Issue(s): Avengers #38
Cover Date: Mar 67
Title: "In our midst... an immortal!"
Credits:
Roy Thomas - Writer
Don Heck - Penciler
George Roussos - Inker

Review/plot:
Hercules and Ares are continuing their fight from Thor #131...

...when the Enchantress shows up and charms Hercules with a potion. She and Ares had a prior agreement. While the Enchantress is going to use Hercules to defeat the Avengers, Ares is going to get Hercules kicked out of Olympus by telling Zeus that Hercules has renounced his people for the love of an Asgardian.

Meanwhile, Hawkeye and Goliath continue to fight over letting the Black Widow join the team, but the Black Widow winds up getting put on a covert mission for SHIELD that requires her to appear to betray America.

Captain America cuts out in the middle of this issue in order to respond to the events of Tales of Supense #88. And after learning the news about the Black Widow, Hawkeye quits the Avengers and the Wasp, pissed at Hank's haughty reaction, goes with him. That leaves Goliath, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver alone in the Avengers Mansion when the Enchantress and Hercules show up. Those three are no weaklings, but they aren't gods, and after a long fight they are defeated. However, Hawkeye and the Wasp have a change of heart just in time, and Hawkeye's sulfur arrow cancels out the Enchantress' charm spell since "brimstone" happens to be the antidote. The Enchantress bugs out, but the floating head of Zeus appears to banish Hercules to Earth. The Avengers invite Hercules to join the Avengers.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - Hercules joins the Avengers.

Chronological Placement Considerations: Pages 15 on take place concurrently with Tales Of Suspense #88. Regarding the tag for Dum Dum Dugan, in Marvel's 2014 Original Sin event, it is revealed that at some point Dugan was killed and replaced by an LMD. I am not sure exactly when that is meant to have happened, but it seems to be some time in 1966, after Dugan had been part of SHIELD for a little while. Until i'm more clear on where it should have happened, i'm using Dugan's first appearance in 1967 as the first appearance of the LMD.

References:

• Hercules calls Ares a coward for not helping him get out of his contract with Pluto in Thor #129.
  
• The Enchantress was last seen in Avengers #22.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Triple Action #30

Hercules is just Thor without his hammer. I miss Thor.

I really wonder why Hercules was added as a member. He only stays in the series for around a year, and if I remember right he often isn't with the team. His personality doesn't really add anything to the team dynamic either. All the stories used in this time might as well have not had him.

Hercules' later involvement during Stern's run has neither of these problems. Hercules is a major replacement for the power of Thor in some very high powered story lines, and his personality difference with his teammates is very noted.

According to Roy Tbomas in various Alter Ego interviews (such as AE #50), when he took over as the regular Avengers writer he'd wanted to have Thor and Iron Man rejoin the team. Stan nixed that due to continuity concerns. So Roy added Herc as a stand-in for Thor.

Roy later stated that sales began to slip without those guys, so Stan changed his mind eventually.

Actually Hercules did not join in this issue. He moves in as a houseguest and acts as a member but he is not officially made a member of the team until #45.

Tangent because I haven't been following this stuff, but WTF about Dugan? How is that a necessary plot development on any level? So stupid.

And Nick, I assume, went for *years* having absolutely no idea. I grant you he's only got the one eye, but even so…

I can accept Herc as a stand-in for Thor, but it's interesting that Roy abandons the concept so quickly. Herc's only here for 13 issues (38-50) and it takes another 15 issues before Thor is having extended adventures with the team (Ultron-6 in 66-68, Kang v. Grandmaster in 69-71). And even then, the idea that "The Avengers" is a 5-person team (Clint-as-Goliath, Vision, Panther and the Pyms/the Twins) with Cap/Thor/IM as "special guests" will persist up until the Kree-Skrull War.

Was Roy lobbying for Thor all this time or did he just give up and decide to work without a god in the mix?