loves her, to which Masque reciprocates. However, when faced with a direct choice between Pepper or Masque, Stark chooses Pepper. As Stark escapes to Afghanistan, Masque and Pepper fight hand-to-hand. Masque is defeated and imprisoned in a discarded Crimson Dynamo suit while Pepper disguises herself in her mask and costume to falsely report her own death to Osborn and turn over the Rescue armor, which is added to his personal collection of Iron Man suits. Madame Masque escapes, and later participates in a surprise attack on the New Avengers, a trap set up by Osborn. Later, when The Hood attacks Doctor Strange in order to become the Sorcerer Supreme, she tries to help him deal with his possession by Dormammu, taking off her mask and confessing her feelings for him. When Osborn calls off the hunt for Stark after learning that he is in a persistent vegetative state, Masque decides to take matters into her own hands, and hires the Ghost to eliminate her old lover, a task at which Ghost fails. Masque, along with the rest of the Hood's gang, joins in helping Osborn, in his Iron Patriot armor, with the Siege of Asgard. However, Loki retakes the Norn stones from the Hood to help the Avengers and Asgardians battle the Void. Masque helps the Hood slip away. The Hood is pessimistic, knowing that his gang would simply sell him out. Therefore, Masque seeks out Count Nefaria for help. The New Avengers track her and the Hood using their contact John King. After a battle with Nefaria, the New Avengers capture all four villains and bring them to Maria Hill. During the "Heroic Age" storyline, Hood escapes from prison and makes a play to assemble the Infinity Gauntlet, for which he recruits Masque. Hood is able to use the Reality Gem to heal Masque's disfigurement, but she continues to wear her golden mask. She appears in Madripoor for the auction of a videotape showing Hawkeye assassinating the dictator of an unnamed Asian nation. However, the real Madame Masque is shown to be tied up and gagged in her hotel room; the "Masque" attending the auction is actually Hawkeye's partner Kate Bishop disguised in her costume. After the tape is destroyed, Masque vows vengeance on Hawkeye and Bishop. She attempts to capture Bishop by luring the girl to her home in California, where she drugs her. The teen manages to