In "Below Us the Battle!", the Avengers find themselves locked in a brutal clash with the Defenders, as the Swordsman duels Valkyrie and Captain America faces off against the Sub-Mariner. With tensions escalating and the battlefield crumbling beneath them, the two heroes begin to suspect they’re being manipulated—caught in a scheme far bigger than a simple fight. Written by Steve Englehart and brought to life by Bob Brown’s dynamic art, Mike Esposito’s inks, Petra Goldberg’s colors, and Gaspar Saladino and June Braverman’s sharp lettering, this epic clash is capped by a striking cover by John Romita.
Contains 30 stories
Below Us the Battle!
16 pp · Superhero
Avengers [Black Panther [T'Challa]Captain America [Steve Rogers]Iron Man [Tony Stark]Scarlet WitchSwordsman [Jacques Duquesne]Thor [Donald Blake]Vision]MantisSkol
Prologue: Alliance Most Foul!
3 pp · Superhero
LokiDormammu
Chapter 1: Deception!!
4 pp · Superhero
Defenders [Doctor Strange [Stephen Strange]Hulk [Bruce Banner]Silver Surfer [Norrin Radd]Sub-Mariner [Namor]Valkyrie [Barbara]]Hawkeye [Clint Barton]Black Knight [Dane Whitman](stone)DormammuLoki
Chapter 2: Betrayal!
10 pp · Superhero
Avengers [Captain America [Steve Rogers]Iron Man [Tony Stark]Scarlet Witch [Wanda Maximoff]Swordsman [Jacques Duquesne]Thor [Donald Blake]Vision]MantisDefenders [Doctor Strange [Stephen Strange]Hulk [Bruce Banner]Silver Surfer [Norrin Radd]Sub-Mariner [Namor]Valkyrie [Barbara]]Hawkeye [Clint Barton]WongDormammuLokiPrester John [Johann] (flashback)Human Torch [Johnny Storm] (flashback)Wyatt Wingfoot (flashback)Aragorn
Chapter 3: Silver Surfer vs. the Vision and the Scarlet Witch
9 pp · Superhero
Avengers [Scarlet Witch [Wanda Maximoff]Vision]Defenders [Silver Surfer [Norrin Radd]]
Chapter 4: Divide... and Conquer
3 pp · Superhero
Defenders [Doctor Strange [Stephen Strange]Silver Surfer [Norrin Radd]]Avengers [Black Panther [T'Challa]Captain America [Steve Rogers]Iron Man [Tony Stark]Scarlet Witch [Wanda Maximoff]Thor [Donald Blake]Swordsman [Jacques Duquesne]Vision]MantisLoki
Chapter 5: The Invincible Iron Man vs. Hawkeye the Archer
8 pp · Superhero
Defenders [Doctor Strange [Stephen Strange]Valkyrie [Barbara]]Hawkeye [Clint Barton]Avengers [Iron Man [Tony Stark]]Martin FiguerasAragorn
Chapter 6: Dr. Strange Master of the Mystic Arts vs. the Black Panther and Mantis!
8 pp · Superhero
Defenders [Doctor Strange [Stephen Strange]]Avengers [Black Panther [T'Challa]]Mantis
Holocaust
2 pp · Superhero
Avengers [Black Panther [T'Challa]Iron Man [Tony Stark]Scarlet Witch [Wanda Maximoff]Vision]MantisDefenders [Doctor Strange [Stephen Strange]Silver Surfer [Norrin Radd]]Hawkeye [Clint Barton]DormammuLoki
In "Holocaust," the Swordsman clashes with Valkyrie while Captain America faces off against the Sub-Mariner, each battle unfolding with fierce intensity. As the fighting escalates, Captain America and the Sub-Mariner begin to suspect that their clash was orchestrated by a hidden hand, setting the stage for a deeper conspiracy.
Chapter 7: Swordsman vs. the Valkyrie
8 pp · Superhero
Avengers [Swordsman [Jacques Duquesne]]Defenders [Valkyrie [Barbara]]Aragorn
Chapter 8: Captain America vs. Sub-Mariner
9 pp · Superhero
Avengers [Captain America [Steve Rogers]]Defenders [Sub-Mariner [Namor]]Sunfire [Shiro Yoshida]
Chapter 9: Breakthrough! The Incredible Hulk vs. the Mighty Thor
10 pp · Superhero
Defenders [Doctor Strange [Stephen Strange]Hulk [Bruce Banner]Silver Surfer [Norrin Radd]Sub-Mariner [Namor]Valkyrie [Barbara]]Hawkeye [Clint Barton]Avengers [Black Panther [T'Challa]Captain America [Steve Rogers]Iron Man [Tony Stark]Swordsman [Jacques Duquesne]Scarlet Witch [Wanda Maximoff]Thor [Donald Blake]Vision]Mantis
Chapter 10: United We Stand!
9 pp · Superhero
Defenders [Doctor Strange [Stephen Strange]Hulk [Bruce Banner]Silver Surfer [Norrin Radd]Sub-Mariner [Namor]Valkyrie [Barbara]]Hawkeye [Clint Barton]Avengers [Black Panther [T'Challa]Captain America [Steve Rogers]Iron Man [Tony Stark]Swordsman [Jacques Duquesne]Scarlet Witch [Wanda Maximoff]Thor [Donald Blake]Vision]MantisAstiDormammuSunfire [Shiro Yoshida] (flashback)Loki (flashback)
To the Death!
19 pp · Superhero
A Dark and Stormy Knight
19 pp · Superhero
Chandu
When the Enchantress petrifies the Black Knight, the Defenders summon him back from death—only to send him hurtling through time to the 12th century, where he must confront a past he never knew. Stranded in a realm of knights and shadows, the Black Knight faces a choice that could redefine his legacy.
Night of the Collector
20 pp · Superhero
Death-Stars of the Zodiac!
19 pp · Superhero
The Avengers [Captain America [Steve Rogers]Scarlet WitchVisionThor [Donald Blake]Iron Man [Tony Stark]]MantisSwordsmanZodiac [TaurusGeminiLeoCapricornCancerLibraAriesVirgoScorpioSagittariusAquariusPisces]
Houses Divided Cannot Stand!
19 pp · Superhero
The Avengers [Captain America [Steve Rogers]Black PantherScarlet WitchVisionThor [Donald Blake]Iron Man [Tony Stark]MantisSwordsman]Zodiac [Taurus [Cornelius Van Lunt]GeminiLeoCapricornCancerLibraAriesVirgoScorpioSagittariusAquariusPisces]
Trapped in Outer Space!
19 pp · Superhero
The Avengers [Black PantherScarlet WitchVisionThor [Donald Blake]Iron Man [Tony Stark]MantisSwordsman]Zodiac [Taurus [Cornelius Van Lunt]GeminiLeoCapricornCancerLibraAriesVirgoScorpioSagittariusAquariusPisces]
Vengeance in Viet Nam!
18 pp · Superhero
The Avengers [Black PantherScarlet WitchVisionThor [Donald Blake]Iron Man [Tony Stark]Mantis (origin)Swordsman]Taurus [Cornelius Van Lunt]Libra
Beware the Star-Stalker!
18 pp · Superhero
The Avengers [Black PantherScarlet WitchVisionThor [Donald Blake]Iron Man [Tony Stark]Mantis (origin)Swordsman]LibraCornelius Van LuntStar-Stalker
The Power of Babel!
18 pp · Superhero
The Avengers [Captain America [Steve Rogers]Black Panther [T'Challa]Scarlet WitchVisionThor [Donald Blake]Iron Man [Tony Stark]MantisSwordsman] (also in flashback)LibraThanos (also in flashback)Lou-Ann SavannahCaptain Marvel [Mar-Vell] (cameo flashback)Drax (cameo flashback)Moondragon (cameo flashback)
The God Himself!
18 pp · Superhero
Captain Marvel [Mar-Vell] (also in flashback)Thanos (also in flashback)I.S.A.A.C. (also in flashback)Rick Jones (flashback)Avengers [VisionCaptain America [Steve Rogers]Thor [Donald Blake]Black Panther [T'Challa]MantisIron Man [Tony Stark] (also in flashback)Swordsman]Moondragon (also in flashback)Mentor (also in flashback)Drax (also in flashback)DeathEros (cameo flashback)Sui-San (death in flashback)Kronos (cameo flashback)Skragg (cameo flashback)Super-Skrull (cameo flashback)Thing (cameo flashback)Controller (cameo flashback)Eon (cameo flashback)Cosmic Cube (also in flashback, destruction)
Nuklo--the Invader That Time Forgot!
34 pp · Superhero
Avengers [Captain AmericaThorVisionScarlet WitchIron ManMantis]The Whizzer (married in flashback)Miss America [Madeline Joyce] (death, married in flashback)All-Winners Squad (flashback)Nuklo (introduction)Isbisa (flashback)Future Man (flashback)Bucky (flashback)Madame Death (flashback)Human Torch [Jim Hammond] (flashback)High Evolutionary (flashback)Quicksilver (flashback)Magneto (flashback)X-Men [CyclopsBeastIcemanMarvel GirlAngel] (flashback)Giant-Man (flashback)
All the Sounds and Sights of Death!
19 pp · Superhero
The Avengers [Captain America [Steve Rogers]Black PantherScarlet WitchVisionThor [Donald Blake]Iron Man [Tony Stark]MantisSwordsman]KlawSolarr
Bride and Doom!
18 pp · Superhero
Alpha PrimitivesRN-62
Ultron-7: He'll Rule the World!
10 pp · Superhero
The Wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver!
7 pp · Superhero
The Thing [Benjamin Grimm]Alicia MastersReed RichardsSusan RichardsIron ManThorMantisGorgonMedusaJohnny StormBlack BoltQuicksilverCrystalTritonVisionThe WhizzerLockjaw
Bewitched, Bothered, and Dead!
18 pp · Superhero
Those Wedding Bells Are Bustin' Up That Avengin' Gang of Mine!
2 pp
