Cloak & Dagger #18 (V3)

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Return to issue listing of Cloak & Dagger – Volume 3.

Note: This issue is a part of the Infinity Gauntlet crossover.

Mephisto reveals he’s swallowed Thule whole and allows the heroes to see inside his stomach, as Thule is being digested alive. Ghost Rider (Zarathos) suddenly arrives on the scene. Spider-Man grabs the innocent woman, Anna, and tries to get away, but Mephisto prevents it. Mephisto goes on to explain that the entire thing of the “Vril” was made up by Mephisto; he simply manipulated Thule long enough to sacrifice enough people to open the Dark Door so that Mephisto could reach into the Earthly realm and grab them and pull them down into Hell. Dagger launches her light daggers and discovers that they pass through Mephisto’s demons like chain lightning. Cloak tries to teleport Dagger out, but Mephisto reminds him that he makes the rules in his realm. He suddenly gets a calling to attend to something else and demands his demons to kill the mortals and save their souls for him and he vanishes.

Mephisto appears next to Thanos, claiming to have been commanded to do so. (See the Infinity Gauntlet series for more information on the actions Thanos takes!)

Back in Mephisto’s dimension, the demons seem to be getting the upper hand until Ghost Rider has had enough and puts the innocent woman, Anna, on his bike and goes in and begins attacking the demons. The motorcycle seems to go through a portal, getting Anna away from the demons. Cloak, Dagger, Spider-Man and Ghost Rider get back to back, to prevent from being flanked and viciously begin defending themselves.

At the apartment of Dagger’s stepfather, a grandmother is arrested for the murder of her entire family; but she seems completely deranged. Suddenly most of the apartment collapses, and only a small portion is left standing – in that room, is the mysterious shadow being Cloak had met, along with Tandy’s step father, Rebecca “Rusty” Nales and Brigid O’Reilly and an unseen host, who touches Brigid’s face and begins to change her back to her most dreaded form – Mayhem!

Back at the site of Thule’s base, Enrich has arrived (Comment: While he was freed from jail by his companion; how did he travel so quickly? It’s comics, that’s how!) just in time to see Ghost Rider’s bike drop off Anna to him. Enrich realizes the sight of Anna means things have probably gone poorly for Thule; but his more immediate thought is wondering if Tandy is all right.

Speaking of Tandy, she, along with Cloak, Spider-Man and Ghost Rider are giving the demons – pardon the pun – Hell. That’s when the very land begins to attack our heroes. Just when it seems like victory is in hand, Mephisto reappears and grabs Cloak & Dagger and seemingly devours them. Cloak keeps Dagger safe; but inside the Cloak his true body appears, almost all shadow – and appears insane. He embraces it and pulls it into himself, accepting all that it is, into himself. Mephisto spits them out, as Spider-Man and Ghost Rider escape on their motorcycle, leaving Cloak and Dagger to their fate. Suddenly, Cloak teleports and lands in the floating portion of the room in New York – to an unusual sight of the shadow woman toasting an unseen figure, while Brigid is returned to her Mayhem form, hovering over Tandy’s stepfather and Rebecca!