Shadow War

The Avengers have gone to investigate the source of that was stealing data from the Vision’s mind. Drawn to the gamma core on the ruins of Avengers Island they are shocked to discover that it has been re-creating old Avengers foes.[1] Stopping the latest batch from being created, Captain America and the others are shocked when a second Thor emerges from the chamber.

This Thor believes he has crossed over into Valhalla and is glad to see his old friends. Captain America, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp are surprised that this version of Thor is more docile than the one they know an more more shockingly he acts as though they have already met in the past.[2] Captain America suddenly has a dim recollection of this Thor, remembering him as being bare-chested and with chains. Thor recalls this too, and says he feels like he has been renewed.[3] Thor is then told that he is not in Valhalla but emerged from a gamma core on Avengers Island. Thor finds this all outlandish to believe, and Captain America admits that it does sound crazy when he thinks about it and wonders if this is not part of the larger mystery they are trying to solve. With the gamma reactor quiet once more, the group decides to go searching for answers elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Hawkeye is walking along the path at Riverside Park, thinking about how the Avengers have been falling apart following the departures of Swordsman, Thor, and the Scarlet Witch.[4] That’s when Loki appears before the archer and offers him a leadership role on his new team. Clint is reluctant to join until Loki reveals that the Scarlet Witch has sided with him as well. Unaware that this is actually Hellcat possessing Wanda’s body, Hawkeye is seduced into joining up with Loki.[5]

At that same moment, Captain America and the others have gone to the Baxter Building to share their findings with Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four. Reed is surprised to hear about their discovery and predicts that the gamma core might be a rip in the fabric of space and time. Iron Man wonders aloud if perhaps they have all be manufactured into reality form this singular source. Reed assures them that they are all real, but believes that they are from “different neighborhoods”,[6] but despite all their theories they will not know the truth unless they find Bruce Banner — the man who created it — as he would have all the answers.[7]

Somewhere beyond space and time, the Enchantress has brought the other Thor to his step-brother Loki. Although the thunder god is reluctant to side with the trickster god, he decides to join up when promised that he will be allowed to rape and pillage as he sees fit once the Avengers have been destroyed.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury and a team of SHIELD agents have finally tracked down Kang’s time ship over the mountains of Peru. Boarding the ship, they discover that it has been deserted. Accessing the security footage, Nick learns that Kang and Mantis were transformed into energy and absorbed by Loki some time ago.[8] Realizing that this means big trouble, Fury heads back to New York City and calls a meeting with the Avengers to share his findings. Fury is surprised to see Thor among the group as he heard reports that the thunder god is currently tearing up a bar in Chelsea. This prompts Thor to head out and confront the man who shares his name.[9] Seeing the footage of Mantis and Kang’s demise, Captain America figures this answers the mystery as to who was accessing the Vision’s memories.[10]

That’s when the Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye show up and when Iron Man prepares to attack, Captain America orders him to stand down. He explains that Wanda was merely pretending to betray the group in order to find out what the Enchantress as up to. What Cap doesn’t know is that Wanda’s body is now possessed by Hellcat, and that she and Hawkeye are now loyal to Loki. The pair manage to attack the Avengers while their guard is down, something made easier now that Hawkeye has been given a bow that utilizes Asgardian magic. As a battle erupts, the evil Thor arrives to help his new allies. In the middle of the fracas, the Enchantress appears and uses her powers of seduction to knock Ant-Man out. However, the battle begins to turn back into the Avengers favor when the good Thor returns to fight his doppelganger. The evil Thor is shocked to see someone who looks exactly like him and with an enchanted hammer of his own.

Observing the situation from secret, Loki realizes that he needs to stop playing around if he is going to conquer the world. While the Avengers are distracted with their foes, the trickster then heads to Avengers Island where he begins absorbing power directly from the gamma core itself. His body coursing with unimaginable power, the trickster god proclaims that the Age of Loki is about to begin!

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp), Loki, Thor, Enchantress, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Hellcat, SHIELD (Nick Fury), Mister Fantastic

Continuity Notes

1. Avengers Island and the gamma core were previously shut down after the Hulk trashed the place, nearly triggering a melt down. See Avengers (vol. 2) #4-6, and the 6th issues of Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and Captain America. They discovered it had been reactivated last issue.

2. So when many of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four sacrificed their lives to stop Onslaught, Franklin Richards deposited them into a pocket dimension to save their lives. As such, only Cap, Iron Man, this second Thor, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Mister Fantastic in this story are the real deal, per Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1 and Heroes Reborn: The Return #1-4. Why there was a fake Thor to begin with remains unexplained. My theory is that the real Thor needed more time to heal because he was the first one to sacrifice himself to Onslaught, or it was harder for Franklin to transfer a god to this pocket dimension.

3. What they are dimly remembering is Thor’s radically different change in attire. He started going bare-chested in Thor #494 and inexplicably added a chain to Mjolnir in Thor #502.

4. The Swordsman had been out of commission since the Hulk crushed his hands in Avengers (vol. 2) #4, he was then turned into energy and absorbed by Loki last issue. He will return without explanation in Captain America (vol. 2) #12. The Scarlet Witch also left the group in issue #4, seemingly to betray them to Loki. Thor quit last issue.

5. Loki transferred Hellcat’s soul into Wanda’s body last issue as well. Keep up!

6. Mister Fantastic has an inkling that the heroes are from another reality after the Fantastic Four found themselves reliving moments from their past lives during a trip into the Negative Zone, as seen in Fantastic Four (vol. 2) #7.

7. Banner went into hiding following the Industrial Revolution story arc as seen in Iron Man (vol. 2) #8, 10. He will turn up again with She-Hulk and Doc Samson in Iron Man (vol. 2) #11 as the Hulkbusters.

8. Loki turned Kang and Mantis were Loki’s first victims in Avengers (vol. 2) #8.

9. Here, Fury mentions how the other Thor was freed from amber a short while ago. This was in Avengers (vol. 2) #1. Captain America also mentions how the mansion recently got trashed by the Masters of Evil, this was in issue #8-9.

10. The Vision had been incapacitated during the Avengers battle with Kang in issue #3. Since then, as revealed in issue #9, Loki had been accessing his memories in conjunction with the gamma core to spawn more villains for the Avengers to fight and for the trickster to convert into energy an absorb.