—Sentinel 1They must not escape! Prepare stun rays! Aim stun rays!
Appearing in "The Thunder God Strikes Back"
Featured Characters:
- Thor (Main story and flashback)
- Dr. Donald Blake (Main story and flashback)
Supporting Characters:
- Jane Foster (Main story and flashback)
Antagonists:
- Cobra (Klaus) (Main story and flashback)
- Mister Hyde (Calvin Zabo) (Main story and flashback)
Other Characters:
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Asgardians (Main story and flashback)
- Snakes (Mentioned)
- Cats (Mentioned)
- Frost Giants (Mentioned)
Realities:
Locations:
- Earth
- United States of America
- New York
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Donald Blake's Medical Practice (Main story and flashback)
- The Colosseum's Heavy Machinery Show (Main story and flashback)
- Jail (Mentioned)
- Manhattan
- New York City
- New York
- United States of America
Items:
- Mjolnir (Main story and flashback)
Synopsis for "The Thunder God Strikes Back"
When the Cobra fails to retrieve it, Mr. Hyde rips open the machine and gives Blake his cane. Blake charges into the crowd again, and uses their fleeing panic for cover as he changes back into Thor.
During his battle against both the Cobra and Mr. Hyde, the police storm the building, just as Thor has his foes on the ropes. Mr. Hyde escapes by changing into his alter ego of Calvin Zabo. After the Cobra is apprehended by the police, Thor searches for Mr. Hyde, little knowing that Hyde (as Zabo) is following him.
Zabo changes back into his guise of Mr. Hyde and attacks Thor when he least expects it, knocking Thor's hammer from his hand. Thor decides that he can defeat Mr. Hyde with his bare hands before the 60-second limit on his powers runs out. Thor takes advantage of Mr. Hyde's temper to defeat him, and then turns him over to the police.
Changing back to Donald Blake, Thor returns to his office to spend time with Jane Foster. Jane storms out on Blake, after hearing on television the story of how Blake "betrayed" Thor, by "aiding" Mr. Hyde and the Cobra. Slamming the door behind her, Foster leaves Blake wondering about the price he paid in order to defeat his foes.Appearing in "The Supreme Sacrifice!"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Dr. Bolivar Trask (Death)
- Sentinels
- Master Mold
- Sentinel MK I (Destroyed)
- Sentinel 1/Section Leader (Destroyed)
- Sentinel 2 (Destroyed)
- Sentinel 3-D (Destroyed)
- Sentinel 3-R (Destroyed)
- Sentinel 4 (Destroyed)
- Sentinel 5 (Destroyed)
- Sentinel 6 (Destroyed)
- Sentinel 7 (Destroyed)
- Sentinel F (Only appearance; destroyed)
- Sentinel T (Destroyed)
- Sentinel O (Destroyed)
Other Characters:
- NYPD Officers
- Magneto (Max Eisenhardt) (Shadow only)
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- Police helicopter
Synopsis for "The Supreme Sacrifice!"
The X-Men have been defeated and captured by the Sentinels leaving Professor X the only member of the group uncaptured. Having recovered from his failed attempt at trying to shut down Master Mold with his mental powers, Xavier witnesses the Sentinel base retract back into the ground, and decides to take a different approach to defeating this robotic menace. Deciding to go back to examine the deactivated robot at the television station, he mentally summons a passerby to pick him up and drive him into the city.
Meanwhile, the X-Men have been imprisoned in a transparent cage, pinned to its surface by artificial gravity. Try as they might, they cannot break free. When Master Mold gets all the information he can from the Beast, he deems the X-Men a paltry threat and orders the Beast be caged with his comrades. When Bolivar Trask asks Master Mold what he intends to do with the X-Men, the robot responds by telling him that he intends to eventually destroy them as per Trask's programming. Having realized the errors of his ways, Trask denounces this but Master Mold is unswayed and threatens to destroy a nearby town if Trask doesn't agree to build more Sentinels.
Back in New York City, the Professor is brought to the television station, where he first encountered the Sentinels, and where one of their numbers still lays inert. Secretly probing the robot with his mental powers before a perplexed police officer, the Professor learns that the Sentinel has a receiver unit much like a television set and that something must have caused interference. Looking out the window, he notices that the cause is a giant crystal on display atop the Crystal Products Building. This gives the Professor just the idea on how to destroy Master Mold and the other Sentinels.
Back at the Sentinel base, the other X-Men feel the artificial gravity of their cell weaken as the Sentinels prepare to put the Beast in the cell with them. Cyclops organizes the X-Men and when a small opening is made in their transparent prison, they attack and break free. The Sentinels are caught off guard and trip over themselves as the X-Men gain the advantage and take out their captors with their mutant powers. The X-Men make a break for it; however, the Sentinels recover and fire their stun beams at the young mutants, knocking them out. They are preparing to kill the X-Men when they suddenly collapse. It is because at that very moment outside, Professor X and the authorities have arrived in three helicopters carrying a giant crystal. Suddenly, the high tech Sentinel base rises out of the ground and a giant cyclone firing cannon begins to attack the helicopters.
Inside, the X-Men revive and are alerted telepathically by the Professor of the Sentinels's weaknesses. Rushing off to face Master Mold, the X-Men are startled when the lights begin to go out as some giant machine beneath their feet begins operating, causing fuses all over the complex to blow. This is because Trask has begun the operations that allow Master Mold to create new Sentinels. Master Mold harnesses powerful electrical energy, channeling it into a device that will construct eight new and more powerful Sentinel robots.
Realizing that with enough power, Master Mold can go on producing Sentinels forever and dominate all mankind, Trask finally decides that he cannot allow such a thing to happen, no matter the cost. Denouncing Master Mold one more time and finding that his life is sacrifice, Trask smashes a vital machine in the lab causing a massive explosion. The X-Men, just in the outside corridor, are rocked by the explosion. The heat from the flames causes Iceman to pass out, prompting Beast to rescue his friend before he gets crushed under falling debris. As the complex is falling down around their heads, the X-Men manage to escape the destruction with the help of Marvel Girl's telekinetic powers.
Outside, there is a close call as Beast carries Iceman out of the complex when the wall begins to crumble. Passing his unconscious comrade to the Angel, Beast quickly runs down the side of the complex by himself just moments before it explodes. Watching the destruction, the X-Men wonder what might have happened down there, completely unaware that Trask had learned the errors of his ways and sacrificed himself in order to save humanity from Sentinel domination.
With the threat of the Sentinels over, the X-Men are unaware that back at their mansion, someone lurks in the shadows waiting for their return to pose as a new threat to the group of mutants.
This story is continued next issue....Appearing in "No Title Given"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Dr. Felda
- Dr. Felda's assistant (unnamed)
Antagonists:
- The Master
- A Giant Beast-Man (unnamed)
Synopsis for "No Title Given"
Johnny suddenly realizes that he can fly! He tests his new power and then goes back to work. Meanwhile, The Master, head of the S.S.S., has heard of Johnny and wants to learn what the full extent of his powers might be (in case he creates trouble for the S.S.S. in the future.) He orders two lackeys, Dr. Felda and his assistant, to use their "Evolution Speeder" to create their own man of the future from a single-celled organism. They reluctantly comply but, minutes later, something goes wrong. The machine explodes and out steps a twenty feet tall savage, primitive man from the Stone-Age!
Appearing in "Hawkeye, the Marksman!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Hawkeye (First appearance)
- Unnamed crook
- Black Widow (Madame Natasha)
Other Characters:
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
Items:
- Iron Man Armor Model 2
- Iron Man's Briefcase
- Hawkeye's Suit, Bow and Trick Arrows (First appearance)
Synopsis for "Hawkeye, the Marksman!"
They visit Coney Island (because Tony secretly doesn't want to go to a place too romantic) and walk by a marksman being sneered at by his audience. Shortly after, a pinwheel ride loses control, endangering the lives of the people on it and bystanders alike. Tony excuses himself, claiming to have to make a call to the factory, and suits up as Iron Man. He puts the full power of his armor against the flying pinwheel, and stops it. From his stand, the marksman observes with jealousy how Iron Man is getting everybody's attention.
Once he returns to his house, the archer uses his basement workshop to make a costume and customized arrow tips. He becomes the costumed adventurer Hawkeye, so people would "never again (...) sneer at his performance." After leaving the workshop, Hawkeye uses one of his trick arrows to pull himself to a rooftop, from where he witnesses a thief stealing jewelry. He uses an arrow to immobilize the thief to a post and then ropes down to the street. However, the thief managed to escape while Hawkeye was going down, and left his loot. When he's inspecting the stolen goods, Hawkeye is spotted by two police officers, who mistake him for the thug's partner. Hawkeye decides to flee, thinking the cops would never believe he's innocent. While running, Hawkeye is stopped by a car, whose driver lets Hawkeye get in to escape. The driver is none other than the mysterious villainess Black Widow, who captivates Hawkeye with her beauty.
As they drive to Black Widow's hideout, she praises Hawkeye and tells him he might be the ally she needs. They arrive at the hideout, and Black Widow leads Hawkeye through a lavishly furnished estate until they reach a stairway leading them to a laboratory. Hawkeye sees he could use the equipment to build stronger arrowheads, and asks the Widow what does she need. Now that he's captivated by her charm, Hawkeye is easily convinced to go up against Iron Man.
Meanwhile, in Stark Industries, Iron Man is changing back to his civilian identity, regretting his behavior towards Pepper, and decides to step up his game and take her to a glamorous dinner. However, when he arrives to his office, Happy is asking Pepper for a date, and she accepts in order to show Tony that "he's not the only fish in the sea," and out of resentment for their date at Coney Island.
A short distance away from Stark's factory, Hawkeye uses a suction cup arrow to jump into a van approaching the plant. Once the truck passes through the guarded entrance gate, Hawkeye gets off and pulls himself to a rooftop. He starts using explosive arrows to catch Iron Man's attention. When the Golden Avenger confronts Hawkeye, the archer uses arrows tipped with a chemical that quickly rusts Iron Man's armor upon impact. The hero is forced to flee, leaving behind the rusted parts. By the time Hawkeye reaches the spot where Iron Man had been, he only finds the discarded armor parts and decides to steal them in order to learn the secrets of Stark's tech.
In another section of the plant, Stark gets his hands on an emergency armor duplicate, but he's missing its right boot, and can't go on without being exposed. He finally finds the boot, which had been left in another area because it needed replating. Now that he's fully armored, Iron Man goes after Hawkeye, having heard a car speed away a few minutes ago. He sees only one car on the road, racing away from the factory and heavily damages it with an intensified blast from his power ray. Hawkeye is forced to exit the trashed vehicle, and he has ran out of rusting-fluid arrow to confront his opponent.
Iron Man easily repels Hawkeye's attacks with a magnetic repulsor ray, and he tries to power dive onto his enemy at top speed. However, Hawkeye uses an arrow that expands into nylon rope strands and tangles Iron Man up. After breaking free, Iron Man follows Hawkeye to the piers at the edge of LaGuardia airport, and hits the pier Hawkeye is standing on with such strength it breaks, ultimately causing Hawkeye to fall into the water. The Golden Avenger retrieves his enemy and leaves him lying on the floor. He turns his back on Hawkeye in order to retrieve the armor parts from Hawkeye's car. Hawkeye was faking being unconscious and fires his most powerful explosive arrow, a "demolition blast warhead" at Iron Man. To Hawkeye's surprise, the demolition blast ricochets off Iron Man's armor, while still knocking the Golden Avenger down, and it hits Black Widow, who was on the pier, waiting for Hawkeye. Fearing that his loved one would be fatally injured, Hawkeye carries Black Widow to the boat and they escape. Iron Man recovers from the staggering blow and decides to give chase. However, the fog gets thick and he remembers he's at the edge of LaGuardia airport, and decides to not go airborne, as it would be a menace to the planes taking off and landing. Also because of the fog, Iron Man can't recognize the Black Widow as the woman ally of Hawkeye.
After returning to his factory, Iron Man changes back to his civilian identity of Tony Stark, and decides to trudge through the beach outside his factory because he had nothing to do but wait for morning.