offended gods, where she pleads for their help in destroying Stephen Strange.