Eric Masterson is bowing under the pressure of being the new
human identity of Thor, God of Thunder. He is worried by the increasing spells
of weakness lately afflicting Thor, while concerned that a group of
supervillains has been targeting heroes. He changes into Thor—and pops up on
the radar of the Mystery Villain behind the Acts of Vengeance….
Eric returns home to be greeted by his son Kevin, who is
aware of his divorced parents’ custody battle for him. Hercules takes the boy out
to look at the constellations while Susan Austin hints at Eric marrying her to
provide a stable family for the boy but her delicacy makes Eric think she wants
him to give custody over to his ex. Then Jackie Lukus arrives and drags Eric
out to a meeting. On the balcony, Hercules, gazing at the stars, is suddenly
overcome with the feeling of fear (which started in issue #409)….
Later, Eric, leaving Jackie at her house, sees a news
headline about Doctor Strange and thinks the Sorcerer Supreme may be able to help
his divine alter ego. The next day, Eric and Herc head to the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Eric changes to Thor and he and Herc are ushered into the presence of Dr.
Strange by Wong….
The Mystery Villain dispatches Ulik the Troll to take on the
two gods, giving him an enchanted enhancer to boost his strength and sending
him through a portal near Strange’s domicile. From inside the building,
Hercules sees Ulik hammering at the magic force field protecting the house.
Feeling fearful and needing to prove his courage to himself, Herc goes out to
face the intruder, following after as Ulik runs away….
Dr. Strange has put Thor into a trance of inner questing. The
Thunder God finds himself in a dark and gloomy version of Asgard, accompanied by
Strange in his astral form. Suddenly he is attacked by his own doppelganger,
wearing his battle armor. Then Strange discovers Eric nearby, both confused as to
how he got there. The two Thors fight it out, each with their own Mjolnir. Bad
Thor topples a mountain on Good Thor and is shocked that the hero emerges
unharmed. Thor then unmasks his enemy as Loki. And we learn that the Mystery
Villain is Loki, having loaned some of his power to Thor during the Seth War
(issue #398) and established a bond between them. Having his demon exorcised,
Thor thanks Strange and, leaving Hercules to his own devices, heads off to warn
the Avengers about Loki’s scheme—which is exactly what Loki wanted him to do….
Story continues in AVENGERS WEST COAST #55.
“Defiance Means Death!”
Writer: Tom DeFalco. Pencils: Ron Lim. Inks: Mike DeCarlo.
Colors: Nel Yomtov. Letters: Michael Heiser.
Synopsis: A vengeful Beta Ray Bill fights his way through the
slaveship, bashing everyone in his path. Captain Orack forces the other slaves
to blast Bill with a psychic wave so Bill smashes though every wall to reach
them and Orack. Bill encourages the slaves to rebel; Orack insists that he is
in command and they must obey. Bill is knocked down and the slaves blast Orack
into a heap. Bill returns to the Great Fleet as the former slaves use the ship
to return to their homeworlds, powered by Orack and his men….