Avengers #163
The Demi-God Must Die!
The Champions have been summoned to New York by the Avengers. Answering the call are the Black Widow, Hercules, and Iceman who arrive in their Champscraft. That’s when Iron Man appears out of nowhere and rams their ship, forcing the Champions to make an emergency crash landing.
Iron Man is able to hold his own against the trio, but is intentionally luring Hercules away from the group as part of some plan. Once Herc is separated from the others, Iron Man lays into him. Hercules can’t understand why his former ally is now attacking him.[1] What Iron Man is unable to explain is that, earlier, he and the Beast were alone at Avengers Mansion when they were ambushed by Hercules’ old foe, Typhon. Seeking revenge against Hercules, he took the Beast hostage and ordered Iron Man to lure Hercules to New York and destroy him. Any attempt to defy these orders would result in Typhon killing the Beast.[2] He explains that although Zeus banished him to Hades, he petitioned Pluto for the opportunity to have Hercules take his place.
Now, Iron Man finds himself in a life-or-death battle against Hercules, unable to say anything for fear that Typhon might be monitoring the battle and kill the Beast.[3] Instead, Iron Man lures Hercules back to Avengers Mansion where the two continue their brawl until they knock each other out. That’s when the Black Widow and Iceman arrive and find Typhon. Realize what is going on, the pair attack the Titan with an assist from the Beast. When Hercules and Iron Man revive, Typhon realizes that this is a fight he can no longer win. Pluto apparently does so as well and Typhon is teleported back to Hades.
Having figured out what happened, Hercules tells Iron Man that he doesn’t need to apologize. With the battle over, the Beast begins to question his usefulness with the Avengers since he has constantly been knocked out or taken prisoner since joining the team.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, the Beast, Champions (Black Widow, Hercules, Iceman), Typhon
Continuity Notes
Hercules mentions the last time he and Iron Man worked together. That was in Iron Man Annual #4.
Typhone mentions his defeat at the hands of Hercules. That was in Avengers #50.
Mention is made how Beast and Iceman used to serve on the X-Men together. They were founding members, both joining in X-Men #1. Hank left in Amazing Adventures (vol. 2) #10 and later joined the Avengers in Avengers #137. Iceman served a little longer, leaving the team in X-Men #94 when Xavier formed a new team. Bobby joined the Champions in Champions #1.
Topical References
Reference is made of the Elizabeth 2 cruise ship. The iconic vessel sailed from New York City to Southhampton in the UK from 1969 until it was decommissioned in 2008
