Incredible Hercules #124
Love & War, Part 4: Weight of the World
The City of Washington, September 18th, 1793
The United States has been independent for 13 years and it is the first year of George Washington’s second term as President. Today is a day of ceremony as Washington is placing the first stone of what will become the Capitol Building. As he applies mortar to this stone, Washington is suddenly shocked by a sudden image that appears before him. It is the Titan known as Atlas, who has been charged with carrying the heavens on his shoulders at the center of the world.
Washington, DC, Now
The Amazons, led by Artrume, have recovered the Omphalos, a magical drum that can harness the energies of the Axis Mundi, otherwise the center of the world. They have come to Washington, DC and land near the Washington Monument, pronouncing that the city will become New Amazonia.
Their prisoner, Amadeus Cho, mocks Artume for her feminist hypocrisy after she killed her right-hand subject, Delphyne Gorgon. Artume dismisses this, reminding him how Delphyne had betrayed her while attempting to obtain the Omphalos. She says that while she hates all men, she hates women who aide and abetted them even more. This has been her position for thousands of years and not even her mother, Hippolyta, was immune to her wrath.[1] She complains of being used as a tool by her mother until Amatsu-Mikaboshi waged war against Olympus, which inspired her to seek further independence and domination for her and her fellow Amazons.[2]
That’s when Hercules, Athena, and Namora arrive to stope them. In response, the Amazons threaten to kill Amadeus if they interfere. At first, Hercules is unconcerned since Amadeus helped him take down the Skrull gods recently.[3] That’s when Athena points out that Amadeus’ intellect is fueled by junk food, something that the Amazons would not have in their supplies, leaving Cho at a great disadvantage.
Artume then uses the Omphallos to make Atlas appear before them and releases him from his burden of carrying the heavens on his back. Happy to be free of his burden, the Titan asks Artume how he can be of service. She reminds him how Hercules once tricked him thousands of years ago and offers him a chance for revenge.[4] As Atlas attacks them, Athena orders Hercules to focus on the Amazons, a task easier said than done as Atlas tries to pummel him. As the battle begins, Amadeus manages to break free from his captors and flees deeper into the Amazonian ship in a the hopes of obtaining junk food stashed in one of the vaults.
Meanwhile, Hercules is slammed into the Smithsonian and begins tossing aircrafts on display at Atlas in the hopes of stopping him. The Titan easily swats them away, but this distraction allows Namora to fly up his skirt and hit him in the balls. At the same time, Amadeus reaches the vault, but the guards following him catch up before he can open it. Luckily, he is saved when Delphyne (who survived Artume’s attempt on her life) comes up from behind and knocks them out. The two quickly open the vault so Cho can gorge on the chocolate bars hidden inside.
Outside, Athena and the others are still struggling against Atlas, as Artume nearly completes the incantation that will allow her to use the Omphalos to bend reality to her will. When Amadeus and Delphyne return to the battle, Cho scans the scene and begins figuring out a solution to the situation. He then orders Gorgon to shoot her gun directly above them. This bullet strike knocks loose a bolt from the ship that ricochets off the Omphalos, knocking it out of her hands.
Hercules dives to grab it and once it is in his hand, he is tempted with his fondest wish: an endless orgy of pleasure. It slips out of his hands and Namora tries to grab it. She too is tempted with a vision, of being in a romance with her cousin, the Sub-Mariner. Amadeus then tries to get it and sees a vision where not only does he win the girl (Delphyne) but is hailed as a great hero all over the world. Unfortunately, Artume manages to snatch the weapon back. She then completes the incantation, altering reality to her whims.[5]
Suddenly, Amadeus Cho wakes up in a new reality in his apartment where he lives with his wife Delphyne Gorgon. He remembers the old reality as some kind of crazy dream he was having. A government administrator, he checks with his digital personal assistant to find out what has happened when he was asleep so he can prepare a report to President Artume. The two main items are an Atlantofacist bombing at Hippolyta’s Port Authority, and a recent battle between the Avengers — the Ms. Fantastic, Spider-Woman, Phoenix, and Wolverine — and the patriarchal guerilla army known as the Y-Men. He prioritizes the second item over the first as this is what would interest Artume first. Amadeus then gets dressed and heads out musing that ruling the planet is a tough job, but someone has to do it. Outside, what was once Washington, DC is now a female run society inspired by ancient Greek architecture!
Recurring Characters
Hercules, Amadeus Cho, Namora, Athena, Delphyne Gorgon, Amazons (Artume), Atlas, Spider-Woman-92124, (in flashback) George Washington, Hippolyta
Continuity Notes
Delphyne was seemingly killed last issue, we’ll discover later that this was not the case. Hippolyta on the other hand was killed in Incredible Hercules #121. She will later be resurrected by Hera in Fearless Defenders #2.
This story takes place shortly after a Skrull invasion of Earth that primarily took place in Secret Invasion #1-8. Hercules and Amadeus’ contribution to the conflict was slaying the Skrull gods as seen in Incredible Hercules #117-120.
As revealed last issue, in times of antiquity, Hercules asked Atlas to gather golden apples for him in exchange for 3 hours of freedom. However, once Hercules got what he wanted he tricked Atlas to retake his burden immediately after procuring said apples. Kind of a dick move.
The fantasies that Hercules and Namora experience while briefly holding the Omphalos actually exist as alternate realities. Per the Unofficial Appendix to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, these variant worlds have been designated Realities 902124 and 90324 respectively. As of this writing (August, 2024) these designations haven’t yet appeared in any official Marvel publications and could be subject to change.
This alternate reality was also given a designation in the Unofficial Appendix. It has been stated as Reality-92124. As this reality designation hasn’t be used in an official publication, time of this writing, it too could be subject to change. Reality-616 will be restored next issue. While not explicitly stated elsewhere, we can infer from the House of M event that this is an instance where one reality temporarily overwrites another. For more on this phenomenon see Exiles #70-71.
