Synopsis / Summary / Plot
A million years ago Laufey, king of the Jotunheim Frost Giants, conspired romantically with Hyve, queen of the Negative Zone insectoids, to invade Earth. The 1MBC Avengers stop them and Hyve winds up dead. Laufey swears vengeance on the gods and inhabitants of Midgard. The Avengers (1MBC) see their 1st casualty since getting together and defeating a mad Celestial (as related in Marvel Legacy, FCBD 2018: Avengers and Avengers (2018) #1). The original Black Panther (who we learn was named Mosi) has died and is borne away by his tribe who want no more to do with them. (They turn inwards and fortify their vibranium mound.) Odin comes on to Phoenix (Firehair) who angrily rebuffs him for not showing due respect to their dead comrade. (We have heard that pair have been a couple before.)
Much later Odin calls the team members to Asgard with no explanation. They arrive expecting some enemy to fight but discover that he's invited them to a wedding between himself and Lady Phoenix, which was news to *her*. She slaps his face with a fiery hand and flies off. But this avatar of the Phoenix Force isn't ready to let it leave Earth until the planet is in safe hands.
Many years (centuries? millennia?) later Gaea the Earth Mother is giving birth to the god who will be Thor. A much-aged Agamotto, Sorcerer Supreme, arrives to ease the birth. We learn that the Avengers haven't 'assembled' since the wedding fiasco. Ghost Rider has been punishing sinners. Starbrand has been keeping watch for alien threats. Iron Fist has taken on the role of shepherding humans, sometimes recruiting other heroes. But they all come to this birth knowing that the baby is under threat. Odin turns up when the infant is born. But so does Laufey with revenge in mind. He attacks the Avengers until Phoenix joins them to burn his hand off.
Now we have a flashback to a recent meeting between Gaea and Lady Phoenix. Gaea has been teaching humans to farm while Phoenix has been looking out for 'misfits' (mutants?). The Phoenix avatar tells the Earth goddess that she can't keep the Phoenix Force here for long for fear of it going 'dark'. She has heard that Odin has proposed to Gaea (and nearly every other goddess), and suggests that Gaea accepts his proposal to provide Midgard with a god that would have reason to care for it. Gaea agrees only to give Odin a chance to prove that he has love beneath the bravado.
Now the Avengers try to keep Laufey away from the child. But his sword nicks the baby and turns it to ice. So Phoenix takes the child into the sky and uses her flames to melt the boy back to life. But when she brings Thor back to the ground Odin whisks him off to Asgard and orders her to stay out of their lives. (Relatively) soon the Phoenix Force leaves Earth.