Issue(s): Avengers #10
Published Date: Nov 64
Title: "The Avengers Break Up!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Don Heck - Penciler
Dick Ayers - Inker

Review/plot: In a training session...

...it takes the rest of the Avengers 47 seconds to capture Captain America. They tell Cap about how great he is. Sometimes when me and my friends play Halo or something, if combined they manage to get at least half my score i tell them they did a good job, too.

After the workout, Iron Man suggests that Rick Jones be made an official member of the team. You know, like the Wasp (No really, he makes that comparison).

Captain America objects, saying that is a decision for him (Cap) alone to make. Jerk.

Meanwhile, the Masters of Evil, which now consist of Zemo, the Enchantress, and the Executioner, are contacted by Immortus.

He tells them he wants to join their group. They tell him he can only join if he destroys one of the Avengers. He says that he'll defeat them all (then what does he need the MOE for, a bridge club?).

Immortus' scheme involves putting out ads for giving people super powers, knowing that Rick will look into it. Rick is captured by Immortus. Cap goes to investigate and Immortus tells Cap that the rest of the Avengers told Immortus that the best way to control Cap was to kidnap Rick. Cap doesn't quite believe it (i'm amazed he can even follow it; i barely can) but still goes off in a huff to confront the other Avengers and bring them back to Immortus. Immortus makes each of them fight an analogue from the past (except the Wasp).

Then the Masters of Evil show up and Cap goes back in time to rescue Rick and... oh it's just a mess. In the end the Enchantress sends everyone back in time and i have a headache.

I don't understand Immortus' motivation in this story at all. In later stories he won't be a bad guy exactly, but here he seems to just be bored and looking for something fun to do, like hang out with Nazis and evil gods. Admittedly, that does sound like a good time.

There's a "Hercules" in this story, one of the warriors that Immortus brings from the past, but much later in Avengers Forever #8 it's stated that he and the other historical figures Immortus summons are actually Space Phantoms.

Thor doesn't seem to recognize Hercules, and he also doesn't comment on the fact that he looks and acts differently than his usual (not yet published) self. Although at the same time Thor's words and thoughts don't directly contradict the idea that he may already know Hercules.

Due to a coloring error, Thor is wearing short pants most of this issue.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 8 - first Immortus

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Odin took the Enchantress and the Executioner's powers in Avengers #7.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: Marvel Triple Action #5

The most likely reason that we don't see Immortus again for a decade is that DC had a Doom Patrol villain called General Immortus who debuted in 1963. The Doom Patrol got cancelled in 1968 and their Immortus didn't appear again for almost another decade after that, probably letting Marvel feel free to bring theirs back.

In this issue the Avengers' battle cry is used for the first time. It's slightly different(has a comma--is Thor using the vocative case? :)), than the classic version we're used to, but there it is on page 19: "Avengers,assemble!!"

When this was reprinted in Marvel Triple Action #5, Hercules was retitled Samson.

Mark, i have Marvel Triple Action #5, and he's definitely called Hercules, not Samson. He's called Hercules multiple times.

Maybe it was for another reprint? It would have been an interesting stealth-retcon.

The source article I read must have cited an incorrect reprinting; unfortunately I don't know what other place this book was reprinted in(but it would have been before 1982).