West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #41
When Ghost Can Die, Even Gods Must Fear!
Asgard is under siege by the forces of Seth, the Egyptian god of death. In the middle of it all, Lier — the Celtic thunder god — and Sif continue to hold the line against the invaders.[1] While Seth believes victory is at hand and Asgard will fall, General Cheops — his second-in-command — fears interference from other gods. He recalls how Thanos attempted to kill all life in the universe and fails, and begins looking for any thing that might threaten Seth’s attempts to accomplish the same goals.[2]
Meanwhile, at the University of Nevada, Mockingbird, Tigra, Moon Knight, and Daimon Hellstrom have come to question Hamilton Slade about his ancestor the Phantom Rider.[3] This is why the three former Avengers brought Hellstrom — a paranormal investigator — to see if Hamilton might be possessed by the spirit of his ancestor.[4] Daimon can indeed detect a spirit lurking within Slade, making Moon Knight wonder if Hellstrom can sense that he is possessed by the spirit of Khonshu, the god of the moon.
Hamilton isn’t sure he can accept all of this and wonders what to do. Bobbi appeals to him by explaining how his ancestor — Lincoln Slade — tormented her in the past and the present and how his actions have caused the break up her marriage.[5] Horrified to hear all of this, Hamilton agrees to help in any way he can.
Daimon then changes into his Hellstorm costume and draws a pentacle on the floor. He then casts an spell to exorcise the spirit of Lincoln Slade from Hamilton’s body. However, they are shocked when two Phantom Rider spirits are pulled from his body. The other spirit turns out to be Carter Slade, the original Phantom Rider. Carter attacks Lincoln for his perversion of the Phantom Rider legacy, particularly since Lincoln abandoned his wife and child to pursue Mockingbird.[6] As the two spirits fight it out, Hellstorm needs the added power of Khonshu and uses a spell to summon the moon god, however this process knocks Moon Knight out.
Khonshu’s appearance is also detected by General Cheops in Asgard and, seeing the moon god as a threat, orders an army of Seth’s men to go to Earth and destroy him.
Back on Earth, Khonshu orders the spirits of the Phantom Riders to stop fighting. He then turns to Moon Knight and reveals he had been subtly influence Moon Knight to join the Avengers to satisfy his own curiosity.[7] That’s when a portal opens and the forces of Seth launch their ambush. Moon Knight comes to the defense of Khonshu, but in the ensuing battle all of his ancient weapons and golden belt, arm and leg bands are smashed to pieces.[8] Meanwhile, Tigra becomes filled with a bloodlust that is nearly out of control, disturbing Mockingbird in the process.[9] As the former Avengers are pre-occupied, the warriors of Seth try to incapacitate Khonshu with an etheric phase-out cannon.
Meanwhile, the battle between the two Phantom Rider spirits rages on and spills out onto the university campus. Carter Slade explains that Lincoln was never chosen to become his success and had no right to take on the mantle of the Phantom Rider. Ultimately, Carter wins the fight and tells Hamilton that he is the chosen successor to be the new Phantom Rider. Merging with the spirits of his ancestors, Hamilton is transformed into the Phantom Rider again. Joining the former Avengers in battle, he helps drive back the invading armies who retreat back to Asgard.
In the aftermath of the battle, Khonshu tells Moon Knight that his curiosity of the mortal Avengers has been sated and that it is now time for him to leave. Although he will no longer be present, Khonshu tells Marc Spector that he will continue to be his avenging fist and wishes him luck on his future endeavors.
With the battle now over, the spirits of Hamilton’s ancestors leave his body again. Hamilton pleads with Hellstorm to spare Carter Slade’s spirit, but Carter insists that he must be banished as well if he is to keep Lincoln’s vengeful spirit at bay. He complies and as soon as the two spirits have been exorcised, Hamilton suddenly transforms into the Phantom Rider again. However, this time, Hamilton is in full control and realizes that he was the chosen successor. He vows to carry on the Rider’s proud tradition and make up for Lincoln Slade’s misdeeds. Surprisingly, Mockingbird accepts this and wishes him the best of luck in the future.
Moon Knight also decides that it is time for him to part company. When Tigra asks about their relationship, Marc reveals that his feelings were manipulated by Khonshu and now that he is free of the moon god’s influence, he isn’t sure he likes everything he learned. When she suggest to Bobbi that they return to the West Coast Avengers, Mockingbird isn’t sure if she is ready to face her husband yet. Tigra sheds a tear for the team that they tried to form because for a moment it seemed that they were going to work out. Hellstrom tells her that no matter what they will always be Avengers.
Recurring Characters
West Coast Avengers (Mockingbird, Tigra, Moon Knight), Son of Satan, Phantom Riders (Hamilton, Carter, and Lincoln Slade), Khonshu, Sif, Lier, Seth
Continuity Notes
This story takes place during Seth’s siege on Asgard that took place in Thor #395-400. The appearance of Lier and Sif here takes place between issues #399 and 400.
Thanos attempted to end all life in the universe with the Cosmic Cube. He failed, obviously. See Captain Marvel #25-33, Marvel Feature #12, and Avengers #125.
During a trip through time, the Phantom Rider kidnapped Mockingbird and forced a love potion on her and technically raped her. After she broke free, she left him to fall to his death, as seen in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #17-23. Although the Phantom Rider died, he has continued to terrorize Bobbi in the present by taking possession of his descendant since issue #31.
Hamilton recalls his last encounter with Mockingbird, who attacked him. Slade had no idea what was going on as he blacks out whenever his body was possessed by the spirits of his ancestors to become the Phantom Rider. See West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #32.
At first, Bobbi kept the truth about the Phantom Rider’s death. However, Hawkeye learned the truth in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #34-35. Clint didn’t like being lied to and stood by the Avengers no-killing rule than supporting his wife. This causes a schism between the two and they split up in issue #37. They’ll make up by issue #46, but their marriage isn’t meant to last as they split up for good in New Avengers: The Reunion #1-4.
Carter Slade was the first Phantom Rider, chosen by Commanche medicine Man Flaming Star in Ghost Rider #1. Carter was killed in a mine collapse in Western Gunfighters (vol. 2) #7 prompting his brother Lincoln to take over the Phantom Rider identity to avenge the death of his brother. Hamilton would go on to become the present day Phantom Rider in Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #56.
Khonshu became interested in the Avengers when they ended up in ancient Egypt and helped free his followers from the tyranny of time traveler Rama-Tut in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #21-22. In exchange for this help, he had Moon Knight tip off the Avengers allies in the present and help them get back to their own time. Moon Knight was then invited onto the team on a probational period until he was made a full fledged member in issue #33.
Most of these weapons were created by Hawkeye in the ancient past in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #22. Centuries later they were given to Marc Spector in Moon Knight (vol. 2) #1.
This is setting up yet another instance where Tigra is regressing to a more feral cat persona, much like the issue she had West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #1 through 15. Only this time is worse. Tigra will revert to a feral cat-woman in Avengers West Coast #49. She will ultimately be cured in Avengers Spotlight #38.
Topical References
At the University of Nevada, Marvel writer Tom DeFalco is depicted playing Frisbee with other students. While most real-life who appear in Marvel Comics are considered topical, the appearance of Marvel staffers are not. They all exist in the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe in the relative prime of their lives, even if they are dead in real life.
In this story, Hamilton Slade is referred to as the great-great-grandson of Lincoln Slade. This should be considered topical. As the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age forward in time, the idea of Hamilton being a young man and still being the great-great-grandson of someone who lived during the American Frontier becomes impossible. Modern readers should interpret Hamilton as being Lincoln’s descendant rather than a direct familial connection.
