Synopsis for "The War Begins"

In the blink of an eye, Earth's heroes are gathered together in a construct in space. They are unsure about what or who brought them to this place. They introduce themselves to each other. They then realize they are not alone. Across the way, another construct had appeared and had gathered, and it houses the villains of Earth. The heroes are unsure; if all the villains are in the other construct, what was Magneto doing in theirs?

The villains are wondering the same thing in the other construct. After introducing themselves to each other, both ships are hurtled through space, and they realize that a mighty being has summoned them all. The villains begin to bicker with each other, and a fight breaks out. Ultron tries to defeat them all and is knocked into Galactus. They are all amazed that Galactus drains the energy from Ultron. Galactus then goes back to staring at the stars.

Suddenly, a bright light appears in space, and a voice announces who had summoned them all, the Beyonder. He tells them he could do anything imaginable and that he orders them to battle each other, and the winning side would receive whatever they want. Galactus refuses to obey him and tries to fly towards the light because he senses it has much energy, which he is immensely hungry for. Doctor Doom follows Galactus, and when they get close enough, the light diminishes, and they are thrown back. Then, the constructs are sent to a nearby planet and dispersed among two separate places. The heroes are then transported to the face of the planet. There, they again question why Magneto is on their "side." They argue, and this causes Magneto to "fly" away. They then decide Captain America would be the leader of the band of heroes.

Meanwhile, Galactus and Doctor Doom are also seen on the planet's surface. Galactus is unconscious as Doctor Doom explores the planet and finds a fortress. Inside, he finds the other villains. They are trying to band together and defeat the heroes. Doctor Doom talks to them about stealing the immense power of the Beyonder but is disgusted at their simple minds and takes off in a vehicle to seek out counsel with Mister Fantastic. Kang uses the fortress' weapons and shoots down Doom's vehicle. The heroes see it go down and try to help him. Doctor Doom attacks after Captain America tries to help him to his feet. Doom cannot tolerate the hero's pity and attacks them in frustration before fleeing. Iron Man warns the heroes they are about to be attacked, and the villains unleash the first assault on the final page, to be continued into the next issue.

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