Avengers #281
By the Gods Betrayed!
Hercules has been kidnapped from his hospital room, prompting the Avengers to come to search for clues.[1] The nurse who noticed the kidnapping initially accuses Thor of being responsible because his winged helmet is similar to the assailant. However, the thunder god spies someone watching them from the window and gives them chase. Captain Marvel follows after him, but when she finally catches up, the kidnapper has vanished, much to Thor’s frustration. When the other Avengers arrive, Thor tells them that he knows who took Hercules and says he will go after him alone, as this is no longer a matter for mortals. Captain Marvel, the newly appointed leader of the team, doesn’t like how Thor has been acting recently — particularly since he has been tight lipped about his new armor and the wounds he’s been concealing — and tries to get him to explain himself.[2][3] Thor insists that only he can deal with this matter and assures her that he will return to Earth with H ercules or not at all, and then teleports away.
When Captain Marvel returns to the team, Doctor Druid realizes that they are attracting too much attention and uses his mental powers to make them appear like regular people to everyone around them. While the team tries to figure out their next move, She-Hulk gets thirsty and decides to buy some Italian ice from a nearby street vendor.[4] Suddenly, She-Hulk goes berserk and begins attacking her teammates for no apparent reason. This is because the food vendor slipped something into her Italian ice and he watches the battle from a nearby alley with glee. The Avengers scramble to try to bring She-Hulk under control since there are many innocent people on the street who can get hurt in the melee.
Meanwhile, Thor arrives in Olympus, home to the Greek gods where he catches up with Hermes, the man responsible for kidnapping Hercules. Thor demands answers from the fleet-footed Olympian but he is ambushed by Hephaestus, who is eager to pit his own hammer against Mjolnir. While Thor is pre-occupied, Hermes races off to warn Zeus.
Back on Earth, Doctor Druid uses his mental powers to try and calm She-Hulk down. However, the man responsible for her rampage asserts his own mental dominance over her and the rampage continues. That’s when the Black Knight notices the man and attacks him. Surprisingly, the short fat man is incredible strong and is able to fight off the Knight. However, he is no match for Captain Marvel’s energy blasts. Knocked out, the man’s clothing suddenly changes from contemporary clothing to an outfit that would be right at home in ancient Greece. As She-Hulk begins getting ahold of herself, she and the other Avengers are attacked by Hermes. However, he too proves no match for Captain Marvel who can move at the speed of light.
As the Avengers try to figure out what’s going on, the battle between Thor and Hephaestus continues. Unfortunately, in his injured state, Thor is quickly defeated by the rival hammer wielder. Although Hephastus finds this battle lacking in honor, another god orders him that this is all required to ensure the downfall of the Avengers.
Meanwhile, Captain Marvel holds her own against Hermes until an arrow fired by Artemis passes through her energy form. Although it doesn’t physically harm her it causes her to black out and return to human form. While on the ground, Doctor Druid is examining the other attacker when he suddenly wakes up and begins choking the occultist. The rotund man finally introduces himself as the Greek god Dionysus. Luckily, She-Hulk is there to save Druid, but Dinoysus bounces back from the blow with ease. When She-Hulk tries to attack him again, the god whips out a cup filled with a noxious gas and blows it into Jennifer’s face causing her to pass out.
With all the Avengers defeated, they are put in shackles and brought back to Olympus. There, Thor and the others learn that the Olympians were sent to capture them on behalf of Ares, the god of war for them to stand trial. When they demand answers they are ordered to be silent by Zeus himself. He accuses the Avengers for being responsible for Hercules’ current condition and sentences them to death through torment.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Black Knight, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Doctor Druid), Zeus, Hercules, Dionysus, Hermes, Hephaestus, Artemis, Ares
Continuity Notes
Hercules was beat into a coma by the Masters of Evil in Avengers #274.
At the time of this story, Thor has been cursed with eternal life by Hela, this has also made his bones incredibly brittle and incapable of healing, as seen in Thor #372. Thor created the armor he is wearing here in Thor #378 in order to keep his body intact. This curse and the damage will ultimately be undone following the events of Thor #382.
Captain Marvel mentions how the Avengers helped Thor repel an invasion of Asgard by Surtur and his demonic legions. This happened in Avengers #249 and Thor #350-353.
Here, the Black Knight wonders if the Enchantress is somehow pitting Thor against the Avengers as she has done in the past. This is quite the deep cut, as the Enchantress did this way back in Avengers #7.
