Warning: The following contains spoilers for Reptil #2 by Terry Blas, Enid Balam, Victor Ozabala, Carlos Lopez and Joe Sabino, on sale now.
Reptil has arguably the most unique abilities in the Marvel Universe. His ancient amulet allows him to morph into any dinosaur he can imagine. He also gained the ability to sense the presence and emotions of dinosaurs. While Reptil has used his powers in excess in the past, a new villain made the young Avenger question the origin of his powers.
Humberto Lopez had recently moved to Los Angeles and planned to shelf his superhero identity for the time being. His stance quickly changed when he was attacked along with his cousins while eating lunch. The villain possessed an amulet similar to that of Reptil but it gave him control of prehistoric flora rather than the fauna that Humberto received. With this new revelation, Humberto, with the help of his cousins, came to the conclusion that they needed to visit someone who knew more about Reptil's amulet. This led them to create a portal to Dinosaur World and to seek out the advice of the Hag of the Pits.
The youngsters fell into trouble a squad of raptors surrounded them. They were saved by the Hag who questioned why Humberto had traveled so far to seek her out. He explained what happened with his newest villain and the Hag was quick to point out that Humberto lacked immense knowledge of his powers. She further explained that she had originally created an amulet to protect her son within Dinosaur World. The amulet would have given her son power over all flora and fauna, but he grew obsessed with the totem's strength. The spirits of the pits guided the Hag to drop the amulet into the pits where it would one day be discovered by the Chosen One.
The Chosen One would turn out to be Humberto and the Hag has been keeping an eye on him since he first discovered the amulet. She seemed unsure how Reptil's newest villain came into possession of the other half of her original amulet but truly believed Reptil was ready to fight. She claimed that whoever controlled both halves of the artifact simultaneously would gain the power to destroy or control Dinosaur World as well as Earth-616. If Reptil is able to gain possession of the other half of the amulet, his strength and powers could reach untold levels.
While this was Humberto's first in-person interaction with the Hag of the Pits, she plays a vital role within Dinosaur World. She first appeared in Devil Dinosaur #9 by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer. Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy stumbled upon the Hag and her evil presence provoked the dinosaur. As the Hag escaped, Devil Dinosaur was swallowed into the pits and transported to Nevada. Moon-Boy would be saved by the Hag and her son, and the trio devised a plan to rescue the Dinosaur. Upon his return to Dinosaur World, Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy swiftly fled from the Pits.
Reptil has also had a previous encounter with the Hag. Avengers Academy #36 by Christos N. Gage, Andrea Divito and Cory Hamscher saw Reptil's amulet removed by Lisa Molinari. As Molinari used Reptil's powers against him, his consciousness was transported to Dinosaur World where he was greeted by the Hag. The Hag felt disappointed in Reptil's failures but returned his abilities to defeat Lisa.
Reptil's powers have only grown stronger since he received a dose of Pym Particles. Though he became stronger, he also loses control whenever he turns full dinosaur. With the Hag's revelation of Reptil's amulet's origin, Reptil now has a chance to grow even stronger. If he can defeat his newest villain and restore the amulet to its original state, Reptil will be well on his way to a full Avengers membership.