New Avengers #53
The New Avengers — Ronin (Clint Barton), Luke Cage, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Wolverine (Logan), Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Captain America (James Barnes), and Mockingbird (Bobbi Morse) — have travelled to New Orleans to help Doctor (Stephen) Strange locate the next Sorcerer Supreme.[1] As Ronin tries to find a place to land their Quinjet, Spider-Man tries to assure Cage that his wife (Jessica Jones)’s high school crush on him isn’t a threat to their marriage.[2] Cage gives him the 3rd degree until Spider-Man jokingly asks if he and Iron Fist have broken up, prompting Luke to demand they land right away.[3]
That’s when the Eye of Agamotto — the mystical artifact bringing them to the new Sorcerer Supreme — begins to glow. It then begins projecting the images of the various individuals in consideration to succeed Doctor Strange.[4] This is something the Eye had not done previously and before they can figure out why it suddenly vanishes in a flash of light. That’s when Captain America detects something incoming on the radar. This is a rocket fired at the Quinjet by Madame Masque (Whitney Frost) who has come to New Orleans with the Hood (Parker Robbins), who is on a mission from his master (the demon Dormammu) to usurp the role of Sorcerer Supreme for himself.
As Ms. Marvel tries to prevent the Quinjet from crashing in the city below, members of the team leap out to confront Madame Masque. Wolverine leaps out first but takes a spray of bullets before being pulled to safety of Spider-Man. Spider-Woman then leaps out and attacks Masque directly. However, Whitney drops smoke grenades to try and make this difficult. The two women are equally matched in hand-to-hand combat. However, when Frost pulls her gun and tries to shoot Jessica in the head, Captain America knocks the weapon out of her hand with his shield. Masque then leaps off the roof and escapes before she is captured. However, her attack has tipped the Avengers off to the fact that the Hood is in the area.
Five minutes earlier, Parker has attacked Daimon Hellstorm (aka the Son of Satan) in home. However, the powerful demonic entity uses his magics to stop the Hood’s bullets in mid-air. Parker believes that Hellstrom has been selected to become the next Sorcerer Supreme and orders him to hand over the Eye of Agamotto. Daimon has no idea what he is talking about. That’s when the Eye cast its image before them, further convincing Robbins that Hellstrom has it. Daimon has had enough and asks the demon possessing Parker to name itself so he can exorcise it politely.
The flames from their battle attract the attention of Strange and the New Avengers. The team then splits up with half going after Madame Masque and the other to confront the Hood.[5] That’s when the fight between Damon Hellstorm and the Hood spills out onto the street. Luke Cage then leaps out of the Quinjet and lands on top of Robbins, who is becoming more and more demonic. As Doctor Strange floats down to meet them, the situation starts making sense to Hellstrom.
Not far away, Madame Masque has grabbed a hostage and tells Ms. Marvel and her team to leave or she will shoot. Carol refuses to stand down and gives Masque to the count of three to let go of her hostage and surrender. Whitney calls Carol’s bluff, but at three a bullet fired by Captain America hits Frost in the head. Luckily, her mask took the blunt of the shot, but the force knocks her out.
At the same time, Doctor Strange explains to Daimon that the Hood has come seeking the Eye of Agamotto. Daimon explains to Stephen that he doesn’t have it. That’s when the chosen one shows himself. As it turns out, the Eye chose Brother Voodoo as the next Sorcerer Supreme!
Recurring Characters
New Avengers (Ronin, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel, Captain America, Mockingbird), Doctor Strange, Brother Voodoo, Son of Satan, The Hood, Madame Masque, Dormammu, Baron Mordo, Cyrus Black, Doctor Doom, Ghost Rider, Magik, Nico Minoru, Mister Rasputin, Modred the Mystic, Necromancer, Satana, Scarlet Witch, Selene, Soulfire, Spiral, Talisman, Wong
Continuity Notes
After violating his oath as Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen has been searching for a successor since New Avengers Annual #2.
The whole Jessica Jones Crush on Peter Parker is kind of complicated:
As revealed in Alias #22-23, Jessica attended Midtown High at the same time as Peter Parker (circa Amazing Fantasy #15). Last issue, Peter revealed his true identity to his fellow New Avengers, leading to Jones revealing her past crush on Peter, much to Luke’s chagrin.
Peter had to re-reveal his identity to his team because he made a pact with Mephisto to save his Aunt May. Part of this deal also erased all knowledge of Peter’s double life and altered the timeline so he was never married. See Amazing Spider-Man #545.
Spider-Man’s joke about Luke breaking up with Iron Fist is in reference to the fact that the pair had been business partners in the past dating back to Power Man and Iron Fist #50. This led to a long standing friendship between the two heroes.
The images the Eye of Agamotto project are:
Baron (Karl) Mordo, long standing foe of Doctor Strange, first seen in Strange Tales #111.
Cyrus Black, a rival sorcerer who first appeared in Defenders #6.
Doctor Doom (Victor Von Doom), long time antagonist of the Fantastic Four and a master of both science and magic. First seen in Fantastic Four #5.
Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) first seen in Marvel Spotlight #5.
Magik (Illyana Rasputin), mutant teleporter and occasional ruler of Limbo. First seen in Giant-Size X-Men #1, she did not become a sorceress until Magik #1.
Nico Minoru, sorcerous heir to members of the Gibborum who first appeared in Runaways #1.
Mister Rasputin (Pavel Plotnick) a forgettable early Dr. Strange foe that claims to be descended from Gregori Rasputin. He first appeared in Strange Tales #145.
Modred the Mystic, a 6th century mystic who was cursed by the Book of Darkhold first seen in Marvel Chillers #1.
The Necromancer, the Stephen Strange of Counter-Earth who first appeared in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #46.
Satana (Hellstrom) sister to the Son of Satan. She first appeared in Vampire Tales #2.
The Scarlet Scarab (Mehment Faoul) Egyptian powered by a mystical artifact of the same name and successor to the Scarab of World War II. He was first seen in Thor #326.
The Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) “mutant” sorceress who first appeared in X-Men #4.
Selene Gallio, immortal mutant and the former Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. First seen in New Mutants #9.
Soulfire (Jason Moldonado) a demonically possessed man who first appeared in Hellstorm: Prince of Lies #4.
Spiral (Rita Wayword), multi-armed sorceress from the Mojoverse who first appeared in Longshot #1.
Talisman, an Australian aborigine who first appeared in Contest of Champions #1.
Wong, Doctor Strange’s loyal servant, first seen in Strange Tales #110.
Topical Referneces
A bystander watching Damon’s fight with the Hood is recording it on a camcorder. This should be considered topical as this type of recording device has fallen out of common use thanks to the advent of smart phones with built in cameras. As such its depiction here should be considered topical.