Drawn by residual magical emanations from Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, the Hulk finds his way back to New York City. Confused as ever, the Hulk decides to find his comrade in the Defenders but stops to rest and think about what to do if Strange is not around. Sleeping, the Hulk changes back into Bruce Banner.
Elsewhere a group of terrorists attempting to disrupt the government plant a bomb at the local nuclear power plant. Things go awry, however, when their bomb causes the energy in the atomic pile to gain sentience and start consuming everything in its path. This sentient energy takes on a human form, dubs itself Zzzax, and goes on a rampage, consuming all the humans it encounters.
On the upper west side o the city, Hawkeye, recently having quit the Avengers, laments over the amount of inaction he's experienced since he left the group. When he sees a news report about Zzzax's rampage across the city, he goes into action to prove that he is a capable solo adventurer. Elsewhere in the city, Bruce Banner is roused from a nightmare by a police officer who warns him to clear out of the area of Zzax's rampage. Banner goes to investigate and is attacked by the creature.

Meanwhile, over Russian airspace, Glenn Talbot and Colonel Armbruster are gearing up for their covert operation to rescue General Ross from the Russians. They airdrop secretly into the country and then trek to where Ross is being held captive and begin preparing their rescue attempt.

Back in New York, Zzzax is about to consume Bruce Banner when Hawkeye intervenes by shooting an arrow at the creature. Bruce revives and gets worked up enough to cause a transformation into the Hulk. The Hulk begins to fight Zzzax. However, Hawkeye -- wanting all the glory for himself -- attempts to restrain the Hulk. This only proves temporary and allows for Zzax to escape. Furious that the creature can hurt him, the Hulk rushes to battle it again. Try as he might, the Hulk cannot fight off the creature. Ultimately their fight takes them to the pier, where Hawkeye manages to destroy Zzzax by running an arrow with a metal cable through the creature and into the water, short-circuiting it. Although it is Hawkeye who destroys the creature, the crowd gathers to cheer on the Hulk, much to Hawkeye's chagrin.

Finally, back in Russia, Armbruster and Talbot manage to free General Ross, however as they are escaping Glenn is shot and seemingly killed by the Russian guards and the others are forced to flee the country without recovering his body. They are completely unaware that Glenn survived and that he is now the prisoner of the Russians in place of General Ross.

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