Appearing in "For a Few Fists More!"
Marvel Team-Up #31
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Drom the Backwards Man (First appearance; dies) (Origin revealed)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "For a Few Fists More!"
Marvel Team-Up #31
Peter Parker is sitting down in a diner for a meal that is suddenly interrupted when Iron Fist kicks the mugger through a window into the restaraunt. Parker watches in awe as Iron Fist easily disarms the knife weilding man and steps out once the fight is done. Curious about this martial artist, Peter slips into a nearby alley to change into Spider-Man and follow after him so he can snap photos for the Daily Bugle. As Spider-Man follows after Iron Fist, he is unaware that the both are being observed by a strange man who speaks backwards. This is Drom the Backward Man, and he believes that these two heroes can provide him with enough power to continue living and follows after them. In order to accomplish this, the man uses a ray device to snap Spider-Man's web and cause him to land on top of Iron Fist.
Thinking that this is an attack, Iron Fist strikes back. Spider-Man's speed allows him to dodge a kick that is powerful enough to knock down a lamp post. Sure enough the two heroes begin to fight each other, much to Drom's delight. However, Spider-Man has a cooler head and uses his webbing to tie up Iron Fist. After explaining that someone shot his web, the pair agree to compare notes. Iron Fist rips free of the webbing and the pair sit down at a nearby playground to compare notes. Furious that they are no longer fighting, Drom uses his weapon to transform the sand around them into a massive four armed sand creature. Iron Fist is knocked out in the opening salvo, but Spider-Man manages to get the upper hand when he wraps the sand creature in webbing. Suddenly it is destroyed by Drom who reveals himself to his two targets. Spider-Man tries to fire a web at their foe, but it disinitgrates before making contact with Drom. While Spider-Man is still confused, Drom blasts him, knocking the hero out.
Spider-Man later wakes up in Drom's lab and finds himself tied to a chair. Using a device that translates his words, Drom explains his origins to the confined hero. He explains that after his birth, due to some bizarre twist of fate, he turned from an infant to an old man. Drom quickly learned that he was aging backward and began inventing the technology he needed to keep himself alive, from devices that transform food into material his reversed metabolism can eat, and drain the energies from people and objects that is reflected back at a specially made mirror that slows his reversed aging process. That's why he instigated the battle between Spider-Man and Iron Fist, in order to draw the power he needed. Now with Spider-Man his prisoner, Drom will drain the hero of all his energy. As Drom activates the device, Iron Fist comes crashing through the wall, having followed Drom from the scene of their battle.
After knocking Drom aside, Iron Fist frees Spider-Man and after Iron Fist is warned not to touch Drom, the pair quickly figure out a way to defeat their foe: the mirror. Grabbing the looking glass, the pair smash it on the ground. Suddenly, Drom begins to rapidly de-age until he no longer exists. In the aftermath of the battle, Spider-Man and Iron Fist find it hard to remember their ordeal, as though all memory of Drom is being erased. Hoping to keep some kind of record of the battle, Peter Parker returns to his apartment and records his account in the hope he will always remember this strange battle.
Appearing in "...And Deliver Us From--The Masters of Evil!"
Avengers #54
Featured Characters:
- Avengers
- Black Panther (T'Challa) (Main story and recap)
- Hawkeye
- The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne)
- Goliath (Hank Pym)
Supporting Characters:
- Black Knight (Dane Whitman) (Main story and flashback)
- Aragorn (Real name first revealed)
Antagonists:
- Crimson Cowl (First appearance)
- Masters of Evil (Reforms) (Main story and recap)
- Klaw (Joins) (Main story and recap)
- Whirlwind (David Cannon) (Joins)
- Melter (Bruno Horgan) (Main story and recap; rejoins team)
- Radioactive Man (Chen Lu) (Main story and recap; rejoins team)
Other Characters:
- Butler Jarvis
- Daily Bugle (Mentioned)
- Jarvis' mother (Mentioned)
- Numerous unnamed New Yorkers
- Fantastic Four (Mentioned) (Only in recap)
- Thor (Odinson) (Only in recap)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Only in recap)
- Nathan Garrett (Mentioned)
- Bill Foster
- The Great Baron Zemo (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Cyborgs (Main story and recap)
- Hyenas (Mentioned)
- Mutants
- Robots
- Winged Horses
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- United States (Main story and flashback)
- New York (Main story and flashback)
- New York City (Main story and flashback)
- Manhattan (Main story and flashback)
- Midtown (Main story and flashback)
- Lower East Side
- Ultron's Underground Base (First appearance)
- Bronx (Mentioned)
- Manhattan (Main story and flashback)
- New York City (Main story and flashback)
- Virginia (Only in flashback)
- Valley Road Drive (Only in flashback)
- Garrett Castle (Only in flashback)
- Valley Road Drive (Only in flashback)
- New York (Main story and flashback)
- Wakanda (Only in recap)
- United States (Main story and flashback)
Items:
- Panther Habit
- Hawkeye's Suit
- Wasp's Suit
- Goliath's Suit
- Sonic Disruptor
- Black Knight Armor (Main story and flashback)
- Mjolnir (Only in recap)
- Iron Man Armor Model 2 (Only in recap)
- Transistor-powered ejector (Only in recap)
- Black Knight's Power Lance (Only in flashback)
- Ebony Blade
- Hawkeye's Bow and Trick Arrows
- Melting Ray MK II
- Bio-Synthetic Wings
- Adhesive X
Synopsis for "...And Deliver Us From--The Masters of Evil!"
Avengers #54
Jarvis betrays the Avengers, to the new Masters of Evil, by explaining the layout of the HQ and traps. The Black Knight tries to warn the Avengers but is captured in a trap. However, his horse Aragorn escapes to complete the message. The Avengers do not receive the message in time, and they are attacked and captured by the Masters of Evil. The Crimson Cowl they were taking orders from turns out to be a robot, and the true Crimson Cowl is Edwin Jarvis himself!
Appearing in "O Grave Where is Thy Victory?"
Doctor Strange #176
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Al (Only in flashback)
- Sons of Satannish
Other Characters:
- Herman (cab driver)
- Denak (Invoked)
- Ikonn (Invoked)
- Oshtur (Invoked)
- Munnopor (Invoked)
- Raggadorr (Invoked)
- Hoggoth (Invoked)
- Faltine (Invoked)
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Faltine Hybrids
- Demons (Invoked)
- Faltine (Invoked)
Locations:
Items:
- Cloak of Levitation
- Eye of Agamotto
- Book of the Vishanti
- Crystal of Conquest
- Satan Sphere
- Spells
- Demons of Denak (Invoked)
- Images of Ikonn (Invoked)
- Moons of Munnopor (Invoked)
- Ribbons of Nihility
- Cube of Nothingness
- Rings of Raggadorr (Invoked)
- Hosts of Hoggoth (Invoked)
- Flames of the Faltine
Synopsis for "O Grave Where is Thy Victory?"
Doctor Strange #176
While searching for Clea, Doctor Strange comes into combat with members of the Sons of Satannish, however his initial battle against them turns up no leads. Meanwhile, Asmodeus manipulates Clea into doing their bidding, ordering her to return to Doctor Strange's Sanctum, murder Doctor Strange and steal the Book of Vishanti from him.
When Clea returns, Doctor Strange casts a spell to learn what the Sons are up to, and allows Clea to take the book so that he can follow her to the Sons' base. There, Doctor Strange battles Asmodeus, however Asmodeus is able to overpower Strange with his Crystal of Conquest, and relinquish not only the Book of Vishanti, but Strange's Cloak of Levitation and the Eye of Agamotto before ordering them to death.