THE AVENGERS BREAK UP!

At their headquarters, the Avengers conduct a team training exercise designed to test Captain America's agility and combat instincts against the combined powers of his teammates. Iron Man fires repulsor blasts, Thor swings Mjolnir, Giant-Man attempts to trap him with his enormous reach, and the Wasp darts through the air to cut off his escape. Despite facing impossible odds, Captain America avoids them all for an impressive forty-seven seconds before finally being cornered. Although the others congratulate him, Cap is disappointed in himself, believing he should have lasted a full minute.

After the exercise, the Avengers gather for an official team meeting. During the discussion, Iron Man questions why Rick Jones, who has repeatedly risked his life beside the team, has never been offered full Avengers membership or even a costume. Captain America immediately objects, insisting that the decision belongs solely to him because Rick would become his responsibility as a partner. The other Avengers agree and leave the matter in Cap's hands. Later, Rick approaches Captain America, having overheard the conversation. Hoping to become an Avenger, he asks if there is any chance he might join. Cap gently explains that he still carries the guilt of losing Bucky Barnes during the war and cannot bear the thought of placing another young partner in danger. He promises Rick they will discuss it another time.

Deep in the Amazon jungle, Baron Zemo, the Enchantress, and the Executioner regroup after another defeat by the Avengers. Zemo insists that all they need is another powerful ally to turn the tide, while the Enchantress reminds him that their previous attempt failed when Wonder Man betrayed them. Suddenly, the Enchantress is seized by an overwhelming mental probe from another age. Moments later, a mysterious figure appears and introduces himself as Immortus, ruler of the timeless realm of Limbo. He claims to have observed the Avengers across history and offers to join the Masters of Evil. When Zemo angrily orders the Executioner to attack him, Immortus effortlessly vanishes and instead summons the legendary giant Paul Bunyan to battle the Executioner. The titanic fight nearly destroys Zemo's jungle fortress before Immortus recalls his champion. Impressed but cautious, Zemo demands proof of Immortus' loyalty by ordering him to destroy one of the Avengers. Immortus eagerly accepts, declaring that defeating Earth's Mightiest Heroes will finally provide him with a worthy challenge.

Back in New York, Rick Jones meets with the Teen Brigade and notices a comic book advertisement promising genuine super powers. Thinking such abilities might help him earn a place among the Avengers, Rick eagerly travels to the listed address. There he finds Immortus waiting for him. Immortus reveals that the advertisement was created specifically to lure Rick into a trap, and moments later Attila the Hun appears and attacks. Rick bravely uses the combat techniques Captain America taught him, but he is eventually overwhelmed and captured. Immortus orders Attila to transport Rick to the Tower of London in the year 1760, imprisoning him there until the next phase of his plan begins.

When Captain America later visits Rick's room and finds it empty, he quickly learns from the Teen Brigade that Rick left after responding to the advertisement. Recognizing it as a trap, Cap races to the address and bursts through a window, only to find Immortus calmly waiting. Immortus tells him that Rick is unharmed but claims that the Avengers themselves suggested kidnapping Rick because they knew it was the only way to manipulate Captain America. Although Cap refuses to believe such a betrayal, Immortus insists he will prove it if Captain America brings the other Avengers to him. Desperate to save Rick, Cap reluctantly agrees.

Returning to Avengers Headquarters, Captain America storms into the meeting room and angrily hurls his shield at his teammates, demanding to know who betrayed Rick Jones. Completely bewildered, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man, and the Wasp deny any involvement. Convinced they are lying, Cap attacks them, battling each of his super-powered teammates with astonishing skill until Giant-Man finally restrains him long enough for everyone to calm down. After hearing Cap's story, the Avengers agree to accompany him and confront Immortus together.

Immortus admits that Rick was merely bait to gather the entire team in one place. He announces that Rick will be released only after each Avenger defeats a legendary champion from history whose abilities surpass their own. Giant-Man faces the biblical giant Goliath, and after a thunderous battle, he wins with help from the Wasp. Iron Man then battles Merlin the Magician, overcoming the wizard's sorcery through clever use of technology. Finally, Thor is matched against Hercules. The two gods clash with hammer and club before casting aside their weapons and testing each other's raw strength. Thor eventually uses Hercules' momentum against him and sends the Olympian crashing through a high window, only to save him from falling to his death. Impressed by Thor's honor, Hercules yields.

Seeing his champions defeated, Immortus suddenly transports Captain America back through time, leaving the other Avengers stranded in the present. Cap arrives outside the Tower of London in eighteenth-century England, fights his way through Immortus' guards, and rescues Rick Jones from captivity. Keeping his promise, Immortus returns both heroes safely to the twentieth century.

Meanwhile, Baron Zemo learns that Captain America has vanished from the Avengers and believes the team is finally vulnerable. He launches an immediate attack alongside the Enchantress and the Executioner. The surprise assault overwhelms the Avengers: the Enchantress magically shrinks Giant-Man, the Executioner badly damages Iron Man's armor, and Zemo traps Thor's limbs in a new substance called Liquid Ore that hardens into unbreakable stone. Defeat seems certain until Captain America and Rick suddenly return. Cap's shield destroys Zemo's weapon while the other Avengers recover, and Thor finally shatters his stone prison with a triumphant cry of "Avengers Assemble!"

Realizing defeat is inevitable once again, the Enchantress resorts to one final Asgardian spell. Instead of simply escaping, her magic rewinds time itself, erasing everything that has happened since Immortus first contacted the Masters of Evil. In an instant, the Avengers find themselves once again seated at their earlier meeting, completely unaware that the incredible adventure ever occurred. Once again, Iron Man raises the subject of Rick Jones becoming an Avenger, and once again Captain America insists that the decision is his alone.

Elsewhere, however, Baron Zemo, the Enchantress, and the Executioner remember everything. Frustrated by another defeat but refusing to give up, Zemo insists that every failure brings them one step closer to victory. As night falls over their hidden Amazon stronghold, the Enchantress once again senses Immortus reaching into her mind. This time, remembering the disastrous events that followed, she immediately severs the connection while the Masters of Evil quietly begin plotting their next assault against Earth's Mightiest Heroes.