Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Nyx, the Greek Goddess of Night, has slaughtered the Olympian pantheon and brought darkness to the universe. Voyager assembled a small band of ex-Avengers, and Rocket Raccoon, to oppose her but she kicked their butts last issue, and she's only running in low-power mode. To get up to full strength she needs to get back the 3(?) Night Shards of her soul that Zeus stole and hid long ago. She's sent some of her children after them, and Voyager teleported her Avengers in pursuit. But then Hawkeye woke up in a hospital bed with a missing thumb, and Hulk for company who's seeking revenge for Clint Barton 'killing' Bruce Banner during Civil War II.
Meanwhile Rocket Raccoon is (re-)living his own nightmare. He's being operated on by robots who turn him from an animal into an intelligent humanoid, Ranger Rocket, who can take their place as 1 of the wardens of the insane asylum that is Halfworld. Rocket breaks free as they finish the transformation and zaps the robots with a surgical laser. As he runs through the hospital he wonders where his old friends from those days are ...
... but instead runs into Hulk strangling Hawkeye. Rocket waves the laser and tells Hulk to stop. Hulk is willing to comply because he can *wait* for revenge. Clint will naturally get old and die. (Oh no he won't, he's a comic character! Get old that is. He's died already and probably will again.) And the Immortal Hulk (TM) will still be around to have the last laugh.
Clint suddenly realizes this situation doesn't make sense. Hulk congratulates him on catching on that this isn't a real hospital. He tells Barton to check his hands, and the missing thumb is back. And now Hawkeye has his costume and weapons as well. And Nightmare reveals himself as their tormentor.
Spectrum and Vision have been sent elsewhere. But suddenly they are joined by Hercules and Scarlet Witch popping out of their individual portals. Wanda Maximoff is blind because Nyx stuck her fingers into her brain in #1. And Vision's system is continuing to deteriorate.
Herc leads them towards a light and then recognises that they are in Omnipotence City (*not* in darkness). And the blind Witch senses something specific 'glowing' ahead of them. Monica Rambeau turns to energy to go and see what it is. But the Greek demi-god warns caution.
Nightmare threatens the other 3 heroes with worse nightmares if they don't help him achieve his goals. Rocket is suspicious. Why does the 'all-powerful' Nightmare need their help? How come he was able to leave his own nightmare and get into Hawkeye's? Nightmare tries to retain control but gives in when Hulk threatens him. He admits to being weakened.
He tells a tale of how long ago Zeus gave him a powerful dark crystal and told him to hide it. (Last issue Zeus said he'd left 1 of the Night Shards with an enemy in a place of dreams.) Nothing more happened for millennia until Hypnos (God of Sleep), 1 of the Queen Of The Night's sons, attacked Nighty's castle. He's out there now with an army of sleeping humans - without dreams so Nightmare can't affect them. And maybe he's caused all the world's population not to dream so Nightmare can't gain power from them. The army is battering at the walls and eventually the fortress will crumble and Hypnos will gain his goal.
Nightmare is too proud to beg for help, so he tried to get help by force. But Hawkeye is now willing to do whatever it takes to stop Hypnos getting the crystal. However Rocket and Hulk won't help without being paid. Nightmare says he has nothing to offer. Hulk gets a wicked grin. (But we'll have to wait for another issue to see what that's about.)
The other 4 heroes have walked into the city, with Vision guiding his ex-wife Wanda. Hercules explains that this is where the combined godly pantheons of the universe meet in parliament. 1 part of the building is the Library, and there they meet the aged Lord High Librarian who is *not* pleased to see mortals here. He knows why they are here but assures them that he has the Shard well hidden. (Zeus said he'd given 1 Shard to an ally in a place of knowledge.) But now blind Scarlet Witch tells them she can see it hanging round his neck (hidden by his long beard).
At that point Apate and Dolos, 2 more of Nyx's children, uncloak themselves. Spectrum realises that Nyx didn't *blind* Wanda, she gave her eyes to see. She leaves the other 3 to guard the Librarian and flies up as energy to fight the twins. But Dolos (Trickery) spreads his fog to fool the senses. And Apate (Deceit) throws her daggers which pass through Vision, Witch and Librarian to strike Hercules. They corrupt his sanity so that he blames his friends for failing to save his family, and he must now kill *them* in revenge.