In previous posts (here, here, and here) we've looked at the introduction of Leir, lord of lightning and god of the spear, in the pages of The Mighty Thor. Today, we'll consider his brief contemporaneous cameo in West Coast Avengers #41 (FEB 1989). The War in Asgard arc (which was wrapped up this month in Thor) serves as the macguffin to wrap up dangling plot lines in The West Coast Avengers.
The opening splash page represents the first and last appearances of Leir in this issue. (At least he doesn't announce that he's "lord of lightning and god of the spear!"). Against this backdrop, Seth has despatched a lieutenant to ensure that the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu, does not participate in the resistance to Seth.
Meanwhile on earth, the estranged West Coast Avengers: Mockingbird, Tigra, and Moon Knight have sought out the aid of Daimon Hellstrom (AKA the Son of Satan) to investigate Mockingbird's accusation that modern-day Phantom Rider, Hamilton Slade, is a reincarnation of his ancestor, Lincoln Slade. (Lincoln, as it turned out, had raped Mockingbird in a previous time-traveling storyline.)
While discussing possession with the skeptical Hamilton, Hellstrom's gaze leaves Khonshu (who had previously taken full possession of the human Marc Specter, AKA Moon Knight) wondering if his cover has been blown.
No sooner does Khonshu appear, however, than Seth's minions do as well. At this point the general melee environment increases exponentially. Seth's forces are trying to eliminate Khonshu through use of the "etheromic phase out cannon"...and everyone else is pretty much engaging in the super-equivalent of a barroom brawl.
Of course, Seth's forces are eventually defeated and retreat back through a portal to Asgard. The spirit of Carter defeats the spirit of Lincoln Slade, and then calls for Hamilton to embrace his destiny as this century's Phantom Rider.
With the immediate threat of Seth and the etheromic phase out cannon gone, Khonshu announces he's going to answer the call to resist Seth in the mystic realm, giving Specter back full control of his own body.
Shaken by these revelations, Specter announces he's leaving the Avengers, as being a member had been Khonshu's desire...not his own. Mockingbird, having been brought face-to-face with the consequences of her previously relaxed attitude toward killing, is filled with similar doubts and refuses Tigra's call for them to rejoin the West Coast Avengers.
Other sources on The West Coast Avengers #41
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