Dark Reign

Since the passage of the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA), the hero known as Aegis (Trey Rollins) continues operating as an unregistered superhero.[1] Keeping an online journal, he explains that while the world outside changes the situation in the Lincoln Towers Housing Project does not. Regardless of who is in charge or what the law is, he is the only one fighting crime in the area.[2] He believes in his mission because he was chosen to be the champion of Athena, even though he hasn’t heard from her in some time.

When he returns to his apartment after a bust, he senses someone in the room. It turns out to be the Olympian known as the Huntsman, who has come on behalf of the Olympus Group to reclaim the the enchanted breastplate that gives Aegis his powers.[3] He uses magic to cut off air from Aegis’ lungs. However, the young hero refuses to surrender in such a way and leaps out his apartment window, falling to his death.[4]

Meanwhile, Hercules and Amadeus Cho are meeting with Athena at Silly’s Greek Diner in Manhattan following their first mission with the new Mighty Avengers.[5] Athena doesn’t understand why, but Herc explains that Amadeus needed something to lift his spirits after getting dumped by Delphyne Gorgon.[6] Cho tells them to stop bringing that up because it still hurts.

That’s when their discussion is interrupted by the arrival of Hera and her new consort, the Typhon. Hercules is shocked to see his old foe again, and is told that Pluto released him from Tartarus when offered to the opportunity to kill Olympians.[7] Hercules rips a table off the floor and is about to smash it over Typhon’s head, when Silly warns him not to incite any violence. He wants his business to be a place where gods don’t fight one another and to show he is serious his “defense system” — in the form of an army of Furies — appear. He pleads with Hercules to keep them at bay and he does as he is asked.

Hera has come to speak with her step-daughter Athena, who is unhappy with her mother after she was tossed off the board of directors of the Olympus Group. Hera justifies taking full control of the company following the death of Zeus. She uses the fact that Athena met with the Council of God-Heads during the Skrull invasion without her permission as justification.[8] Hera is furious over this unauthorized action as it made the Olympian pantheon look like fools to all others. She shows her frustration by calling down the lightning she inherited from her late husband.

That’s when Amadeus points out something to Hera: He reminds her how Athena was the product of one of his many acts of infidelity when he impregnated the Titan known as Metis. Learning from the Fates that this child would grow up to be greater than Zeus himself, he consumed Metis before she gave birth. This was out of fear that Zeus would be succeeded much in the same way he succeeded his father Cronos. Nine months later, Zeus began experiencing massive migraines and had Hephaestus split his head open. From there emerged the full grown form of Athena.[9] Hera takes insult to this, but asks Athena if she will side with her.

Athena, of course, says that she won’t and Hera threatens to kill them all the next time they meet, just like she did her last champion. Athena realizes that Hera is speaking about Aegis and when Hercules runs after his step-mother to find out what she has done, Hera has teleported away. Whatever the situation may be, Athena insists they find Trey Rollins as quickly as possible as he is in grave danger.

Later that afternoon, Norman Osborn — head of national security — has arrived at the head office of the Olympus Group. There he announces his presence to Hebe, who is working the front desk. Osborn has just recently learned about the group’s existence and has come to find out what Hera has planned after he heard of the business deal she recently brokered with the Emir of Dubai. Osborn demands answers and hopes like hell that Hera doesn’t think she is really a god of myth since he already has one to deal with.[10] She then invites him into her boardroom to discuss the plans of the Olympus Group behind closed doors. They discuss something called Continuum which Osborn finds preposterous and sees it as a risk to his entire operation. Hera is unphased by the threats of violence, believing that the Olympus Group will outlast HAMMER in a conflict. Osborn warns Hera that if she goes through with Continuum, it will be at his direction.[11] When Osborn leaves, Hera tells Hebe to summon the others as she plans on dealing with Athena and Hercules tonight.

That evening Hercules, Amadeus, and Athena arrive outside an abandoned factory outside of Manhattan. There, Amadeus asks Athena what the deal with Aegis is. Both she and Hercules explain that he is one of the many simultaneous world-saving plans that Athena has going at any given time. Trey Rollins was one such champion whom Athena bestowed the gorgon-faced breast-plate that gives him his powers. He became a defender of Brooklyn and was a member of the New Warriors and Hercules once fought when he thought the breast-plate was stolen.[12] The enchanted armor was forged using the hide of a chimera that Athena slew in Lycia and as such she can always sense its location, which is what led them to this factory.

Amadeus recognizes the factory as belonging to the Excello Soap Company, whose internet quiz show he won before the death of his parents.[13] When Amadeus asks if Excello is the work of Hera, Athena isn’t certain but confirms that the soap manufacturer is owned by the Olympus Group. Unconcerned that they might be walking into a trap, Hercules rips open the fence and heads toward the building. Once inside, the trio discover Aegis’ dead body under a tarp. As Athena mourns the loss of her champion that’s when they are ambushed by Hera, Typhon, Pluto, the Huntsman, and — to the surprise of Amadeus — Delphyne Gorgon.

Athena tells the others that she met with the Council of God-Heads during the Skrull invasion in order to show the rest of the Olympians what true leadership looks like. How they could live different lives from the endless resentments and vendettas of the past. Hera is enraged by these insults but before a fight can break out, Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers — Iron Patriot (Osborn himself), Ms. Marvel (Karla Sofen), Marvel Boy (Noh-Varr), Ares, Spider-Man (Mac Gargan, aka Venom), Hawkeye (aka Bullseye in disguise), Wolverine (actually his son Daken), and the Sentry (Bob Reynolds) — come crashing in through the skylight. Iron Patriot pronounces this as an illegal meeting of a Greek criminal organization that is a threat to national security and orders his Avengers to take them down!

Recurring Characters

Hercules, Amadeus Cho, Athena, Aegis, Olympus Group (Hera, Typhon, Pluto, Hebe, Delphyne Gorgon, Huntsman), Dark Avengers (Iron Patriot, "Ms. Marvel”, Ares, Captain Marvel, “Hawkeye”, “Spider-Man”, Sentry, “Wolverine”), Furies, (in flashback) Zeus, Hephaestus

Continuity Notes

1. The SHRA was passed in Civil War #3, it requires all superhumans to register with the government. This law will remain on the books until Siege #1-4.

2. By those in charge, Aegis mentions SHIELD, HAMMER, Tony Stark, and Norman Osborn. Following the passage of the SHRA, Tony Stark became the Director of SHIELD starting in New Avengers #25. However, he took the blame for the Skrull invasion of Earth that followed. Norman Osborn took over the reigns after he killed the leader of the invasion. One of his first acts was to replace SHIELD with his own organization, HAMMER. See Secret Invasion #1-8.

3. Don’t remember the Huntsman? That’s because he is a deep cut character with only a few appearances in the past. See Ka-Zar #1, Sub-Mariner #29, and Champions #2-3.

4. As of this writing (August, 2024), Aegis is still considered among the deceased. We will see him in Hades, however, in Incredible Hercules #129-131.

5. Hercules and Amadeus Cho had just recently joined Hank Pym’s new team in Mighty Avengers #21-23 to fight the demon Chthon.

6. Amadeus fell for Delphyne during their recent battle against the Amazons, as seen in Incredible Hercules #121-125.

7. Typhon was condemned to the Olympian underworld after a failed coup of Olympus back in Avengers #50. Although he did briefly escape on occasion, as seen in Marvel Premiere #26, Avengers #163, and Avengers Annual #23. We saw he was back in the land of the living in Incredible Hercules #125.

8. Zeus was killed during Amatsu-Mikaboshi’s invasion of Olympus in Ares #1-5. Athena met with the Council to discuss destroying the Skrull gods in Incredible Hercules #115-116. Hera seized control of the Olympus Group in issue #125. Caught up now? Good.

9. Per Greek mythology, Cronos was the father of Zeus, who slew his father to seize control of Olympus. This was first mentioned in the fiction in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #8, and depicted for the first time in Hulk vs. Hercules #1.

10. Norman Osborn is referring to Loki, the Asgardian god of mischief. After being made head of national security, Osborn formed the secret Cabal to control the world. Among its membership is Loki. See Secret Invasion #8 and Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1.

11. Continuum is an effort to create a new Earth to replace the old one. One more fitting of Olympian tastes with none of the baggage of the old world. See Assault on New Olympus #1 and Incredible Hercules #138-141.

12. Trey was given the breastplate in New Warriors (vol. 2) #0 and he and his fellow New Warriors fought Hercules in issue #10 of that series.

13. Amadeus won the quiz show in Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #15. It is later learned that Cho’s family was murdered by rival genius Pythagoras Dupree. See Incredible Hercules #133-137.

Topical References

• Aegis is depicted as having a CRT model television in his apartment. This should be considered a topical reference as this technology is now obsolete.

• Hebe complains about how messy “White-Out” is. She is referring to a brand of correction fluid used to paint over mistakes made on materials printed in ink. The brand is actually spelled Wite-Out and it was introduced in 1966. That said, this could be considered a topical reference as this is a real world brand as there are many other brands of correction fluid (such as Liquid Paper and Tipp-X). On the other hand, Wite-Out has become a proprietary eponym (same with Liquid Paper, Tipp-X not so much). I think people tend to refer to the product by whichever brand name they are most familiar with. I had to actually look up what the product is actually called because I have only ever referred to it as Wite-Out myself.