Thor #271
… Like a Diamond in the Sky!
The super-computer known as FAUST is now orbiting the Earth and given humanity an ultimatum: disarm their nuclear weapons or it will destroy all life on Earth. Nick Fury, director of SHIELD, has called in the Avengers brief them on the situation. Answering the call are Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Scarlet Witch, the Vision, and Wonder Man. He quickly briefs them on how Stilt-Man and Blastaar helped steal the components FAUST needed to blast off into orbit. Since the space station can fend off their missile attacks, Fury is concerned he may have to resort to using Project 13, a devastation doomsday weapon.
However, Thor insists that he can stop FAUST before it is too late. Iron Man agrees to go with Thor since technology is his wheelhouse. When Cap and the others also insists on going they are ordered to stay behind to protect the Earth. Under the cover of another missile attack, Thor teleports himself and Iron Man inside FAUST with Mjolnir. As the pair fight through FAUST’s defenses, individuals such as Captain Marvel, Doctor Doom, and Spider-Man can sense impending danger, while the Fantastic Four are unavailable as the team had just broken up.[1] Tings take a brief turn for the worse when Iron Man is incapacitated by FAUST’s defenses. When the computer unleashes an army of drones to stop Thor, the thunder god quickly changes back into Don Blake to slip into the ventilation system. There he crawls closer to Iron Man, while the robots — having lost their target — shut down. When he reaches his teammate, Blake changes back into Thor and summons lightning to recharge Iron Man’s armor.[2]
Forcing their way into FAUST’s central computer bank, the artificial intelligence shields itself with a force field, warning the two heroes that attacking it will trigger the space station’s laser cannon which will wipe out all of New York City. Demanding to know why FAUST is doing all of this, the computer tells Thor that it is acting in self-preservation as it has come to see humanity as a threat to its continued existence. During this explanation, it mentions how Stilt-Man’s armor was altered when struck by Thor’s lightning, prompting Iron Man to attack the force field. When the cannon fires, heroes such as Nova, Daredevil, and Shang-Chi, can sense some impending danger. Surprisingly, the laser cannon fails to have enough range to destroy New York. Astonished by this turn of events, Thor smashes the computer with Mjolnir and he and Iron Man flee moments before the entire space station explodes.
Once they return to Earth, Iron Man explains that the lightning that altered Stilt-Man’s armor, also affected the equipment that FAUST use to build its final form. Thus, it inherited the same vulnerabilities leading to its ultimate undoing. With everything wrapped off, Thor is pleased that the world will live to see another day and takes off with a smile on his face.
Recurring Characters
Thor, FAUST, Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, the Vision, the Beast, Wonder Man), Nick Fury, Captain Marvel, Doctor Doom, Spider-Man, Nova, Daredevil, Shang-Chi
Continuity Notes
This story happens around the time Mister Fantastic ordered the Fantastic Four disbanded. This would last from Fantastic Four #188 through 200.
Here, Thor and Iron Man are aware of their secret identities. This is because the pair deduced who their alter-egos were back in Avengers #113.
Topical References
FAUST states that his laser cannon will destroy all of New York City, stating here that its population is 10 million people. This is not accurate for 1978, when the population was actually around 15.6 million people. One could assume the discrepancy here is due to how accessible population rates were in the 1970s, they had to rely on published statistics in a world without the internet. At any rate, NYC’s population here should be considered a topical reference as it is always changing. For example, there is 18.8 million people living there now in 2021 and it’s expected to go up by two million more people by 2030.