In the ruins of Asgard, Thor is engaged in battle with Ulik the Troll whose strength has been augmented by scientific means. Diablo the Master of Alchemy appears and uses a potion to render the Destroyer armor inert and easy to remove. As Thor calls down lightning from the sky, the alchemist casts a spell which causes the bolts to hit the God of Thunder himself. When the smoke clears the two villains are gone, the dangerous Destroyer armor with them….
Iron Man awakens in a dark version of the traditional heaven. The High Evolutionary disables the armor so he can converse with Tony Stark. He introduces Tony to a conceptual environment where his New Men carry out his researches and experiments. The Evolutionary explains his latest plan to Tony: he intends to create a new god for the 21st century, combining the mystery of the diving with the essence of science and to that end he is blending advanced technology with arcane devices. He then informs Tony that he will be the vessel for this new God. Diablo, Ulik, and Crimson Dynamo arrive with the Destroyer armor, which will be another component of the project. Tony eagerly agrees to be part of the project—stalling to give his armor’s security system the time to counter the High Evolutionary’s immobilization device.
Meanwhile, Thor has used a dragon as a bloodhound to track Diablo to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington. There, in an exhibit of alchemical treatises, Thor finds a picture of Diablo’s Hermetica and is drawn in to the conceptual space. Crimson Dynamo forces the Thunder God back into the museum for battle just as the immobilization device is rendered inert. Iron Man powers up his armor, ready to face his foes….