Mighty Avengers #23
Earth’s Mightiest Part 3: Three Worlds
The world has been plunged into chaos by the demon known as Chthon. As a result of his magic, the city of Broxton, Oklahoma (current home of the gods of Asgard), has been banished to limbo.[1] As Thor tries to make sense of what is going on, he seeks counsel with his sister Loki.[2] She explains that they have been banished from Midgard by powerful forces that are preventing her magics from bringing them back.[3]
Meanwhile, a new team of Avengers — the Wasp (Hank Pym), Iron Man (Tony Stark), the Hulk (Bruce Banner), Hercules, Jocasta, US Agent (John Walker), Stature (Cassie Lang), the Vision (Jonas), and Amadeus Cho — assembles to deal with this crisis. Traveling to Transia, the team discovers that this is all partially the work of Modred the Mystic using the Book of Darkhold. Iron Man tries to take point as leader after he is able to force a rampaging Hulk to revert back to Bruce Banner and knock out Modred. This prompts protests from Hank, who insists that he is leading this team. Tony argues with him, thinking that Hank’s baggage makes him unfit to lead the new team.[4]
They are interrupted by Bova, who tells them that her former ward Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) is trapped in the Darkhold. This was done by Modred so Chthon could possess his body and create carnage all over the Earth.[5] Hearing this, Hercules believes that Chthon is acting now since Atum, the god that always kept him in check, died during the recent Skrull invasion of Earth.[6][7] While Stature wonders how they are going to stop a powerful dark god, Iron Man is confident that defeating Chthon will be a simple matter and everything will snap back to normal once he’s put back in a box.[8]
That’s when the Wasp is contacted by Amadeus Cho and Jarvis, who are communicating through an Ant-Man helmet that they found in Pym’s lab. Cho warns them that he sees a wave of tentacles rising up in the distance, suggesting Chthon is on his way back. Iron Man gets his armor to do a tactical scan of these things and discovers that they are devouring everyone in their path. Pulling rank again, Iron Man orders Hercules and US Agent to follow him while Hank and the others get Banner, Modred, and Bova out of harm's way. The Wasp is furious that Tony is taking over leadership and that the others are following his orders without question. However, given the crisis at hand, they have no other choice but to go along with Stark’s plan for the moment.
Iron Man’s plan is to attack Wundagore Mountain itself since it is tied to Chthon’s power on Earth. As he, US Agent, and Hercules begin smashing the mountain, the elder god feels it instantly and begins heading their way. As the rest of the Avengers deduce Tony’s plan, Amadeus fears that Iron Man and the others will trigger a nuclear explosion because Wundagore is rich with uranium. At first, Hank doesn’t think Tony will go that far, but they remind Pym that he’s been out of the game for a while.[9] They tell him how, during the Hulk’s recent attack on New York, Stark was willing to sacrifice Manhattan to the Negative Zone in order to stop the rampage. Realizing that Stark would go that far, the Wasp orders everyone to confront Chthon directly.
However, Hank is incapacitated by Chthon before he can lead the attack. That’s when the Scarlet Witch intervenes, using her magics to make Banner frightened enough to transform into the Hulk once more. As the gamma-spawned monster fights Chthon, Hank tries to assure the people trapped in his mass of tentacles that he will save them. However, nobody believes in him and their lack of faith increases Chthon’s power even more. Pym is insulted for the third time today and insists that he will come up with a way to save everyone, even if it involves Amadeus Cho figuring out the right magic word to counter Chthon’s magic.
That gives Hank an idea and he quickly recovers his Ant-Man helmet from Cho and rewires it to affect the language center of Chthon’s host body. As a result, the monster cannot speak the magic spells. He is then cornered by both the Hulk and Stature. That’s when Modred manages to get his mouth gag loose and chants a spell that causes Chthon’s spirit to transfer to his body. However, Amadeus has figured out a way to finally defeat the monster. He has the Vision read all of the passages that Quicksilver has written in the Darkhold while his spirit has been trapped in the book and to do so as quickly as possible. This in turn causes Pietro’s soul to be transferred into the Vision, while Chthon’s soul is transferred back into the cursed book, incinerating Modred in the process.[10] Amadeus explains that in transferring Quicksilver’s mind into the book, the words he wrote in its pages became spells in and of themselves.
With the threat now over, the chaos cascade begins reversing itself. Hank also gets Quicksilver’s mind back in his body using a mind transfer device from his lab.[11] Iron Man takes off, but has some parting advice for Hank and his new team: Don’t screw up. Nearly everyone else is game for the Wasp leading the team, except for the Hulk who just wants to be left alone. Quicksilver also doesn’t want to join up because he is more interested in studying the Darkhold in the hopes that it can help him find and heal his missing sister.[12] That’s when the Scarlet Witch appears and teleports everyone away before disappearing herself. Pietro is furious to learn that Pym has been interacting with his sister without telling him and wonders why she didn’t take him with her.
The Hulk finds himself back in Arizona and is glad that he is finally alone again. In Toronto, US Agent discovers his allies in Omega Flight are alive again but tells them that he will be leaving to rejoin the Avengers.[13] In New York, the Young Avengers are freed from the stone prison they were trapped in when Chthon’s attack began. Cassie and the Vision watch from the bushes and decide to wait to tell them that they are joining Hank’s team of Avengers for the time being, especially since it would mean telling Billy and Tommy that their mother is back.[14] As reality snaps back to the way it was before, heroes from all over — including MI13, the New Avengers, Winter Guard, and Lady Liberators — as well as the media hail Hank Pym as a hero. Norman Osborn, aka the Iron Patriot, however, is quick to tell the press that Pym’s team is not affiliated with his own.[15]
Lastly, in Broxton, Oklahoma, the Asgardians and local residents celebrate their freedom. Thor joins the revelry, but makes a point of telling the crowd that this was the work of the Avengers, not Asgardian magic. Watching from Asgard, Loki is amused by this proclamation as it turns out she has been posing as the Scarlet Witch this entire time. The trickster had so much fun playing this ruse, she has decided to keep it up for the time being.
Recurring Characters
Mighty Avengers (Wasp, Iron Man, Hulk, Hercules, Jocasta, US Agent, Stature, Vision, Amadeus Cho), “Scarlet Witch”, Quicksilver (possessed by Chthon), Modred, Edwin Jarvis, Bova, Thor, Heimdall, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Sasquatch, Arachne, Young Avengers (Patriot, Hulkling, Wiccan, Hawkeye, Speed), MI13 (Captain Britain, Black Knight, Spitfire), Captain America, Wolverine, Winter Guard (Red Guardian, Darkstar, Crimson Dynamo), Lady Liberators (She-Hulk, Valkyrie, Thundra), Iron Patriot
Continuity Notes
A footnote here states that this story happens prior to Thor #600. In that story, Thor is put into exile from Asgard and its new ruler, Balder, relocates their people to Latveria.
Here, Loki appears in female form, this has been his status quo since Thor (vol. 3) #5.This gender swap happened after the recent Ragnarok cycle of death and rebirth (Thor (vol. 2) #80-85 and Thor (vol. 3) #1), it’s later revealed in Thor (vol. 3) #8 and 12 that Loki has stolen the body of Sif. This situation will be undone in Thor #602.
Loki likens Asgard being trapped to being stuck in a tree or being exiled on the Isle of Silence. These are two punishments Loki has endured in the past as seen in Journey into Mystery #85 and Avengers #1 respectively.
Hank Pym has had a troubled history over the years that many. What is specifically mentioned here is his recent name change from Yellowjacket to the Wasp, which he did in Secret Invasion: Requiem #1. This was to honor his ex-wife Janet Van Dyne who seemingly died in Secret Invasion #8. In reality, she was shunted to the Microverse and will be rescued in Avengers (vol. 4) #31-34.
Here, Bova refers to Quicksilver as the “son of Magda”, referring to the wife of Magneto. Since Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4, it is believed that Quicksilver was their offspring. However, it is later revealed to have been a lie in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5. As of this writing (July, 2024) it is unknown if Bova was ever in on this deception.
References are made here about how bad things have been going recently, namely the superhero civil war (Civil War #1-7), the Hulk’s return (World War Hulk #1-5), and the Skrull invasion (Secret Invasion #1-8).
Hercules mentions that Atum, aka the Demogorge was slain during the Skrull war. Atum was part of the God Squad, which was comprised of members of different Earth pantheons to fight back the Skrull gods part in the invasion, as seen in Incredible Hercules #117-120. Atum’s demise will prove short lived as he’ll be back again in Journey into Mystery #627.
Iron Man likens Chthon to other powerful beings capable of altering reality. They are:
(Michael) Korvac, a cyborg from the 30th Century who gained the powers of a god. Iron Man and the Avengers fought him in Avengers #167-177.
The Grandmaster (En Dwi Gast) an Elder of the Universe obsessed with cosmic games of chance. Stark first encountered him in Avengers #69-71.
The Shaper of Worlds, first seen in Incredible Hulk #155, was a Cosmic Cube that became sentient (per Captain America Annual #7). However, at the time of this story Iron Man had never encountered the Shaper directly.
At the time of this story, Hank Pym had just recently returned after being kidnapped by the Skrulls. As seen in Mighty Avengers #15, a Skrull took his place just prior to the events of House of M #1. The real Pym was only freed after the Skrulls were defeated in Secret Invasion #8.
Although seemingly destroyed here, Modred appears alive again in Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #5 without explanation, at least as of this writing (July, 2024). However, I think it’s fair to assume that some kind of magic was at work. Either Modred faked his death or was somehow magically resurrected.
Here, Hank says that this is the same device that transferred Janet Van Dyne’s mind into Jocasta’s body. As seen in Avengers #162, Ultron attempted to transfer the original Wasp’s mind into a robot body to give him a bride to call his own. Although this process was stopped before it could be completed, Jocasta became sentient nonetheless.
Quicksilver states here that he has a reputation to repair and a sister to find. Pietro was responsible for convincing his mad sister to alter reality so that mutants were the dominant species on Earth in House of M #1-8. When everything was set right, Wanda depowered most mutants on Earth and disappeared. We last saw her in New Avengers #26 living in Transia with no memory of her past. She won’t be discovered and returned to normal until Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #1-9.
US Agent joined this iteration of Omega Flight as part of a US/Canadian agreement to bring unregistered American heroes back to the United States, as seen in Civil War: The Initiative #1. The team was seemingly killed by Chthon’s magic in Mighty Avengers #21.
As explained in Young Avengers #11 the two boys are somehow tied to the Scarlet Witch. Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #6 reveals that they are the reincarnated children of Wanda Maximoff. See, the Scarlet Witch used magic to make herself pregnant in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #3 and gave birth to twin boys in issue #12 of that series. The children (Billy and Tommy) were seemingly wiped from existence by Master Pandemonium in Avengers West Coast #52.
Norman Osborn was propelled to the position of America’s top cop after he killed the leader of the Skrull invasion in Secret Invasion #8. One of his first duties was forming his own team of Avengers, as seen in Dark Avengers #1.
Topical References
Iron Man compares the tentacles as being something out of a H.P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft was a horror author from the early 20th century. Despite being incredibly racist, his works are considered classics of the genre. This wouldn’t necessarily be considered a topical reference given the fact that his works are considered classic literature.
The Vision apologizes to Cassie for deleting his entire music playlist to make room for Quicksilver’s mind. He specifically references the band Daughtry. In 2009 this band was quite popular among teenaged girls around Cassie’s age. As such, this should be considered a topical reference as it can be replaced with a more contemporary group that fits that age demographic.
