Story continued from IRON MAN #35. With
Daredevil,
Iron Man,
Madame Masque, and
Kevin O’Brien trapped in
Zodiac’s headquarters, a mysterious voice is compelling
Nick Fury to take up the
Zodiac Key. After
DD provides a summary of
IRON MAN #35 (which this story continues from) and
AVENGERS #82 (for some reason), Fury is finally able to withstand the pressure no longer and he seizes the Key. As he turns it on everyone in the room, reality rips and the heroes and villains find themselves in a darkened chamber in the presence of the
Brotherhood of Ankh. The leader,
Lawholder, explains that the Key is the mystic valve which siphons the power of Ankh to the Key’s bearer; the Key is an ancient artifact which was designed to maintain the balance between Order and Chaos. But now the Key’s power is weakening and the Brotherhood has sent it to Earth where the forces of Good and Evil are still strong… An angry Kevin O’Brien protests their capture and is banished back to his home on Earth where he believes his experience has been a dream. The Lawholder then reveals that he has brought the heroes and villains there to battle and thus recharge the Zodiac Key. Though Daredevil balks at participating in such an absurd contest, the group is forced into combat. Daredevil is pitted against
Capricorn, Iron Man against
Spymaster, Madame Masque against
Aquarius, and Nick Fury versus
Sagittarius. The Brothers realize that DD is fighting a purely defensive battle, that his heart is not in the combat. So to further serve the Ankh, all the heroes and villains are returned to Earth….