New Avengers (2nd series) #2

Luke Cage has hold of the Eye of Agamotto and has grown to giant size; so tall that even bent over his head cracks the ceiling of the Avengers mansion. Jessica shields her baby as Hawkeye screams at her to get out of there. Wolverine asks Ben Grimm to grab the Eye and run for it. Ben asks why and Iron Fist explains that, in his experience, if these demonic whatever-they-ares want it, they don’t want them to have it. Ben says he didn’t mean that. He meant why him? “Because you’re big and made of rocks,” replies Wolverine. Mockingbird grabs Dr. Strange by his coat lapels and asks if it’s really him. Ms. Marvel wonders if it’s a Skrull thing. Danny tells them to just get the Eye. Jessica hands her baby over to Spider-Man and asks him to get her upstairs to safety. She has to save her husband.

Ben Grimm reaches out for the Eye but, as he touches it, Luke Cage smashes him out of the mansion and into the nearby park. As he lies there, he reckons this is a bad time to find out which them would win in a fight. The Eye has been dropped and the Avengers try to beat Luke to it. Iron Fist tackles Hellstrom whilst Wolverine punches Dr. Strange in the chest. Ms. Marvel makes a play for the Eye but Luke grabs her by the hair and yanks her backwards. Everyone then dives towards it and Luke is about to wrap his fingers around it before Jessica punches him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. The Eye ends up in Wolverine’s hand so he hurls it out the window and then snikts his claws, plunging three each into the chests of the fake Hellstrom and Strange.

Outside, the Eye lands near a couple who are having a picnic in the sunshine. The guy reaches out and picks it up. His girlfriend asks what it is, but before he can reply he sees the gigantic Luke Cage running towards him, knocking trees out of the way. “Oh my god! Oh my god!” cries the girl. When her boyfriend sees Ben Grimm also approaching, he tosses the Eye into the air. Both Luke and Ben reach out for it but, just as they are about to grab it, Ms. Marvel flies overhead and plucks it out of the air. She then flies away at speed so she cannot be followed. Ben looks up at Luke and tells him that, usually, this would be clobbering time. As he smashes him, he guesses he’ll just have to settle for payback time.

Back inside the mansion, Wolverine leans over the two fallen demons and tells them that he’s seen enough ninja crap in his life to know a demon possession when he sees one. They can talk about the quality of life he leads later but, for now, why don’t they tell him who the hell he’s really talking to? He moves his claws around in their chests which causes them both great pain. Before they answer, their eyes glow and the demons exit the bodies in a mystic cloud before dispersing into the air. Spidey asks what Logan just did. Did he kill them? Logan asks him to get out of there but Spidey has placed Danielle somewhere safe and has a baby monitor with him. Logan explains that they’re still breathing but they need a towel or something. Spidey replies that they need a doctor, but adds sarcastically that they did have one but Logan went and stabbed him. Strange suddenly gasps for breath and his eyes pop wide open.

Outside, Jessica leaps onto Luke’s chest and asks if he’s still in there. Luke replies, in a demonic voice, that he’s right there. She asks what’s happening. Can he tell her what is happening to him? Luke doesn’t respond verbally, but instead punches Jessica high into the air. Ben grabs him and says they’ll do this again. The lady asked him pretty clearly. “What’s up buttercup? Who are you really?” Luke replies that he would tell him but he wouldn’t even understand. “Try us,” replies Ben. Luke says they seem simple. Mockingbird looks around and knows what to do. She asks a kid for his phone. Frightened, he hands it over and she runs off. His friend asks which Avenger she was. The other kid doesn’t know. “She’s hot,” his friend replies. “She’s insanely hot,” says the other. “I’m never going to see my phone again.”

Inside the mansion, Dr. Strange comes round and tells Logan that it was smart of him. He knew that severe physical trauma to the host body could cease a demonic possession. “Oh, uh sure,” replies Logan. Spidey adds that he didn’t know that at all. He just stabbed him to stab him. Strange groans and Spidey asks what’s going on. Strange asks him to let him try and heal himself and then they’ll try figure it out. Logan informs him that it’s not over. It has Luke Cage.

In the park, the demon possessing Luke offers the Avengers a deal. They give him the Eye of Agamotto and he will give them their friend back. Iron Fist asks why he wants it. The demon replies that he is a servant of the He. The Eye belongs to the He. It’s a fair trade. Their hero friend for one bauble. Mockingbird, filming the incident, asks who He is. Jessica tries once again to get through to Luke, but the demon tells her that if she wants the father of her child back she needs to give him what he came for. Jessica pleads with him to fight it... fight past it. Softly, Luke says her name as if he’s recognized her. “Luke?” she asks. Luke then smiles and the demon laughs, saying he forgot how much he loves Earth humans. Jessica raises her fist to punch him again, but Ms. Marvel then appears and holds the Eye out in front of her. She tells the demon to give them back their friend and she won’t smash the Eye into a million little pieces… and she so will because she’s not a fan of this creepy demon thing he’s trying to pull here. The demon stands up and reaches for Carol, but she manages to evade his attack and smashes him in the face. Unfortunately, he still manages to grab her and she drops the Eye.

Inside the mansion, Dr. Strange performs the Gorgerell self-healing spell from the Scroll of Melsalam. Once that is completed, he asks for help preparing Hellstrom for healing. Wolverine tells him they don’t have time. They have to get out there and help Cage, but Strange says they’ll need Hellstrom. He creates a new spell and slowly brings Hellstrom into consciousness. He wakes with a start, but Strange asks him to lie down so he can finish the spell. Hellstrom asks who did this to them but Strange admits he doesn’t know. “They’re trying to pull the dimension apart,” replies Hellstrom.

(in the park)
Iron Fist has picked up the Eye and is running with Luke Cage hot on his trail. He senses Luke right behind him so he quickly turns and channels his power into his hand, zapping him to slow Luke down. Luke drops to the grass and Ben climbs on top of him, unleashing his power once again on Luke’s chin. “Now stay down already!” he demands.

Jessica tries in vain to communicate with her husband, but Ms. Marvel doesn’t believe he can hear her. “Yes, he can,” she says. Iron Fist reckons they need to find Brother Voodoo and find out how all this started. He asks if they can get Luke inside so he doesn’t bother any more civilians. Wolverine and Hellstrom then approach quickly and Logan shouts for them to get away from it. As Danny asks what he means… the Eye or the Demon? Ben asks Strange if he’s feeling better because they could use some good old-fashioned whammy. Or, adds Carol, he could just tell those who aren’t master magicians what on Earth is going on and how to save Luke. “Please,” begs Jessica. Nearby, the Eye begins to take control of Iron Fist and both Strange and Hellstrom realize that the power has been transferred.

From nowhere, Brother Voodoo appears and warns the demon now controlling Iron Fist that it shall not pass. He is Voodoo. He is Sorcerer Supreme of this dimension. He calls the demon a coward who snuck up on him and gave it his best shot. However, he has lost his chance. He will release the human and surrender the Eye. The Eye does not leave with him. “And you can tell you master,” adds Hellstrom, “I said go $@$%@# yourself.” Strange reiterates that the Eye will not leave this dimension. The demon snarls back, ”Well… that’s not true at all.” Dr. Strange replies that he has been warned. He casts the Terron Attack Spell from the Books of Dormammu, the Crytorryk Bands of Containment from the Scrolls of Crytorryk-Sar and the Sinktari Attack Spell from the Books of Shataki. As the spells begin to work, the demon tells Strange that he will be punished. He disappears in a flash of white light and Strange gasps. “No.”

Ms. Marvel asks if it took Danny. Strange can’t believe it, and Luke asks what the hell. Hellstrom grabs Brother Voodoo and asks him angrily what he did. Voodoo closes his eyes and asks himself the same question. Hellstrom cries that he’s the Sorcerer Supreme and he let this happen. He is furious and both Ben and Ms. Marvel are unable to hold him back. He summons his staff and screams that he should kill Voodoo for allowing this to happen. Ben tells him that this isn’t going to help and asks Voodoo how they can go get Danny. Hellstrom drops to his knees and puts his head in his hands, saying they don’t understand. Spider-Man says he’s right. They don’t. So what is the Eye and where did it go? Strange sighs that without the Eye of Agamotto they forfeit. Voodoo asks Strange what he should do. Carol asks what they forfeit. Spider-Man’s spider sense then kicks in and they all look up to the sky. It is burning and a large fissure has opened up. “Everything,” replies Doctor Strange.