Synopsis
New Avengers (2005 series) #53 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
The New Avengers have flown their ('borrowed') quinjet to New Orleans to help Doctor Strange find the person destined to be his replacement as Sorcerer Supreme so he can hand over the Eye of Agamotto. Ronin (Clint Barton) is having difficulty finding somewhere to park. Spider-Man (Peter Parker) is trying to assure Luke Cage that he shouldn't worry about the crush his now-wife had on Pete in High School, but he's just digging a bigger hole and Luke is getting more annoyed.
Suddenly the Eye floats up in front of Stephen Strange and shows images of all the possible claimants. DrS thinks what's happening is that the Eye is appearing to each of them simultaneously. And then it vanishes, possibly going to the new owner it has chosen.
But then there's another 'suddenly' as Madame Masque shoots at them with a rocket launcher. Wolverine tells Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) to open the bay door and he and Spidey jump out. Masque fires a machine gun at them. Logan shakes off the bullets and Peter dodges them. Whitney Frost fires another rocket which Strange magically dismantles in flight.
Now Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) glides out of the jet to confront Masque, who drops a couple of smoke grenades. The pair have a hand-to-hand (and foot-to-jaw) fight in the smoke. SW knocks MM off the roof, but she recovers and hides. DrS figures that her associate Hood is probably here too and may have taken the Eye. (He tried to take it off Strange in the last 2 issues.)
Hood certainly is here but he doesn't have the Eye because neither does his target Daimon Hellstrom, Son of Satan. Daimon didn't understand why this demon-possessed human was attacking him until the Eye just appeared between them, and just as suddenly disappeared. Now he fights back in earnest, and Dr Strange, Luke Cage, Mockingbird and pilot Ronin spot the blaze of magical energy from the quinjet.
Captain America (Bucky Barnes) and Ms Marvel have joined the other 3 on the rooftop. Healing Wolverine uses his senses to locate Masque. Ms Marvel and Spider-Man head off to get her. (Cap doesn't understand why both refused to take any of the guns Masque left behind.)
Hellstrom and Hood's fight has spilled outside. Hood has turned into his giant demon form when super-heavy Cage lands on him from a height. Dr Strange levitates down to join the battle. They both assume the Eye has chosen Daimon.
Carol and Peter have Whitney cornered but she's taken a woman hostage holding a gun to her head. Danvers gives her a count of 3 to surrender, then the newly-arrived Cap shoots her in her metal mask which knocks her out. Wolvie and Spider-Woman turn up, and they all can tell where the rest of the team is by the flames and flying debris.
Luke hits the demon Hood with a car. Stephen tells Daimon to run away because Hood mustn't get the Eye. But Hellstrom informs them that he doesn't *have* it. And then the real new owner, Brother Voodoo, drops in.