Norman Osborn has been in control of the Marvel Universe for some time now, and the strain is getting to him. Loki deems tha the time has arrived to give the Iron Patriot a little nudge - and the Mighty Avengers team he's formed while disguised as the Scarlet Witch seems like just the tool to use. But first, he needs to set up an emergency dire enough that both teams will respond.
Enter Crusher Creel - The Absorbing Man - being experimented on at Project Pegasus under H.A.M.M.E.R. supervision.
