In the New Bedlam Asylum for the
Criminally Inclined, one inmate, the sorcerer Xandu, finally achieves his goal:
he has summoned the powerful Wand of Watoomb to him and he frees himself from
his straitjacket and dons his familiar wizard’s garb and monocle. He blasts his
former keepers and controls the minds of the inmates, testing them by making
them try to break through the iron gate, injuring themselves in the process. He
then calls down cosmic winds to shatter the gateway. Captain America, hearing
the commotion, comes to investigate and he is mobbed by the inmates, trying to
protect himself while not hurting them. Cap confronts Xandu who uses the Wand
to blow Cap away with the wind, slamming him into a tree. But Doctor Strange,
Spider-Man, and Scarlet Witch come to his rescue; Xandu sets the inmates on
them and they also have to subdue the inmates without harming them. Xandu
teleports away, leaving the heavy winds to batter the heroes but his absence
leaves the inmates directionless and harmless. Strange explains to Cap that the
Orb of Agamotto detected the return of the Wand of Watoomb so he picked up
Spidey and Wanda, as indicated by his Tarot deck though he couldn’t reach the
third hero indicated, Ghost Rider, and headed to the asylum. But Strange’s card
was upside down, indicating something wrong. Deducing from the villain’s
comments that he is heading to the Death Dimension, they intend to go there but
Strange doesn’t want Cap along as he was not chosen by the cards. Cap is a bit
miffed but he sets himself to getting the injured asylum personnel to the
hospital….
So Strange uses the Crystal of
Kadavus to locate the Wand and they enter the Death Dimension. As they approach
the door to Castle Skull, they are beset by minor death demons which bring to
their minds the deaths of those closest to them. They fight them off mentally
and enter the castle to find an army of green-skinned demon lords protecting
the throne. Strange disperses them and they find the realm’s ruler Melinda
Morrison in suspended animation. The demons attack and the heroes fight but
their abilities, both magical and non-magical, do little to stop them. Xandu is
standing behind the throne and he announces that he and Melinda will be the
Emperor and Empress of the Death Dimension, despite his arrival having caused
her coma and their presence together destabilizing the realm. He also reveals
that with the power of the Wand he will merge Earth and the Death Dimension…..
Back in New York City, Captain
America is with the police when the dark storm returns over the city with the
destructive Winds of Watoomb….