Beyond Courage, I Must Survive!

This story continues from Avengers West Coast #55…

Loki has been defeated and his Acts of Vengeance conspiracy has ended. Thor is returning to New York City. Wondering what became of Hercules after he left Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum as he is concerned about the demigod’s recently lost confidence of late.[1] Unfortunately, he doesn’t have time to search for his friend as his human alter-ego, Eric Masterson, has personal business to attend to.

Eric soon meets up with his assistant Susan Austin just minutes before they are due for a meeting with his lawyer, Samantha Joyce, who is helping Eric with the custody battle between his ex-wife Marcy over their son, Kevin.[2] Samantha has arranged for representatives from the child welfare office to come by Eric’s apartment and see the quality of life he provides for his son, which could go a long way for him winning his battle. With the meeting over, Eric heads off to meet a prospective client while Susan arranges to pick Kevin up from school. As the two depart, they secretly long for one another, not knowing that they both share the same romantic feelings but don’t have the confidence to bring it up to the other.

Meanwhile, Ulik has been leading Hercules on a chase since he was sent on his mission by Loki. Luring the Olympian to a nearby supply warehouse, Ulik ambushes Hercules from behind. Caught off guard by a powerful foe, Hercules suddenly finds himself cowering away from his foe until the Rock Troll smashes him with a tractor trailtor.

At that same moment, at the Metro Precinct, Marcus Stone is one day away from retirement and is just burning time. He tells his partner Vinnie Evans that he had no choice but to leave the force because his wife has threatened to divorce him. Vinnie decides that Marcus can’t have a dull last day and invites him along to have words with the new crime boss that has set up shop in the neighborhood. Stone agrees to tag along and the two pay a visit to this new mobster, who operates out of a massive office tower that is bizarrely furnished with ancient furniture. Granted a meeting with the mobster, Vinnie and Marcus warn him that the police will be keeping an eye on him. The man laughs at this, telling them that he won’t be slowed down by law enforcement and bids them good day.[3] As the two officers return to their car they receive a bulletin about fight between Hercules and Ulik and they decide to go down to investigate.

Meanwhile, Eric Masterson arrives at his appointment 12 minutes late. However, before he can meet with his client he overhears a radio report about Hercules. Deciding to help his friend, Eric leaves behind his portfolio and changes into Thor so he can lend Herc a hand in battle.

By this time, the police have cordoned off the area and are wondering what their next move should be when Thor arrives on the scene. They let the thunder god go past the cordon to deal with the threat posed by Ulik. Seeing his intended enemy, Ulik then uses the mystical necklace given to him by Loki to increase his strength, causing him to increase in size.

As Thor fights for his life, Susan Austin arrives to pick Kevin from school. Kevin’s teacher, Ed Marrero, then informs her that Kevin’s mother came to pick him up and he allowed the boy to leave with her, figuring there was nothing wrong. This sends Susan into a panic as she fears that Marcy is going to try and steal the boy from Eric.

As Susan tries to figure out what to do about this recent development, the battle between Thor and Ulik rages on. Thor manages to hold his own against the Rock Troll, despite his enhanced strength. Ultimately, however, Ulik gains the upper hand by tossing a bunch of cars from a transport vehicle on top of Thor and Hercules, burying them alive. Losing his grip of Mjolnir, Thor is pinned under so many cars that he can barely reach his enchanted hammer. Soon 60 seconds elapses an he reverts back to Eric Masterson.

Seeing Thor going down, Marcus Stone leads a SWAT team in to deal with Ulik but he easily swats them aside. Believing his enemies dead, Ulik then takes to the rooftops to make his escape. Marcus refuses to let the troll get away and runs after him. Getting up to the rooftops, Stone confronts the monster but he shrugs off the shots fired from the human’s machine gun and then crushes the weapon with his bare hands. Unwilling to surrender, Stone pulls out his service pistol and begins shooting the monster once more. Although Ulik shrugs off the bullets, one strikes him above the eye causing him to make a misstep and fall off the side of the building, the fall knocking him out and allowing officers to take him into cutsody. By this time, Eric has managed to get ahold of Mjolnir and change back into Thor and free himself. Racing to the scene he commends Marcus Stone for being able to take down Ulik. The experience has made Stone realize that he is not ready to retire from the force and he tosses his retirement papers off the roof.

When Eric and Hercules return to their shared apartment, the Olympian silently stands out on the balcony. Masterson wishes he could figure out what’s wrong with Herc. However, before he can ask, Susan comes home to tell them the situation with Kevin. As they try to figure out what to do next, Marcy arrives to return Kevin home. She explains that she decided to take Kevin out to shop for some clothes and figured it would be fine. After the boy is out of earshot, Eric demands to know why Marcy ran off with their son without telling anybody. Marcy is unapologetic, telling Eric to get used to it as she will do everything in her power to make sure she gets full custody of the boy, telling him that no force on Earth can stop her from getting what she wants.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Eric Masterson, Hercules, Ulik, Susan Austin, Samantha Joyce, Kevin Masterson, Marcy Steele, Marcus Stone, Vinnie Evans, Ed Marrero, Loki (unidentified)

Continuity Notes

1. Hercules has suffered a lot in the last little while which accounts for his lost confidence. First he was severely beaten by the Masters of Evil in Avengers #273-277. Then, he found himself hyper-evolved during a battle with the High Evolutionary in Avengers Annual #17. This caused him to be absorbed into a Celestial containment device until he was rescued by Thor in Thor #406-408. Herc won’t regain his nerve until he completes his part in creating a new Celestial life form, as we’ll see in Thor #419-424.

2. Marcy has been trying gain full custody of Kevin Masterson since Thor #392.

3. The identity of this new criminal element is obscured here. He’s later revealed to be Loki in Thor #427.