Appearing in "Hulk"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Trainyard security guards
Other Characters:
- Drifters
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Trainyard
Synopsis for "Hulk"
Seeking to move on from his present location, Bruce Banner sneaks onto a train yard late at night. However, there are guards on the site and when Bruce tries to climb into a railcar he is caught in the act by a guard. Banner tries to flee, but someone grabs him. His anxiety climbing, Banner suddenly transforms into the Hulk.
The Hulk then tosses the guard into a railcar full of drifters and tosses it at a pair of other guards who are slacking on the job. Seeking to get away, the Hulk spots a train passing by and leaps onto it and is carried away.
Appearing in "The Dark Rider - Trapped by Gagol, Leader of the Trolls!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Gagol (First appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- ⏴ Old Sarah (Tree)
- ⏴ Greymalkin
- Mysterious Walker (Mentioned)
- Stranger / Captain Britain (Brian Braddock) (Mentioned)
- Mordred (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "The Dark Rider - Trapped by Gagol, Leader of the Trolls!"
The Black Knight is battling the Troll hordes of Mordred in order to buy the Walker and Captain Britain time to flee. The Knight is able to keep the Trolls at bay well enough when suddenly a Troll named Gagol joins the fray. Gagol has an enchanted flaming sword, which he uses to put the Black Knight on the defensive. As they edge close to a pool of water, the Knight knocks the creature's sword into the water, putting out it's enchanted flame. The Black Knight then flips Gagol into the water as well. Due to the creature's mystical nature contact with the water causes Gagol to dissolve.
With the battle over, the Black Knight climbs onto his horse Valinor and they ride back to Old Sarah Mumford's cottage to find it in ruins. He finds no sign of the old woman, just her cat and an old dying tree. Odly, there is a ripe fruit growing from said tree and when Valinor eats it, the horse is completely healed of its injuries allowing it to fly. With his horse back in full health, the Black Knight flies off to catch up with the others, shouting out for the justice of both Merlyn and Old Sarah.
Appearing in "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Sept
- Abdul Kazir ⏵ (First appearance)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."
In Cairo, Egypt, the S.H.I.E.L.D. field office is blown up. Watching from across the street is Abdul Kazir, leader of Spet, who tells his men that their brothers have been avenged.
When the reports reach the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier in the United States, Dum Dum Dugan calls Fury, waking him up from his sleep. Fury is not happy about being woken up, but learns that it is a serious situation as nearly all the agents at the Cairo office had been killed in the blast. As Fury, Dum Dum, and the Countess go over clues, in Egypt, Abdul Kazir rallies his troops as he intends to execute Nick Fury.
Back on the Helicarrier, Fury meets with Gaffer who gives him some new gear: a silver dollar rigged with a diamond sharp edge, a transmitter and capsules of cyanide; a particle beam; and a blow-pipe. Dum Dum comes in and tells Fury that one of the surviving members of the Cairo attack is scheduled to meet him. Soon Fury is dropped off in Cairo. However, instead of a S.H.I.E.L.D. rendezvous, Fury is attacked by an army of Sept followers.
Appearing in "The Vengeance of the Scarlet Beetle!"
Tales to Astonish #39
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Scarlet Beetle (First appearance)
Other Characters:
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "The Vengeance of the Scarlet Beetle!"
Tales to Astonish #39
Receiving emergency impulses on his devices from his ants, Ant-Man decides to investigate what appears to be problems in the insect world. There he finds an irradiated beetle, able to communicate telepathically. The Scarlet Beetle, mutated by exposure to radiation, plans to destroy the human race with the help of all the insects in his thrall (beetles, wasps, grasshoppers, etc.).
Seeing Ant-Man as a potential obstacle in this plot, Scarlet Beetle orders his insects to capture him, remove his helmet and toss him in a pit that he cannot climb out himself. Stealing Ant-Man's size-changing gas, the Scarlet Beetle exposes itself to Ant-Man's growth gas and grows to human size. He then orders the insects on a campaign of terror, attacking humanity at all levels: knocking down hydro poles, stealing dynamite, and striking people ill with spider bites.
Meanwhile, although not on Ant-Man's head, his helmet sends out a signal that alerts his ants of his location. The ants arrive and help Ant-Man out of the pit. Regaining his helmet, he and his army of ants face off against the Scarlet Beetle's army of assorted insects, defeating them with honey, a water fountain and DDT spray.
Furious that his army was so easily defeated, the Scarlet Beetle is goaded into chasing Ant-Man into a nearby toy store. Inside Ant-Man manages to fight off the Scarlet Beetle long enough to secure a javelin from a toy knight and use it to pierce the shrinking gas canister that the Beetle wore around its body. Exposed to the gas once more, the Scarlet Beetle reduces back to his original size and is easily defeated by Ant-Man who traps the Beetle inside a deflated balloon.
The Scarlet Beetle, decontaminated of radiation, resumes its normal intelligence and abilities. Hank Pym releases it back into his back yard.
Appearing in "The Devil in New York!"
Eternals #3
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Flame Gun (First appearance)
- Shock Howitzer
- Torment Machine (First appearance)
- Z-Ray
Vehicles:
- Raiding Craft (First appearance)
Synopsis for "The Devil in New York!"
Eternals #3
Arishem takes his place upon the ceremonial pylon where he will stand in judgment over humanity over the next fifty years. The temple of the God Chamber starts to quake and the other celestial minions begin sealing it off. Doctor Damian, refusing to let such historical treasures to be lost forever, elects to stay behind. Margo refuses to leave her father behind, but Ikaris doesn't give her much of a choice. He grabs Margo and races back to their aircraft.
Kro meanwhile, returns to the kingdom of the Deviants where he suffers immense torture at the hands of Deviant leader Brother Tode. Kro is punished for his failure to prevent Ikaris from activating the Cosmic Beacon that summoned the Celestials. Afterwards, Kro tries to get back into Tode's good graces by outlining a new course of action. He wants to manipulate Earth's human populace into becoming the Deviants' foot soldiers. To do so however, he needs to instill them with great fear. He takes on the image of the Devil and leads a massive assault against the American city of Manhattan.
Ikaris brings Margo back to the United States. He knows that she is still shaken for leaving her father behind. He takes her to the penthouse apartment of another Eternal, Sersy. He asks Sersy to care for Margo while he goes off to battle the Deviants.
As he flies off, Kro's Deviant armies ravage Manhattan, setting the entire city ablaze. Terrified humans look up into the sky and see the face of "the Devil" staring down upon them.
Appearing in "Night-Raven Plummets Earthward - To Certain Death!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Detective Nolan
Antagonists:
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Outside of a Speak-Easy
Synopsis for "Night-Raven Plummets Earthward - To Certain Death!"
During his battle with the Assassin, Night Raven's grappling hook has been cut while trying to scale a building. Through quick thinking, the masked vigilante manages to use the severed rope to snag onto an outcropping. He quickly discovers that this is an illegal booze smuggling operation. When some men loading the booze begin pulling out weapons, Night Raven cuts loose a crate of booze.
The crate breaks when it hits the ground and the spilling booze wakes up Detective Dolan, who has been hunting Night Raven as well. With the situation being bigger than he can handle, Dolan rushes to a police call box and calls for back-up.
The Night Raven fights off the booze smugglers, but the fight is not over yet as the Assassin jumps down to the masked man to continue their fight.
Notes
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Dum Dum Dugan's appearance here is complicated as he's not in the flesh. He was mortally wounded decades ago as revealed in Original Sins #5. He has since been operating in sophisticated LMD bodies as revealed in New Avengers (Vol. 4) #17.
Trivia
- The scene in this issue's Nick Fury story in which Fury is kitted out by the Gaffer is a deliberate homage to the scenes in the James Bond movies in which Bond would have his newest gadgets explained to him by Q.