Beyond the limits of space and reality, beyond the Rainbow Bridge of the Nine Worlds, SHE steps out of a mirror in front of the levitating, lotus-positioned Trickster! Billows of smoke and dramatic flashes of light accompany the figure of Asgardian attraction! The Trickster intones: "There, Black Knight! Beseech this beauty for thy boon! Whence my power, limited by decree of Odin, cannot deliver, perhaps the ENCHANTRESS can assist!"
The Black Knight holds before him the shattered remains of the Ebony Blade, broken in battle with the Thunder God, Thor. The Enchantress greets the Trickster with more than a little familiarity, but remains concerned about what is asked of her. “This blade is broken beyond what even magic can accomplish.” The Black Knight remarks that he had considered that possibility, and instead wants to ask about a different, albeit similar, task.
Question time: what exactly is this task? To avoid that answer, here’s a subplot!
Elsewhere, someone else had equally arcane designs, but this time for purposes of destruction, not creation! Four robed figures surrounded an ancient, wooden table, one scrawled with runes that spoke of ancient, cosmic power. One of the figures commented that he didn’t like this magic stuff. Were they all not men of science here? Ah, the leader commented, when all their enemies were men of science but one, their ultimate nemeses must be also men of science … but one! The ceremony continued, arcane and strange. With lightning, darkness, and fear, the room virtually exploded in their mystical summons. And who was suddenly standing in the center of the table, demanding to know who dared call upon the halls of Asgard? The Thunder God himself, THOR! “It is I,” spoke the robed leader, pulling down his hood, “the PHOENIX! Are you prepared to raze your enemies into the ground until the streets are glistened red?” Thor smiled.
Question time: what exactly is the Phoenix’s plan? To avoid that answer, let’s return to the story!
Later that night, the Trickster approached the Enchantress as she stood marveling at the scene of New York below Emerald Heights apartments. She remarked that the view was so much more… dull than those times she spied Earth through her scrying pool in Asgard. She wondered how Loki could ever deal with being exiled to such a place. Ah, but he was more than Loki here. He was the Trickster! The playful prankster who wouldn’t be mistaken as some villain in a cosmic drama. The Enchantress caressed his face. She had always known THAT. But she came from the line of the Norn Queens, and by rule of Asgard, their love could never be. “But, Amora, we aren’t in Asgard,” Loki reminded her.
Question: Why hasn’t the Trickster introduced the Enchantress to his teammates? That’s what the Enchantress playfully asks to tease and chagrin her would-be paramour. Moments later, the Avengers have assembled! But attention granted to the Enchantress is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of the Black Knight! Because why was Enchantress summoned? It was to use her magicks to help duplicate the material of the Ebony Blade—not so that the Blade could be reforged, but that the raw material could be used to coat the new look of the Knight. Behold, the Ebony Armor! The same indestructible material once used as the ultimate offensive weapon can now be used as the ultimate in defensive protection. That, and his scientific expertise, has made Nathan Garrett into a crusader for the modern day, a hi-tech hero of the realm!
The Enchantress reminds the Black Knight of her original warning, that mixing magics can have unforeseen consequences. That, although its form may have changed, the Ebony Blade once held a . . . ARG! Suddenly, she grasps her head in great pain. There is a disturbance! A dimensional bridge has been opened! The Enchantress knows that THOR has returned to Earth! The Black Knight is undaunted. This villain may have destroyed the Ebony Blade, but he will be no match for the Ebony Armor! (Sheesh, wonders the Human Top. First the Beetle, then the Black Knight. He thinks the only way to get attention around here is to giver yourself a new costume… Hmm…)
Q: Where did the Enchantress lead them? To some giant cargo ship off the coast of New York. Captain America looks with skepticism out of the Avengers Copter. Seems like an odd place for a Nordic god to make a reappearance. The Trickster agrees, although the Human Top wonders if they really have a choice.
The ship is cold, empty, and haunted if nothing else but the intense silence and loneliness of the sea. The Hulk has a bad feeling about this, and the Black Knight has more than a feeling—he points to a logo on the side of a cabin. Stark Industries. “You mean,” the Human Top fears, “the same Stark whose Iron Monger ran amok not too long ago?”
“But,” the Beetle wonders out loud, “I thought… Thor?” “Here, Insect!” The Avengers turn to see Thor, flanked by the Phoenix, Yellowjacket and the Wasp, and, yes, the Iron Monger!
“Phoenix!” Captain America confronts his former namesake, “You were once the greatest of us all! Why do you ally with such base villains?”
“Ally with them? Why, I LEAD them! I have vowed to destroy you and all you stand for! If you stand with the Avengers, you will fall alongside them. Now, with all their former enemies joined as one – the Masters of Evil!” With that, he nods to Thor, who deals the first salvo. A bolt of lightening channels forth through his hammer, pouring outward upon his enemies. But the Beetle and the Hulk are at the ready. The former, with her costume’s suction fingers superhuman strength and reflexes. The latter, with his adrenaline-fueled power and speed. Together, they rip upward the panels of the ship’s deck, deflecting the strike!
Zap, zap, zap! The Human Top is besieged by the tiny forms of Yellowjacket and the Wasp. His superhuman speed nearly rolls with each blast, so that they hit him only tangentially. Then, spinning rapidly, he seems to be running away. Nope! It’s only to turn around suddenly, W-THOO! throwing the momentum of air back towards his assailants and sending them spinning.
The Iron Monger engages the Black Knight directly, thanking him for the compliment. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” The Knight is incensed. The Monger surely flatters himself! The Knight’s new armor slices through every assault by the Iron Monger, his hands cutting cleanly through every PTCHOO! blast, every SHRAK! repulsor ray. Unfortunately, the Iron Monger can just as easily shrug off any attack by the Knight. Bolas? Explosive pellets? Bah. Child’s playthings.
FWOOSH! Ionic blasts from Captain America’s “Liberty’s Torch” are easily deflected by the Phoenix’ shield. With the anarchy “A” scrawled across its surface, can the metaphorical battle between them be anymore blatant? The Phoenix throws his shield, and KATANG! it ricochets once before hitting the Captain in the back. UGH!
Thor and the Hulk have gone toe-to-toe. BIFF! WHAM! Each blow rattles teeth with their resultant shockwaves. Finally, one blow sends Thor backward into the wall of a nearby upper-deck room. The Trickster swoops in to take advantage of the situation, transmogrifying the metal into a sticky, heavy wet cement mixture. The Enchantress also swoops in. By blowing a kiss, she hopes to bedazzle Thor into senselessness. “Amora?” Thor recognizes her. “Dost thou lower yourself to walk among mortals? At least I might have the excuse of revenge!” With that, he shrugs mightily, throwing off his encasement and summoning a powerful wind to blow the Trickster and the Enchantress backward. The Hulk has to hurry to catch them.
“Now, Iron Monger!” the Phoenix calls after throwing Captain America over his shoulder in a dazzling move. The Monger flies upward, joining the other Masters in the air and leaving the Black Knight stranded. In fact, all the Avenges have been maneuvered into close quarters without realizing it. Suddenly, the ship’s deck erupts in an electrical field! SHIZZZ! The heroes cry out, helpless to pull themselves away from the current—all save the Hulk and the Black Knight! The former, while buzzed, manages to push through the pain. The latter finds his armor easily sheds the energy like water off a duck. Together, the heroes plunge their fingers into the deck, ripping off the outer layer. Although it disrupts the electrical field, it also allows the deck to collapse, sending the Avengers tumbling inside the massive, empty cargo hold.
Thor places a massive, thick plate of metal over the trap, and Yellowjacket and the Wasp fly rapidly around the perimeter, zapping rivets into place. The Phoenix laughs heartily. All has gone according to his plan, and it was almost too easy! “Who knew that a simple trap would have stopped the Mighty Avengers!” The Iron Monger leaves one parting shot—a reulsor blast to send the ship sinking, and the Masters leave the Avengers to their fate.
Question: When the Hulk reminds everyone that there’s no need to panic, is he saying it somewhat needlessly to the others around him or was it mostly for his own benefit? The Black Knight knows that it’s not lost. The Phoenix obviously didn’t take into account his new armor. He, too, can fly! With the flick of a wrist, a small piece of the original Ebony Blade pops out from his gauntlet. With it, he can cut a wide hole through the sealed trap and he throws it aside. The Hulk gathers up his fallen comrades from the rapidly-filling cargo hold. With one giant leap, he takes them all up to the top.
“Dang!” the Hulk can’t help but be disappointed in the condition of the Avengers Copter, as it’s already sinking beneath the waves. “Don’t … worry,” the Enchantress, already weakened, spends her last energies to revive her allies before falling unconscious. At least it will help them pull together! The Beelte throws the discarded trapdoor into the ocean, just as the Trickster transforms it into a giant rubber lifeboat big enough for all. Of course, everyone next turns to Dave Cannon for the last bit of help. “Okay,” he agrees, “just call me Human Propeller. But don’t expect that identity to stick after this.”
As the Avengers speed away towards land and the setting sun, Captain America muses in the center of the makeshift boat. His family had always used Steve Rogers as an example of a man embracing his heroic destiny. If this was his ultimate demise, what did that say about his own fate? About any of theirs? These Avengers would have to better come together as a team if they could be of use to him. Or perhaps he would be better served to face his destiny . . . alone.
Cover and text by Danny Wall
Hey Oz,
Sorry to bother you here (the comic is great btw) . . .
Thank you-
"Joe"
Posted by: Chuck Tuura | January 24, 2007 at 04:43 AM