Aztek's origin is revealed as he goes against the power of the mad Lizard King...and nearly loses his life in the battle!
The Lizard King has kidnapped Joy Page, and has called Aztek to set up a meet. Aztek uses his tech to hack the phone system, immediately discovering the Lizard King’s location. Aztek takes the Lizard King by surprise, but the Lizard King is prepared. The Lizard King wants Aztek’s mask; a mask that he feels is rightly his. If Aztek gives the Lizard King his mask, he can go save Joy Page. When the Lizard King says he needs the mask to defeat the shadow god, Aztek hands it over.
Aztek finds out that the Lizard King also sees the shadow god, Tezcatlipoca, as his arch-enemy. The Lizard King takes Aztek’s helm, but Aztek does not need his help to use all his powers. He explodes the door of the room holding Joy, but finds the room empty. The Lizard King tackles Aztek, and the two fight.
While they fight, the Lizard King reveals much about their shared origin. The Q Foundation, the secret backers of Aztek, have been known by many names over the generations: the Q Group, the Q Brotherhood, and the Q Gang. The “Q” stands for Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. As Aztek knows, the Q Foundation had watched the mask of Quetzalcoatl over the generations, training warriors in its use against the upcoming shadow god. However, there are things that Aztek does not know.
The Lizard king talks about his past: as the age of the shadow god came near, the Q Foundation sent a warrior was sent to Vanity City, in the United States, where they felt the battle would take place. They sent one of their best warriors, Emilio. However, Emilio fell in love with an American woman, and had a child. Since this was contrary to their wishes, the Brotherhood of Q, now called the Q Foundation, needed Emilio replaced. They sent Emilio’s second-in-command, the Lizard King, to Vanity City to kill Emilio. The Lizard King was successful and killed Emilio, but was maimed in the process. The Lizard King had a recent vision of the shadow god, and this felt Aztek unprepared. He decided to take Aztek’s place as champion.
The Lizard King dons Aztek’s mask, and attacks. In the process, they spill a vat of a sweet liquid that the Lizard King calls “sweet as joy.” As the Lizard King fights Aztek, he begins to hear whispers, and blood seeps from his eyes and nose. Aztek tells him the helmet contains the stored memories of all the warriors over the ages, and that he is unprepared to handle it. The mask burns the Lizard King to a husk, and Aztek reclaims it. However, after the fight he keys into the Lizard King’s “sweet as joy” remark.
Back at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, Dr. Moseley witnesses a bloody Aztek crash land in front of the hospital. They rush Aztek into the hospital, and find him holding the desiccated body of Joy.
Log in to comment