At the siege of Asgard, Ares finds himself in combat with King Balder, telling the Norse god he is getting what he deserves. Heimdall appears to correct him, proving he has been deceived by Norman Osborn….
As Osborn and his Dark Avengers stand over the fallen Thor, a rocket hits the madman full in the chest. It was fired by Maria Hill, who lays down covering fire so a local guy named Jason can load the unconscious Thunder God into his pickup and whisk him away to safety. Elsewhere, Steve Rogers, Captain America, has assembled a team of heroes to head to the rescue of their friends and to overthrow the dark reign of Norman Osborn.
In Asgard, the betrayed Ares challenges Osborn to battle but the demented Sentry rushes to his master’s rescue and, after a brief struggle, kills the God of War by ripping him in half, to the shock of all who witness it.
At the Avengers Hideout, the heroes prepare for action: though both Steve and Bucky will be wearing the Captain America colors, Bucky insists Steve take back his shield. Jarvis gives Cap a small suitcase for Tony Stark. Nick Fury tells Phobos that he must stay behind because of his age and because he is Ares’ son. They set out in an ultra-fast SHIELD transport….
In Broxton, Wolverine (Daken) is on the trail of Maria Hill and the wounded Thor. Suddenly he is immolated by a bolt of lightning from the Thunder God. Osborn orders the Sentry to kill Thor…when the villain is contacted by Taskmaster, advising him to turn around. Osborn turns and we see reflected in his armored faceplate a red-white-and-blue shield coming closer….