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Quote1 Ho, what shimmering vision doth gleam before mine eyes? Quote2
Hercules

Appearing in ""In Our Midst... an Immortal!""

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Synopsis for ""In Our Midst... an Immortal!""

The Asgardian Enchantress and the Olympian god of war Ares scheme to place the legendary Hercules under their control. Overcome by the Enchantress' love potion, he is sent to attack the Avengers.

While on her way to attend an Avengers' meeting (in which the team would vote to decide whether to induct her as a member), the Black Widow is shanghaied by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and asked to act as a double-agent behind the Iron Curtain. She agrees, but is unhappy to have to leave Hawkeye again.

Hercules attacks the team. The Avengers eventually bring him back to his senses but he is dismayed to discover that because he left Olympus, Zeus has declared him exiled on Earth! The Avengers charitably house him for the duration.

Notes

  • Captain America, Hawkeye, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Goliath and Black Widow were all seen last issue in Avengers #37.
  • Hercules was last seen in Thor #132 where he was dropped off at Olympus by Thor following their battle with Pluto in Hades. This issue of the Avengers picks up Hercules' story from there.
  • Page 1: Goliath again expresses his objection to he Black Widow joining the Avengers which he has expressed since Hawkeye petitioned her to be a member of the group in Avengers #36.
  • Page 2: The remark that Quicksilver is faster than ever is a reference to the fact that he and the Scarlet Witch returned to their homeland of Transia in the hope of restoring their fading powers. They left for Transia in Avengers #30 and just recently rejoined the team in Avengers #37.
  • Page 3: The Black Widow recounts the battle against Ixar in which she helped the Avengers defeat him in Avengers #37. However, the Black Widow defeated Ixar by threatening to kill another person, which is against the Avengers' moral code.
  • Page 4: Hercules battles Ares, picking up where their clash first began in Thor #131.
    • Ares mentions his armor is made by Hephaestus, the Greek god of technology.
    • Zeus is mentioned in this page. He is the leader of the Greek gods and father of Hercules.
    • Hercules mentions his battle against Pluto which occurred in Thor #129Vol 1 131
  • Page 5: The Enchantress was last seen in Avengers #22, where she and Power Man attempted to discredit and defeat the Avengers.
    • The draught the Enchantress offers both Ares and Hercules is from the fountain of Eros, the Greek God of love.
  • Page 6: Hercules mentions the "Cloven Hooves of Pan", the Greek god of nature.
    • Hercules mentions a titanic battle against Thor. They clashed recently in Thor #128.
  • Page 7: Iron-Man and Thor are name-dropped; they are each too busy to attend the special election meeting concerning the Black Widow's proposed membership. Iron Man is busy in Tales of Suspense #87 and Thor is occupied in Mighty Thor Vol 1 138 where he is on Earth looking for Sif who has been captured by Trolls.
  • Page 8: The S.H.I.E.L.D. members and Nick Fury were last seen in Strange Tales #138, where they battled Hydra (again) in space.
    • The mention of Black Widow being brainwashed by communists in the Far East is a reference to Avengers #29 where she was used as a pawn by an eastern country to destroy the Avengers. It's also a reference to then-current stories in the real world about U.S. soldiers being taken prisoner by communist Chinese during the Korean war and being brainwashed into acting as sleeper saboteur agents.
  • Page 9: The Avengers get word that Captain America left his station. He was tricked into thinking Bucky survived World War II and was led into a trap set by Swordsman and Power Man. This event marks Cap's brief leave of absence from the Avengers roster. He will return to the team in Avengers #42.
  • Page 10: Black Widow walks out of Avengers Mansion while they are debating her being a member. She will return to help them many times in the future but doesn't actually become an official member of the group until Avengers #111.
  • Page 11: Quicksilver tells Goliath that they're battling the Enchantress, someone the Avengers faced while he was on leave. He is obviously referring to the Avengers' battle with the Enchantress in Avengers #2122. But Quicksilver must not be aware that, prior to Goliath's departure in Avengers #18, he had fought Enchantress a number of times as Giant-Man when she was a member of the Masters of Evil. Their first clash occurred in Avengers #7.
  • Page 12: Hercules mentions Quicksilver is as fast as Hermes, the Greek god of boundaries.
  • Page 13: Goliath mentions being aware that Hercules and Thor parted as friends. This is another reference to Thor #131.
  • Page 18: The slight that Enchantress needed Power Man in the past is a reference to her turning Erik Josten into Power Man and prompting him to attack the Avengers in Avengers #2122.
  • Hercules becomes a guest to the Avengers but he doesn't become an official member until Avengers #45.
  • Captain America left partway through this issue to take part in events depicted in Tales of Suspense #88 (mentioned above). He next appears in Tales of Suspense #89, which is the beginning of a story arc in which it appears Cap has teamed up with the Red Skull and betrayed the United States.
  • Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Goliath, Wasp, Hercules and Black Widow are all seen again in Avengers #39.
  • The Enchantress is seen again in Avengers Annual #1. She is one of a number of other villains recruited by the Mandarin to get revenge on the Avengers.
  • Hawkeye and the Black Widow shouldn't have worried over keeping the Widow threatening a life a secret because the Scarlet Witch saw the whole thing since she was imprisoned but not unconscious at the time it occurred.
  • Hercules' was brought into this series because Roy Thomas had asked to bring Thor back to the Avengers (again). Stan Lee said no (again) but suggested Hercules as an alternative.

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