It was a somber Christmas, just weeks after the devastating attack on Earth by the forces of Apokalips. S.H.I.E.L.D, newly entrusted with sweeping powers by the remaining governments and their Xandarian protectors, was busy stabilizing the various regions wracked by the invasion. Despite the hardships, the population was attempting to bring some normality to their existence. Nick Fury himself had invoked emergency powers to empty warehouses of their toys so that children around the world would get at least one present this holiday season.
In the shadows, however, trouble brewed. Though the League of Villains had been defeated, other minions of The Producer still lived. Among the remains of the Occult Imagineers and the acolytes of the Order of the Unbond Mind, there were creatures that existed that were not seen as worthy of joining the elites of the League.Most dismissed the Uneven Hand of Confusion, an uplifted anthropomorphic canine, as being a bumbling idiot. The truth was that his goofy demeanor hid a devious mind hungry for power. He gathered other creatures of the Imaginarium that had been spurned by the League - The avian Thunderous Hand of Greed, who forever was attempting to usurp control of the League; the monstrous bloodhound Monosyllabic Hand of Exuberance, who once was the League's faithful mascot; and the Confident Hand of Pride, a human hunter who was destined to always fail against the mighty beasts of the world.
Using knock--off dream-dust reversed engineered from the Endless Dream, they put King Thor of Asgard into a false Odinsleep, allowing them to capture the Spirit of Christmas. Using the power of the holidays, they hoped to resurrect The Producer and imbue him with the power of Winter itself.
Thankfully the Mythic Avengers were there to oppose the League of Substitute Villains, raiding the cryogenic lab that was hidden underneath a pirate-themed ride in Dreamland. The Producer to life but was beheaded by Kentauride before he could wreak havoc on assembled heroes. The Producer's head was then given to Dr. Strange, who stored it deep in his secret vaults so that no one could ever repeat the ritual again.
The fallout of this adventure was numerous. Discovering that Loki helped The Uneven Hand enter Asgard, Thor reclaimed Mjolnir and left the throne of Asgard to his brother. Thor refused to release the Odinforce within him, however, proclaiming that Loki will have to deal with cosmic-level thr*** with his own "guile and trickery". The Spirit of Christmas was given to the Wizard Shazam, who in his new role as "Shazam Claus" gives the gift of magic to all the good girls and boys.
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