With Friends Like These...

The Thing takes a cab from Mercy General Hospital back towards the Baxter Building. When he arrives he finds Wonder Man standing at the door. At first, he greets him quite cordially, but within seconds Wonder Man goes berserk and begins pummeling the Thing. Lurking from the shadows around the corner, the recently reconstituted Puppet Master gleefully manipulates Wonder Man's actions.

Their fight is brutal and both men continue to tear up Madison Avenue. The Avenger known as She-Hulk, having detected the battle on Avengers Mansion's instruments, shows up to lend the Thing a hand. But she too falls sway to the Puppet Master's mind control. She begins bashing Ben all around the street until Ben decides to trap her by rolling her up in a stretch of pavement.

Spider-Man happens to be swinging by and becomes the Puppet Master's next pawn. He plays cat-and-mouse with the Thing for the better part of an hour, wearing him down. But ultimately, the Thing manages to grab onto Spidey and knock him out.

The Puppet Master then diversifies his talents and takes control of an entire horde of civilians. The Thing keeps them away from him with gusts of super-breath. He now knows who his true foe is. He just has to find him.

Without leaving his hiding spot, the Puppet Master is now ready for the coup de grace. He takes control of the Thing himself and pledges to kill millions of people making him the most hunted and despised monster in the world.

Recurring Characters

Thing, She-Hulk, Wonder Man, Spider-Man, Puppet Master, Edwin Jarvis

Continuity Notes

• Alicia Masters is in the hospital due to the fact she was tortured by Annihilus during the events of Fantastic Four #251-256.

• The Thing deduces that he is being attacked by the Puppet Master and recalls their last battle in Fantastic Four #236 when he was left in a miniature robotic body in Liddleville. That body was since destroyed in Fantastic Four #246 and because his body went missing the Puppet Master's mind transferred into his clay, as seen last issue.