—ThorNo matter what the cost, I must again locate the Absorbing Man! For I have pledged my Very life to the defense of Earth! And, so long as the deadly menace exists unchecked, all mankind is in the gravest danger!
Appearing in "The Vengeance of the Thunder God!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Harris Hobbs
- unnamed policemen
- Ann
- John
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
Items:
- Absorbing Man's Ball and Chain
- Mjolnir
- Laevateinn (First appearance)
Synopsis for "The Vengeance of the Thunder God!"
Thor was in the middle of a fight with the Absorbing Man, Crusher Creel, when he was alerted by Balder the Brave of the danger to Jane Foster; she had been kidnapped by Loki and brought back to Asgard. Meanwhile, the Absorbing Man had wandered off to cause trouble without the hindrance of Thor. The Thunder God immediately went to face his scheming half-brother, Loki. The two fought and exchanged insults, while Foster looked on in wonder and fear, not sure why she was the pawn in their fight.
Back on Midgard, reporter Harris Hobbs, helps the police in their search for Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man, and explains to them what his powers are. Creel has in the meantime found a house in the suburbs, needing sleep and food, and walks in to take what he needs. Back in Asgard, Thor and Loki battle on, Loki tries to freeze the air around Thor, but he breaks out immediately, "The rage in my heart, the justice of my cause, the strength in my sinews, these are the spells which shall defeat the master of evil!!" At that moment, Odin causes an explosion of rock between them, and scolds them for engaging "in private conflict which hath not the approval of Odin". Loki then tries to blame the fight on Thor, claiming that he brought his mortal love, Jane Foster to Asgard to make her immortal as well, just as she faints, the strain of the ordeal too much. Odin is not sure who to believe, knowing that Loki is a trickster. He then calls for a "Trial of the Gods!" Thor then asks his father for 48 hours, to return Foster to her home and to defeat the Absorbing Man. After Foster is safely back in her home, Thor uses his powers to make her forget what she saw in Asgard.
Back on Earth, Creel is imposing his will on a couple in the Suburbs. They try to make him leave, but it is no use. Nearby, the police are closing in on him, while Thor arrives to help. The police find the house that Creel entered, while Thor tries to convince them not to try to take him down without his help. The reporter Hobbs then goes into the house and taunts him into smashing through the wall, and out of the house. Creel then finds himself surrounded by police, as Thor takes command of them and orders them not to fire. Thor then throws his hammer at him, causing him to absorb its strength and power. Thor realizes that he must not use his brute strength, but instead his power over the elements, and makes a trap of heat around him. Creel absorbs the heat, just as the police fire a grenade at him, which explodes and stuns Creel for a moment. Thor gives him one more chance to stop and give up, while Creel boasts that he is the strongest, and he is about to finish off the Thunder God by touching the ground and becoming a colossus made of multiple elements at once. Thor waits a moment for a reply, but when none is forth-coming, Thor whirls his hammer faster than a mortal eye can see, changing the air around Creel to Helium, causing him to absorb the properties of that element, and become a gas, and float into the atmosphere, and no longer a threat to humanity. The reporter, Hobbs, then tells Thor that he has realized that he is not the "conceited, costumed, show-off".
The Thunder God then takes off, having to take care of a few things before he is summoned back to Asgard for the Trial of the Gods. He flies back to take one last look at his beloved Jane Foster, for if he fails, it could be his last look at her. As he does so, Odin calls him back to Asgard, "whatever my fate, I shall face it, like a God!".Appearing in "If I Must Die, Let It Be With Honor!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Titanium Man (Boris Bullski) (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Senator Byrd
- Countess Stephanie de la Spiroza (First appearance)
- Ms. Smith (First appearance)
- Various Soviet Military Officers
- Various inmates of the Soviet Work Camp
- Melter (Bruno Horgan) (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Black Knight (Professor Garrett) (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Black Knight's Horse (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Winged Horses (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
Realities:
Locations:
Items:
- Iron Man Armor Model 3
- Titanium Man Armor MK I (First appearance)
- Black Knight's Power Lance (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Daily Globe newspaper
Synopsis for "If I Must Die, Let It Be With Honor!"
—Boris BullskiBut they can't keep Bullski here! I'll make them transfer me! I'll score such a victory that they'll make me dictator! And I know just how to do it! Single-handed, I will defeat one of Communism's greatest enemies! I know how to destroy Iron Man himself!
While working on a sub-miniature reverser in his lab, Tony Stark has to stop his work in order to recharge his pace maker. Soon after he puts aside his work in order to attend to business. He overhears Pepper and Happy discussing a new club they'd like to go to, and he offers them the use of his personal limo for their date. Pepper asks Tony if he'd like to tag along, much to the dismay of Happy, but Tony naturally declines the invitation.
Meanwhile, in Siberia, Communist Commissar Comrade Bullski has selected a team of enslaved scientists to use the laboratory of the original Crimson Dynamo in order to build a suit of armor which Bullski would use to defeat Iron Man and score a propaganda victory for his leaders. The captured scientists build Bullski a suit of Titanium armor which he dons and calling himself Titanium Man, issues a challenge to Iron Man.
When word reaches Washington D.C., Senator Byrd asks Stark to have Iron Man meet the challenge, and so they setup a meeting place in the neutral territory of Alberia and set to combat in a far-off desolate area which was once a battle field during World War 2. The battle in question would be televised all over the world.
Preparing his armor in order to withstand the coming battle, Iron Man meets Titanium Man in the battle zone and the first round of their fight begins as the whole entire world watches. During the combat, Iron Man soon stumbles on the fact that the Titanium Man had booby-trapped the battle field with landmines.Appearing in "Hounds of the Hunter"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Hunter
- The Brain
- The Brute
Synopsis for "Hounds of the Hunter"
The Hunter's hounds come to his aid as he fights Johnny Future.
Appearing in "Divided--We Fall!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Count Nefaria (Luchino Nefaria)
- Unicorn
- Scarecrow
- Eel (Leopold Stryke)
- Plantman (Sam Smithers)
- Porcupine (Alex Gentry)
- Maggia Goons
- Churl
- Colosso (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Waldo (First appearance)
- Various unnamed New Yorkers
- Lucifer (Mentioned)
- Ultra-Robots (Mentioned)
- Mimic (Calvin Rankin) (Mentioned)
- Sara Grey (Mentioned)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Mentioned)
- Blob (Fred Dukes) (Mentioned)
- Unus (Gunther Bain) (Mentioned)
- New York Mets (Mentioned)
- Human Torch (Johnny Storm) (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
Items:
- X-Uniforms
- Cyclops' Visor MK 1
- Porcupine Armor
- Eel's Battlesuit
- Unicorn's Power Horn
- Hypnotic disc
Vehicles:
- Warren Worthington's Mustang
- Unnamed freighter
Synopsis for "Divided--We Fall!"
The X-Men participate in another training session in the Danger Room against the Professor's newest creation yet: The gigantic robot named Colosso. The X-Men attempt to attack it one-by-one to no effect, and it's not until they attack it as a team that they learn it's weakness: it's sensory eye. With the help of Jean's telekinetic powers and Iceman's freezing abilities, they defeat the robot. With the test a success, the Professor allows his students to go on another vacation since their last one was interrupted when they were forced to deal with Mimic. Warren asks Jean out to dinner before she goes visit her sister, and when they invite Scott to tag along, he accepts the offer, even though he knows Warren doesn't want him there, believing that Warren has won Jean's affections. With his students gone, the Professor allows himself a moment of weakness to break down and lament the lost use of his legs and to express the envy of his students mobility.
Things for the X-Men are going to take an unexpected twist with the return of Count Nefaria to the United States. With his Maggia connections, Nefaria is busy plotting another attack against the United States. Reading a newspaper editorial about the X-Men that questions if they are good or evil, Nefaria comes to the conclusion that the mutants are outcasts and decides to try and recruit them as his allies.
Bobby and Hank meet up with Vera and Zelda to go on a movie date, while Jean, Warren, and Scott have dinner together. The dinner ends with Scott declining Warren's offer to drop him off somewhere and the trio part company, with Jean leaving with Warren. In the car ride, Jean worries if Scott will ever express any feelings toward her. Scott is brooding on the same subject when he suddenly sees what he thinks is Marvel Girl leaping into Central Park and decides to go and investigate. Jean, after being dropped off by Warren, hears a radio report about the same thing and decides to go and investigate as well.
Changing into her Marvel Girl costume and traveling to the Park, Jean is attacked by Plantman, now an agent of Count Nefaria, who binds her in trees and vines and then knocks her out with a chloroform gas. As Cyclops (now in uniform) continues to search for who he thinks is Jean, he then spots Angel flying in the sky. However, this is a fake as well as Warren (still driving in his sports car) hears a similar news bulletin and goes into action as the Angel to investigate the park as well. He is soon captured by the Scarecrow, another minion of Nefaria.
Still out on their date, Bobby and Hank also hear a similar report and Hank makes an excuse to leave early to look into things as the Beast. Arriving in Central Park, Beast is easily defeated by Porcupine, also in Nefaria's employ. Returning to their hotel room, Bobby finds that Hank had not returned and decides to go out and investigate. Along the way, he finds an illusion of himself going toward the park and follows after it. He is attacked by the Eel, who has the advantage against Iceman, however with the timely arrival of Cyclops, the villain is knocked out by Cyke's optic blast.
They are then confronted by the Unicorn, who keeps them on the defensive until Iceman manages to seal the crooks head (and unicorn horn laser) in a block of ice. However this is a temporary victory as Bobby is knocked out by an electrical jolt from the reviving Eel. Cyclops attempts to knock out the Eel again, however, the Unicorn breaks free of the ice around his head and uses his powers to knock out Cyclops as well. The villains take their captives to Nefaria's freighter where they are locked up in the lower hold. Nefaria commends his minions for their work, but is angry that they had to resort to force when he ordered them not to harm the X-Men.
Meeting with the captive X-Men, he offers them the chance to join him in his latest plot: To steal the entire US city of Washington D.C. The X-Men refuse to betray their country by involving themselves in such a plot. Despite the X-Men's refusal to join him, Nefaria goes to the controls and prepares to carry out his plot without their aid.
This story is continued next issue....