Welcome to the West Coast Avengers story guide. The West Coast Avengers (or WCA), also known as Avengers West Coast (AWC), was a comic book spun off from Marvel's long-running Avengers comic book series (which ran for 402 issues from 1963 to 1996). The original Avengers series featured the adventures of the super-team of the same name; the group was always based in New York until writer Roger Stern introduced a second headquarters for the ever-expanding team outside Los Angeles, so that the Avengers would have an active roster on each American coast. This new western base of operations was first established in the four-issue West Coast Avengers limited series, and the Avengers roster assigned to this new base began appearing in the original Avengers series and related comic books thereafter. At first, Stern planned to feature both the eastern and western rosters of the team in the original ongoing Avengers series indefinitely; the editors, however, decided that two rosters' worth of characters were enough to support two ongoing series, so the western-based Avengers were spun into a new ongoing West Coast Avengers series written by Steve Englehart.
Englehart stayed with the series for nearly forty issues until an editorial dispute prompted his departure and replacement by writer-artist John Byrne. Under Byrne, the series transformed dramatically (inexplicably altering many of the established characterizations and situations); it also changed its name to Avengers West Coast, a marketing-minded move designed to strengthen WCA's connection with its parent series by making their titles more alike. Byrne departed after scarcely more than a year, but the title change (not to mention most of Byrne's controversial retcons and revamps) stuck; the AWC series would continue under new writers Roy & Dann Thomas for a few more years, enjoying roughly the same steady but unspectacular sales as its sister series; then the editors intervened again...this time to kill the AWC.
A new animated television series and action figure line based on occasional AWC member Iron Man were in the works, and Marvel decided to create an Iron Man "family" of comic books distinct from the Avengers to capitalize on these things; so AWC was abruptly cancelled with issue 102 and the team's western headquarters closed, estranging the remaining western-based Avengers from their eastern counterparts (the rather unconvincing reasons for the abrupt split between the two coastal rosters were covered in AWC 102, when the eastern-based members led a motion to close their western base for budgetary reasons and supposedly poor performance on the part of the western team). A handful of embittered western Avengers then joined Iron Man in forming a new super-team called Force Works, which spun into its own ongoing series as part of the Iron Man group of comics. The Iron Man animated series and toy line didn't do all that well, though, and the comics did even worse in terms of both sales and quality. In fact, all the comics involved--even the long-running Iron Man--would soon be discontinued, and Force Works mercifully disbanded after about two years.
The AWC series died for nothing, and will probably never return since the ailing comic book market can barely support big name titles anymore, let alone spin-offs; but various currently or formerly western-based Avengers will undoubtedly continue to appear in the Avengers parent title, which recently returned to ongoing publication after a brief hiatus.
There have been several publications dedicated to indexing issues of the original Avengers series, but never one dedicated to indexing WCA/AWC, which is odd since it was, in essence, devoted to the same subject as the original Avengers series: the ongoing adventures of the Avengers. This document is, in effect, a mini-index of the western Avengers comics:
West Coast Avengers (limited series) 1-4
West Coast Avengers (ongoing series) 1-46
Avengers West Coast 47-102
West Coast Avengers Annual 1-3
Avengers West Coast Annual 4-8
For each issue I supply a brief plot synopsis (as brief as clarity allows), a cast list and any additional notes required.
Characters who are part of the ongoing featured cast over the course of the WCA/AWC series include:
Hawkeye (Clinton Francis "Clint" Barton):
Supremely skilful archer armed with specially gimmicked arrows; also a highly formidable acrobat and unarmed physical combatant. A long-time member of the Avengers, arguably second only to Captain America in terms of his dedication and importance to the group. Married Mockingbird shortly before the WCA formed.
Mockingbird (Barbara Morse "Bobbi" Barton):
Superbly skilful unarmed physical combatant and espionage expert outfitted with steel battle staves. Also trained as a biologist. Married Hawkeye shortly before formation of WCA. Formerly an agent of the espionage agency SHIELD.
Iron Man II (James "Rhodey" Rhodes):
Pilot, personal assistant and confidant to the original Iron Man (inventor Tony Stark), Rhodes took over the Iron Man identity when Stark was incapacitated by alcoholism. The Iron Man armor grants Rhodes superhuman strength, enhanced durability, the power of flight and a variety of special weapons and other exotic devices. Though its design has varied over the years, the Iron Man armor remains one of the most powerful fighting machines on the planet.
Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson):
Superhuman cat-woman possessed of enhanced strength, agility and heightened senses. Briefly a member of the Avengers before the WCA's formation, but left the group due to feeling outclassed by her teammates.
Wonder Man (Simon Williams):
Superhumanly strong, physically invulnerable and theoretically immortal man whose body was converted to coherent ionic energy by the criminal scientist Baron Zemo. After infiltrating the Avengers on Zemo's behalf, Wonder Man repented by turning against Zemo, seemingly at the cost of his life; Wonder Man revived years later, though, more powerful than ever, and joined the Avengers once more. He had taken on reserve member status before the WCA's formation to pursue an acting career.
Iron Man (Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark):
Multimillionaire industrialist who invented the battle armor he wears in his secret identity as Iron Man, a founding member of the Avengers. The Iron Man armor grants Stark superhuman strength, enhanced durability, the power of flight and a variety of special weapons and other exotic devices. Though its design has varied over the years, the armor remains one of the most powerful fighting machines on the planet.
Henry J. Pym (A.K.A. Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket):
A founding member of the Avengers as the original Ant-Man, genius biochemist Hank Pym served with the group in a variety of costumed identities over the years but never felt truly comfortable or confident as a super-hero; he eventually suffered a mental breakdown that led to his expulsion from the team, at which time his wife and teammate the Wasp divorced him as well. The disgraced Pym was even framed as a super-criminal by his enemies for a time, but eventually cleared his name and got back on his feet, resuming his original career as a research scientist. His greatest discovery remains the Pym Particles, specialized subatomic particles that can shrink or enlarge existing matter; Pym used the particles to give himself the power to change his own bodily size in his super-heroic guises, but various health problems gradually left him incapable of changing his size.
Thing (Benjamin Jacob Grimm):
Superhumanly strong, rock-skinned adventurer who was a founding member of the Fantastic Four.
Firebird (Bonita Jaurez):
Southwestern-based social worker who became a costumed adventurer after gaining superhuman power over heat and flame from a fiery meteor. Former founding member of the loose-knit Rangers super-team.
Two-Gun Kid (Matthew J. "Matt" Hawk, born Matthew Liebowitz):
Legendary heroic masked gunfighter of the late 19th century American west who befriended the Avengers when they journeyed to his time period. He then accompanied them back to the 20th century, where he formed a crimefighting partnership with Hawkeye and briefly served as a member of their team before returning to the 19th century.
Moon Knight (Marc Spector):
Mercenary who became a heroic adventurer in the service of the Egyptian god Khonshu after a near-death experience, battling evil both as a costumed adventurer and in several civilian identities (an approach that led him to suffer from a form of multiple personality disorder). Moon Knight is a highly skilled armed and unarmed combatant proficient with a variety of hand weapons, notably crescent throwing darts; his strength waxes and wanes with the phases of the moon (reaching superhuman levels when the moon is full), and his cloak serves as a makeshift glider.
Wasp (Janet Van Dyne):
Wealthy heiress and fashion designer who can shrink to the size of an insect, augmenting her strength in the process; when she shrinks, she also grows wings with which she can fly and antennae with which she can control insects; and she can generate bioelectric "sting" bolts from her hands. She was given her powers by her ex-husband and former crimefighting partner, Hank Pym, whom she divorced when he suffered a mental breakdown and became abusive. A founding member of the Avengers, Wasp had risen to become the group's leader by the time the WCA was founded.
Vision:
Synthezoid (artificial being) created by the Avengers' robotic adversary Ultron, who is himself a rogue creation of Avengers founder Hank Pym. Possessed of a human consciousness based on the brain patterns of Wonder Man, Vision quickly turned on Ultron and joined the Avengers instead, devoting his life to the team and eventually marrying his teammate the Scarlet Witch; the couple are among the most powerful and longest-serving Avengers. The Vision can alter his density at will, varying from diamond hardness to wraith-like intangibility; he is superhumanly strong and durable; and he can project beams of solar energy. It was the Vision who conceived the idea of the WCA during his one term as Avengers chairman, and the WCA was established under his supervision.
Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff):
Adventurer who augments her probability-warping mutant "hex" power with knowledge of true sorcery, allowing her to perform seemingly impossible feats. An early, long-serving member of the Avengers. Sister and wife to her teammates Quicksilver and Vision, respectively.
Mantis (true name unrevealed):
Adventurer possessed of undefined mental, martial and mystical skills that led to her selection as the Celestial Madonna, a woman fated to bear a child of immense importance to the universe. As the lover of the Swordsman until his death, she became an associate of the Avengers and eventually discovered her Celestial Madonna role through interaction with their enemy Kang, who sought to control the Madonna. Mantis escaped him with the Avengers' aid and left for space with her destined mate, the alien Cotati, though not before she'd been made an official member of the Avengers.
USAgent (John Walker, AKA Jack Daniels):
Superhumanly strong government agent armed with an impact-absorbing vibranium shield. Originally the self-promoting vigilante demagogue known as the Super-Patriot; later served as the government-imposed replacement for Captain America, but relinquished the role upon realizing he was unworthy of it due to his emotional instability and brutally violent tendencies.
Human Torch (AKA James Hammond):
Android adventurer able to burst into flame at will, with the power to generate and control heat and fire. First active in 1939, he was a member of the Invaders and the All-Winners Squad before disappearing in the 1950s.
Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff):
Mutant adventurer able to move at superhuman speeds. Early member of the Avengers and brother to his teammate, the Scarlet Witch. Known for his mercurial temper and impatience with humans, Quicksilver has taken several long leaves of absence from the Avengers, ultimately leaving the group for the hidden city of Attilan when he married Crystal, a member of the Royal Family of the Inhumans.
Machine Man (X-51):
Sentient robot who leads a double life as a robotic adventurer while posing as human insurance investigator Aaron Stack.
Spider-Woman II (Julia Carpenter):
Costumed adventurer who gained spider-like powers--enhanced strength and agility, and the ability to weave adhesive psychic "webs"--from a government experiment gone awry. She then became a US government agent, both alone and as a member of Freedom Force.
Living Lightning (Miguel Santos):
Youth who was transformed into sentient electricity by an electrical accident.
Darkhawk (Christopher Powell):
Youth who can assume a superhuman armored form through contact with an alien amulet. As Darkhawk, Powell is superhumanly strong and durable, can glide on wind currents and can fire energy blasts. He also wears a wrist-mounted grappling hook.
So to sum up, the characters featured in the WCA/AWC ongoing cast at one time or another include Hawkeye (AKA Goliath II), Mockingbird, Iron Man II (AKA War Machine), Tigra, Wonder Man, Iron Man, Hank Pym (AKA Doctor Pym), Thing, Firebird, Two-Gun Kid, Moon Knight, Wasp, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Mantis, USAgent, Human Torch, Quicksilver, Spider-Woman II and Living Lightning. Darkhawk and Machine Man become reserve members of the AWC over the course of the series, but neither of them appears in enough issues to be truly considered part of the ongoing cast: Machine Man appears in only two issues of the series (AWC 83 and Annual 5) and Darkhawk appears in only four (AWC 93-95 and Annual 7). It should also be noted that the capsule descriptions of the twenty featured characters listed above apply to their situations as of the time they first appeared in the WCA/AWC comics; circumstances have changed for most of them since then, drastically in some cases.
Synopses of the WCA/AWC comics to date follow below:
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WCA LS 1:
Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Iron Man (Jim Rhodes), Tigra and Wonder Man found the West Coast Avengers under the direction of the Vision. Hawkeye is appointed chairman and the group makes its headquarters in the new Avengers Compound. The Shroud--a costumed vigilante who poses as a crimelord--meets and skirmishes with the team until they learn who he is, and he respectfully refuses their subsequent offer of membership.
Avengers Assembled: Hawkeye, Vision II, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird, Iron Man II.
Other Characters: Shroud, Jessica Drew, Lindsay McCabe
Ongoing featured characters as of this issue: Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Iron Man II (Jim Rhodes), Tigra and Wonder Man.
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WCA LS 2:
As the new WCA continues to set up shop, a weird thief called The Blank eludes Wonder Man during a robbery. The assembled WCA join the hunt, but the Blank--a nobody who stumbled onto a unique force field device--escapes again; while recharging his equipment afterward, the Blank accidentally releases the Avengers' old enemy Graviton from an otherdimensional limbo.
Avengers Assembled: Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird, Iron Man II.
Other Characters: Blank, Graviton.
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WCA LS 3:
The WCA participate in removing unseasonable snow from the streets of Los Angeles, capturing some looters in the process. Tigra, unsure of herself and concerned about how edgy Wonder Man has been since the Blank's escape, asks Iron Man's advice; he confides in her that he is not the original Iron Man she once knew and suggests that she can handle Wonder Man herself. Tigra approaches Wonder Man and they compare notes about their respective pasts and insecurities. Deciding that action will lift their spirits, Tigra convinces Simon to seek the Shroud's help in apprehending the Blank. A visit to the Shroud reveals that he has troubles of his own with an aggressive new crimelord, and Wonder Man offers to help. The trio go to confront this new crimelord, who turns out to be Graviton. Graviton and the Blank skirmish with the heroes until an impatient Graviton sends Tigra, Shroud and Blank hurtling into the ocean. He then pins Wonder Man to the bottom of a pool to watch him drown.
Avengers Assembled: Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird, Iron Man II.
Other Characters: Blank, Graviton, Shroud, Cat & Mouse (Shroud's aides).
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WCA LS 4
Tigra manages to keep herself and the unconscious Shroud afloat in the Pacific until Iron Man comes to their rescue, but the Blank is missing and presumed drowned. The WCA begin plotting strategy to rescue Wonder Man from Graviton, and Iron Man reveals his true identity of Jim Rhodes to the team, confessing that he is not the original Iron Man as they had believed. Hawkeye is initially shocked and angered at the deception, but realizes that Rhodes has proven himself several times over and deserves a chance to continue doing so. Rhodes is anxious to mount a full frontal assault on Graviton, but Hawkeye--musing on how much his own role with the Avengers has changed--says they must have a plan first. The team concocts an elaborate and effective strategy in short order, freeing Wonder Man and defeating Graviton. The WCA celebrates its first major victory with a barbecue and receives congratulations from ECA chairman Vision, leaving all of the WCA firmly convinced that they are indeed full-fledged Avengers.
Avengers Assembled: Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird, Iron Man II.
Other Characters: Shroud, Blank, Graviton.
Note: Vision II appears in this story only in a video recording.
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Following the WCA limited series, the WCA appear in Avengers 250, Iron Man Annual 7, Avengers 253-254, Iron Man 191, Iron Man 193-196, Captain America 308 and Iron Man 200, battling such foes as the new Goliath, Maelstrom and Doctor Demonicus. During this interim period, Jim Rhodes gives up the Iron Man role and Tony Stark resumes it, taking Jim's place in the WCA (this happens between Iron Man 200 and WCA vol.2 no. 1; Iron Man 200 is chronologically earlier, though WCA 1 was actually published first).
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WCA 1
Retired Avengers founder Hank Pym visits Avengers Compound to study the new criminal Goliath (Erik Josten) held captive there. Hawkeye offers Hank WCA membership but Pym testily refuses. Meanwhile, Tigra and Wonder Man are still feeling fairly insecure despite the WCA's recent triumphs. Tigra in particular is struggling with cat-like impulses that are gradually overriding her humanity. Among other things, these impulses lead her to become flirtatious with old teammate Hank despite her budding romance with Wonder Man. After attacking the WCA with robots, Ultron-12 lures the team into an adamantium death-trap on behalf of his mysterious new ally, who wants the Avengers dead and Wonder Man alive. Hawkeye manages to free the team from Ultron's trap and they return to the Compound, which is soon attacked by Ultron-12 and the Man-Ape. The two villains free Goliath and the criminal trio depart, taking Hank and Wonder Man hostage. Realizing which old Avengers foe is obsessed with Wonder Man and has employed both Goliath and Man-Ape in the past, Hawkeye correctly deduces that their enemies' mastermind is the Grim Reaper.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Hank Pym (as retired member and ally); Wasp (via teleconference).
Other Characters: Goliath III, Ultron, Man-Ape.
Ongoing featured characters as of this issue: Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Tigra, Wonder Man, Iron Man and Hank Pym.
This story continues into Vision and Scarlet Witch (2nd series) 1: After leaving government custody with the support of federal agent Sikorsky (the Vision having been held for questioning after ISAAC manipulated Vision into attempting world conquest), Vision and Scarlet Witch battle Black Talon, Nekra and the Grim Reaper, who try unsuccessfully to abduct the Vision. The Reaper has a history of love-hate fascination with the Vision since Vision's mind was patterned after the brain of the Reaper's brother, Simon Williams, AKA Wonder Man. After escaping the Reaper's clutches, Vision and Wanda contact the WCA to pursue the matter further.
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WCA 2
Captured by the Grim Reaper, Wonder Man grapples with his lingering dread of death as fellow captive Hank Pym urges him to be a man and stand up to his fears. The Reaper reveals his latest mad plan to "restore" his brother Simon Williams (who mutated into Wonder Man), this time by stealing the Vision's and Wonder Man's minds, erasing whatever is not common to both and programming what remains into the mind of a reanimated zombie surgically altered to look like the original Simon Williams. Meanwhile, Mockingbird minds Avengers Compound while Vision, Scarlet Witch and the rest of the WCA seek information on the whereabouts of the Grim Reaper. To this end, the Avengers contact Simon's mother, who relates her sons' strange and tragic background--including how Simon was jailed for embezzling money actually stolen by his brother Eric (the future Grim Reaper). Moved by her woes, the Vision shares a tender moment with Mrs. TØWilliams--whom he regards as a mother of sorts. The Avengers depart in their quinjet, but are attacked in mid-air by Ultron-12 and his robot army.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird; Hank Pym (as retired member and ally).
Other Characters: Grim Reaper, Nekra, Ultron, Black Talon II, Man-Ape, Goliath III, Mrs. Williams.
This story concludes in Vision and Scarlet Witch (2nd series) 2, in which Ultron succeeds in subduing the Avengers for the Grim Reaper. Inspired by the example of the stoic Vision, whom he has come to regard as a twin or brother of sorts, Wonder Man finally conquers his fear and single-handedly battles his captors until Mockingbird arrives to turn the tide by freeing the other Avengers. Black Talon and Man-Ape, already estranged by the Reaper's contemptuously racist attitude, desert their allies and flee. Ultron and Nekra escape during the battle, too, but Goliath is defeated and recaptured. The Grim Reaper tries to flee as well, but Vision and Wonder Man join forces to track him down, taking a moment to bond as brothers in the process. Confronting their mutual sibling, the Grim Reaper, they make him see that they are both real beings deserving of existence, that Wonder Man is a mutated Simon and Vision is, in a sense, a transplanted Simon. They force him to see that they are brothers, of sorts, both to each other and to Eric. Simon also takes this opportunity to admit that he, not Eric, was guilty of the embezzlement that ruined his career and led to his transformation into Wonder Man, despite Eric's claims that Simon was innocent. Realizing that the "perfect" Simon he idealized never really existed and that he had been trying to kill his true brother, a guilt-ridden Reaper runs from his erstwhile siblings in a remorseful rage and falls from a ledge to his death.
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WCA 3
Tormented by her dual personality and feelings of inadequacy, Tigra goes prowling solo to prove herself and battles her old enemy Kraven the Hunter. Kraven has Tigra at his mercy after a lengthy battle, but is defeated thanks to the last-minute intervention of Hawkeye and Mockingbird, who remind Tigra of the importance of teamwork. Meanwhile, Hank Pym offers his services to the WCA as their resident scientist and major domo, hoping to make a contribution to the Avengers again without playing hero. After Kraven's defeat, the WCA continue their ongoing discussion of how to find a sixth member for their active roster when, as if on cue, The Thing enters seeking help with a flat tire.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Vision II and Scarlet Witch (brief appearance only); Thing (as prospective member); Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Kraven, Goliath III (reimprisoned at Compound), Scourge (stalks Kraven unsuccessfully).
Note: The Thing joins the ongoing cast as of this issue.
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WCA 4
Soured on group dynamics by his estrangement from the Fantastic Four, Ben Grimm--better known as the super-strong Thing--angrily refuses Hawkeye's offer of Avengers membership. An undaunted Hawkeye resolves to persist, certain that Ben will ultimately accept the invitation. As Grimm leaves, he rescues a falling, flaming woman who turns out to be the novice costumed adventurer Firebird. As she tells Ben and the WCA, she had come in search of the Avengers' aid after being attacked by the bizarre mystic Master Pandemonium; he mistakenly believed her to be one of "The Five" he is seeking for reasons unknown. Pandemonium later mistakes the Thing for one of "The Five" as well, and the WCA arrive to help Ben battle the villain. Despite their combined efforts, Pandemonium escapes. Meanwhile, Tigra is aggressively romancing Simon; Hank Pym is receiving threatening phone calls from Ultron; and Wonder Man, determined to make a fresh start in life, publicly confesses to his long-ago embezzlement crime on the Tonight Show.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Thing and Firebird (as provisional members); Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Master Pandemonium, Johnny Carson.
Note: Firebird joins the ongoing cast as of this issue. This is the first appearance of Master Pandemonium.
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WCA 5
Hawkeye is furious with Wonder Man for jeopardizing the team's image with his public confession of embezzlement, but he puts a positive spin on it for the media by expressing the Avengers' support for Wonder Man's courage. As it turns out, most of the public are supportive of Wonder Man, too, and his self-confidence begins to grow. Thing departs again, still refusing WCA membership. Firebird leaves, too, on the trail of Master Pandemonium, though she desperately wishes the Avengers would invite her to join.
Meanwhile, Tigra's increasingly powerful feline impulses lead her to throw herself at both Hank and Simon. She confesses her mental problems to Mockingbird, who leads the WCA in seeking advice from another were-being, the werewolf Jack Russell. Stirred by the presence of Tigra, whom his werewolf self once loved, Russell goes on a feral rampage despite the best efforts of his doctor, Michael Morbius; the WCA are forced to subdue Russell with the aid of Firebird, who'd sought out Russell herself for leads on Master Pandemonium. The skirmish seems a dead end for both quests until Morbius reveals that he and Russell do indeed have knowledge of the Cat People responsible for Greer Nelson's transformation into Tigra. Meanwhile, Ultron-12 shocks Hank Pym by claiming that he has seen the error of his ways and wants to reconcile with his creator.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Thing and Firebird (as provisional members); and Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Werewolf By Night, Michael Morbius and Ultron.
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WCA 6
Seeking aid for the tormented Tigra, the WCA obtain a spell from Morbius that will transport them to the realm of the Cat People who made Tigra what she is. Iron Man is on leave recovering from wounds inflicted by Jack Russell and Wonder Man departs with Tigra's blessing to start work on a big-budget movie that may be his big break. Since the team is now short two members, Mockingbird convinces Firebird to stay and Hawkeye manages to talk Thing into joining them on this adventure. The five heroes cast the spell and the Balkatar--the Cat People's liaison with the outside world--arrives to whisk the Avengers to the Land Within, the Cat People's otherdimensional realm.
The distrustful Cat People imprison the rest of the WCA while Tigra pleads her case, relating her background and being informed, in turn, of the Cat People's history and the origins of past Tigras who preceded her. In the process, she shares a romantic interlude with Grigar the Balkatar. The King of the Cat People reluctantly agrees to help Tigra on the condition that she murder a troublesome mystic who believes the Cat People to be demons: Master Pandemonium. Tigra resists the idea but decides it is an offer she can't refuse, and she tells the WCA that the Cat People have agreed to help her with no strings attached. Meanwhile, Wonder Man finds out he'll be playing the villain in the big-budget movie Arkon IV and Hank Pym meets with Ultron- 12, who claims that he has outgrown his hatred of his Pym and wants a normal father-son relationship.
Avengers Assembled: Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Thing and Firebird (as provisional members); Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Grigar the Balkatar, King of the Cat People, Ultron, Michael Morbius, Dino, Arnold Schwarzburger, Christina Carson.
Note: Mockingbird's hair is cut short as of this issue. Iron Man does not appear in this issue.
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WCA 7
The WCA join the Cat People in celebrating Tigra's supposedly forthcoming cure, but Hawkeye and Firebird remain justifiably suspicious. Meanwhile, Hawkeye keeps trying to convince Ben Grimm to officially join the WCA and the Thing keeps refusing. Firebird, by contrast, wants desperately to be a member but Hawkeye is largely oblivious to her. Back on Earth, Hank Pym meets secretly with Ultron, having made a leap of faith by deciding to trust in his robotic prodigal son's apparent reformation. Hank's worst fears are seemingly confirmed when Ultron attacks him, but then a second Ultron, the true Ultron Mark 12, flies to Hank's defence.
The Ultron who attacked Hank is Ultron-11, who'd survived his apparent destruction during the Secret Wars and returned to seek revenge. The true Ultron Mark 12--or "Mark", as Hank calls him--was created by Ultron's own self-evolutionary experiments and truly did evolve beyond his hatred of Hank, hoping to reconcile with his creator. Ultron-11 decapitates Mark and erases all files pertaining to him, then turns his attention to torturing the captive Pym. Mark manages to reconnect his own head, though, and flies off to recruit Wonder Man's aid. Though skeptical of Ultron's reformation, Wonder Man flies to the rescue and, buoyed by his newfound confidence, easily destroys Ultron- 11. Hank is unharmed, but Mark deactivates due to his injuries and Hank is left to mourn the death of his son. In the conversation that follows, Wonder Man learns of Hank's romance with Tigra and decides to neither reveal nor continue his own romance with her, for Hank's sake.
Avengers Assembled: Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Thing and Firebird (as provisional members); Hank Pym (as staff member)
Other Characters: Cat People, Ultron, Mark (Ultron-11), Dino, Arnold Schwarzburger, Christina Carson.
Note: Iron Man does not appear in this issue.
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WCA 8
As the WCA return from the Land Within, Hawkeye and the strangely intuitive Firebird remain suspicious of Tigra's claims that the Cat People will cure her dual soul with no expectation of reward. Tigra herself is secretly agonizing over the bargain that she actually made with the Cat People, to kill Master Pandemonium. Meanwhile, Firebird experiences a vision of a past life in which she was shot by traitor...a vision that makes Tigra understandably uneasy. When the WCA return to the Compound, Wonder Man gives them the good news about his newfound confidence and Ultron's destruction, but also informs them of Hank losing the benevolent Ultron Mark 12. Iron Man goes off with Hank, attempting to console Pym, while Hawkeye tries yet again to convince Thing to join officially. Mockingbird takes Hawkeye aside and rebukes him for ignoring the invaluable but overlooked Firebird, and after a friendly verbal and physical scuffle Hawkeye agrees to offer Firebird membership if the Thing turns down Hawkeye's next offer.
Increasingly fond of the Avengers, Thing starts to seriously consider joining while Firebird has all but given up hope of doing so. Desperate to do good with her powers, she decides to find new purpose by reuniting the Rangers, a short-lived southwestern team to which she once belonged. The other Rangers--Ghost Rider (Hamilton Slade, AKA Night Rider or Phantom Rider), Red Wolf, Shooting Star and Texas Twister--respond to her call but Firebird somehow senses that they are possessed, and her intuition is verified when the Rangers attack the WCA. Iron Man and Wonder Man are absent, but Thing, Firebird and the rest of the WCA hold their own until Firebird somehow uses her flame power to unmask Shooting Star as a demon--the traitor foretold by her vision--and free the other Rangers from the demon's thrall. The demon claims she is the real Shooting Star and that she prevented the Rangers from forming a permanent team in the past since Firebird was somehow immune to her control. The demon refuses to reveal what her ultimate agenda was, but Tigra correctly guesses that it has something to do with their demonic foe Master Pandemonium.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Thing and Firebird (as provisional members); Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Carlotta Valdez (in Firebird's vision), Ghost Rider V (AKA Night Rider or Phantom Rider IV), Red Wolf III, Shooting Star and Texas Twister.
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WCA 9
Mockingbird disguises herself as the demonic Shooting Star and successfully infiltrates one of Master Pandemonium's lairs, learning of how Pandemonium was movie star Martin Preston until he lost an arm in an auto accident and offered his soul to Mephisto, who replaced all of his limbs with demons. Before Mockingbird can learn anything more, though, the rest of the WCA-- with the aid of the Balkatar--track Pandemonium down but fall into one of his traps. Using the Amulet of Azmodeus that Pandemonium mentioned to "Shooting Star" as a weakness, Mockingbird single-handedly subdues Pandemonium--only to be struck down from behind by Tigra, who has decided to kill Master Pandemonium as the Cat People demand. Pandemonium outwits Tigra and flees, though. Still, the case concludes on a happy note: as the rest of the WCA arrive and Mockingbird revives, the Thing announces that he is accepting official Avengers membership.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird and Thing; Firebird (as provisional member).
Other Characters: Ghost Rider IV, Red Wolf III, Shooting Star, Texas Twister, Grigar the Balkatar.
Note: Hank Pym does not appear in this issue. A later issue of Avengers Spotlight reveals that the "Shooting Star" demon lied and had merely possessed the real Shooting Star rather than being the true Shooting Star all along.
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WCA 10
The Thing has finally agreed to officially join the WCA, but he vanishes without explanation before the press conference Hawkeye had called to announce the new member. Turning the press conference into a public forum through which to announce the Thing's disappearance and request the public's aid in finding him, the WCA lead the search for their errant recruit. Meanwhile, Firebird decides to leave on a spiritual retreat in the belief that her failure to win official Avengers membership was God's way of teaching her humility. Hawkeye apologizes for handling her situation so insensitively, asking that Bonita check back with them and give the Avengers another chance once she's through with her retreat. He also suggests that she look into the nature of her mysterious visions. Firebird agrees, though she says her first priority is to explore the extent and nature of her power, and departs amicably.
Shortly afterward, the Wasp belatedly informs Hawkeye that the Avengers dropped their six-member roster limit some time ago, meaning that Firebird and the Thing could have both joined. While the WCA agonize over this revelation, Hank gets a call from a tipster who sighted the Thing near Zuma Beach. The call turns out to be a hoax leading the WCA into an ambush staged by the villainous Headlok and his monstrous slave, the Griffin, but the WCA defeat their foes through the timely assistance of the Thing--who then says he must leave the group for personal reasons. He departs tearfully with the Avengers' blessing.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird and Thing; Firebird (as provisional member); Hank Pym (as staff member); Wasp (via teleconference); Mister Fantastic (as non-member ally via teleconference); She-Hulk (as Fantastic Four member via teleconference).
Other Characters: Ms. Marvel II (Sharon Ventura), Griffin, Headlok.
Note: Firebird and Thing leave the ongoing cast as of this issue. The Thing's departure stems from events in his ongoing series, namely his mutation into an even more hideously monstrous form; he goes into hiding and finds refuge with the Mole Man, eventually regaining his old appearance and rejoining the Fantastic Four.
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WCA 11
Upset by the bad press that her old employer SHIELD has been getting lately, Mockingbird decides to offer the organization her help. Hawkeye and Iron Man come along when she goes to visit SHIELD director Nick Fury, her mentor, but Fury's overzealous security agents attack the Avengers and Fury himself testily refuses the Avengers' aid. Mockingbird and Iron Man are incensed at being brushed off by their old associate Fury, but Hawkeye convinces them to leave peacefully. Shortly after departing, though, the trio are attacked by the assassins Shockwave, Razorfist and Zaran the Weapons-Master. The Avengers prevail after a brief scuffle but the villains escape. The criminals claimed to represent a new crime cartel called the Blood Tong but, unbeknownst to the WCA, they were actually hired by someone within SHIELD. Meanwhile, Wonder Man continues filming Arkon IV, a jealous Tigra meets Simon's new love interest Christina Carson, and Hank Pym looks up the ownership records of Master Pandemonium's Anvil Studios only to find that they have been burned away.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Nick Fury, Shockwave, Razorfist, Zaran, Christina Carson, Arnold Schwarzburger, Dino, Josyane.
Note: The events of this story lead into the Nick Fury vs. SHIELD limited series, which revealed that SHIELD had been infiltrated and subverted by the artificial beings known as Deltites. Fury eventually purged the infiltrators and reorganized SHIELD into a positive force again.
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WCA 12
Wonder Man, Hawkeye and Mockingbird unveil new costumes as questions arise about how Tigra will be freed from her cat-soul, and whether she still wants to be; in fact, her cat-soul has overpowered her to the point where she is planning to give up her human soul. Yielding to her hedonistic cat impulses, Tigra throws herself at Wonder Man and Iron Man, but they both reject her on account of their friendship with Hank and Wonder Man's romance with Christina. The spurned Tigra decides to spite them by dumping Hank, but ends up melting in his arms instead, fuming over how she can't resist any man's attentions anymore. Tigra goes missing in the woods shortly afterward, just before Hawkeye's old foe Zzzax and new menaces Quantum and Halflife go on a rampage in Sunset Boulevard. The remaining WCA defeat these foes only to be themselves defeated by a fourth villain, their old foe Graviton, who has already enslaved Tigra.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Graviton, Zzzax, Halflife, Quantum and Joachin.
Note: The Avengers Compound groundsman Joachin first appears in this issue.
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WCA 13
With the WCA as his captives, Graviton rants about his origins, his new allies Quantum and Halflife, his defeat of the Avengers, and his planned romantic conquest of Tigra. The tormented Tigra is indeed having a hard time resisting Graviton and even considers joining him as his "queen", but she comes to her senses and suppresses the influence of her cat soul by reverting to her human Greer Nelson form. Determined to prevail as Greer, she escapes her guards and tricks Quantum and Halflife into attacking each other. She then frees the Avengers while Graviton tries to separate his squabbling allies. Quantum is sent hurtling into the stratosphere, Halflife goes up in smoke and Graviton's power goes out of control, sending his floating island headquarters flying into space. The WCA escape, taking Graviton's hirelings with them, but Graviton himself refuses to be rescued by his "inferiors" and is lost in space. The WCA congratulate Greer on her victory, and she resolves to be on guard against the darker impulses of her Tigra self in the future. Meanwhile, Hank Pym follows up more leads on Master Pandemonium and attracts the attention of the demon Allatou.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Graviton, Halflife, Quantum, Allatou.
Note: The events of Avengers Annual 15 and WCA Annual 1 follow this story and will be described in detail in the Annuals section. In brief, Quicksilver goes mad and turns against the Avengers, first trying to frame them for treason and then trying to destroy them outright before they shame him into relenting. He escapes capture.
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WCA 14
After almost killing Hawkeye in a training exercise, Greer decides to abandon her Tigra form permanently, a decision that Hank wholeheartedly supports as they declare their love for each other. Before they can celebrate, though, the demon Allatou kidnaps Hank and Greer, wrongly believing them to be agents of Master Pandemonium, who arrives seeking Allatou and departs when she escapes. The WCA seek aid from expert demonologists Daimon and Patsy Hellstrom, formerly Son of Satan and Hellcat, long-time members of the Defenders until they retired from that group to marry and set up their occult investigations business. An Avengers reservist as well as a former Defender, Patsy is thrilled to meet the WCA and talk over old times with Hawkeye and Iron Man.
After the Hellstroms advise the Avengers on how to proceed, the Avengers prepare to depart--joined by Patsy in her Hellcat guise (she explains that she retired from the Defenders, not costumed adventuring in general) and Daimon in his new costumed guise as Hellstorm. Together, the heroes invade Allatou's realm with Pandemonium on their heels. A three-way fight breaks out until Allatou manages to strand Hank, Greer, the WCA, the Hellstroms and Pandemonium aboard a boat adrift on the deadly River of Death running through the various realms of hell.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Hellcat, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Hellstorm, Allatou and Master Pandemonium.
Note: Mark Bousquet has a letter printed in this issue.
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WCA 15
As the WCA, the Hellstroms and Master Pandemonium float helplessly down the River of Death, a disempowered Greer snaps resentfully at Hellcat (Hellcat's physique-enhancing costume was originally designed for Greer, who wore it briefly as the crimefighting Cat before becoming Tigra). The others break up the squabble and change the subject, prompting Pandemonium to reveal the further details of his origin: he explains how Mephisto replaced his limbs with demons and splintered his soul into five shards that were entrusted to five other demons scattered across reality; willing to do anything to regain his soul, Preston became the ruthless mystic Master Pandemonium and began his obsessive quest for "The Five" who hold his soul.
Shortly after Pandemonium tells his tale, the castaways are astonished to find that they have drifted into the Cat People's Land Within. It turns out the Cat People really are demons, not merely regarded as such by Pandemonium, having become demonic through their longtime residence in the demonic Land Within. They even guard a shard of Pandemonium's soul on behalf of Mephisto, and they had Tigra target Pandemonium to protect it from him. The Cat People command Tigra to finally slay Pandemonium as she agreed, but she cannot bring herself to do it. They punish her by stripping away her cat-soul altogether and leaving her human, but Hellcat gives her costume to Greer. Thus clad, Greer leads the Avengers in battling the Cat-People and single-handedly defeats their champion, the Balkatar.
The cat-soul is released from confinement in the struggle, stronger than ever, and inhabits Greer again--but her human strength has been augmented by the Hellcat costume and matches the cat-soul's strength, producing a Tigra that is more physically formidable than ever but wholly controlled by Greer's human intellect. The Cat People surrender, unwilling to battle a "whole" Tigra who now exactly resembles the revered Tigra of their legends. While all eyes are on the reborn Greer, Pandemonium steals his soul-shard and flees in triumph. The WCA let him go, satisfied to have Tigra cured, and prepare to go home and celebrate.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Hellcat, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Hellstorm, Master Pandemonium, Cat People, King of the Cat People, Grigar the Balkatar.
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WCA 16
Hank Pym and Tigra are on vacation, staying with the Hellstroms in San Francisco, when they encounter two wayward Masters of Evil: Tiger Shark and the Whirlwind, assigned by Baron Zemo to steal the experimental psycho-circuit. Tigra and Hellcat capture Tiger Shark as he flees from the police, but the defeated villain boasts of how he and the Masters of Evil once destroyed Hank Pym, referring to how they framed Hank for treason and helped bring his career as an Avenger to a close. Hank shrugs off the barb and mocks Tiger Shark, who lets slip the fact that Whirlwind was supposed to be backing him up.
The Hellstroms and their guests return home, where Tigra tells Hank that she's breaking up with him since she's now a different person who feels differently about everything and everyone, even though she still likes him. Hank takes it gracefully, but once alone he rages over this latest of so many personal setbacks. He soldiers on, though, deciding to lead Tigra and the Hellstroms in capturing his old foe Whirlwind. Hellcat and Tigra manage to do just that under Hank's direction, but not before Whirlwind hands Hank himself a humiliating defeat and denounces Pym as a failure. Hank remains outwardly upbeat as he and Tigra prepare to return to Avengers Compound, but he is secretly so demoralized that he is contemplating suicide. Meanwhile, the rest of the WCA decide to seek out their old ally Firebird and make her Avengers membership official.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Hellcat, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Hank Pym (as staff member). Tigra, Hellcat and Hank are the only Avengers who actually participate in this issue's mission; the rest appear only in their civilian guises off-duty.
Other Characters: Hellstorm, Tiger Shark and Whirlwind.
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WCA 17
As the WCA depart to seek out Firebird and offer her membership, Hank Pym is planning to kill himself. He makes sure the Avengers Compound is in top shape first, telling Joachin and the other groundskeepers that there are long-term plans for the estate's upkeep in his bungalow if they ever need to consult them. Hank then writes a personal farewell letter to all the other past and present Avengers before having a last conversation with his ex-wife, the Wasp, over the Avengers' communications system.
Meanwhile, the WCA are experiencing group tension on account of Wonder Man, whose growing confidence is starting to bloom into outright arrogance; Iron Man in particular, as a founding member and one of the most powerful Avengers, is annoyed at Wonder Man's increasingly superior attitude. Despite this friction, the team goes undercover and discovers that Bonita Jaurez--the social worker who is secretly Firebird--disappeared without explanation over a month ago. The only person who had seen her recently was her priest, Father Ramirez, who glimpsed Firebird having a mystical experience of sorts in his church before she disappeared in a burst of flame. The WCA resolve to continue their search but are attacked by superhuman foes--Sunstroke, Butte, Gila and Cactus--in the service of the alien subversive Dominus. The Avengers defeat his minions, but Dominus himself sends the WCA into the distant past using Doctor Doom's time machine--which is damaged in such a way that it now only goes backwards through time.
Meanwhile, Hank Pym is about to put a bullet through his brain when Firebird appears in her new guise as Espirita, saying that she brings Hank hope from God.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Espirita (as provisional member); Wasp (via teleconference); Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Joachin, Dominus, Sunstroke, Butte, Cactus, Gila.
Note: Firebird rejoins the ongoing cast as of this issue in her new guise as Espirita.
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WCA 18
Hank remains determined to kill himself but Espirita convinces him that he still has worthwhile contributions to make to the world even if he failed as a super-hero, and that his life is worth living; moved to tears, Hank surrenders his gun. Meanwhile (so to speak), the WCA land in the year 1876 and meet three of their old allies from that time period: the Two-Gun Kid (secretly Matt Hawk), once Hawkeye's partner and briefly a member of the Avengers during an extended visit to the 20th century; the Rawhide Kid; and the mysterious Phantom Rider (AKA Night Rider or Ghost Rider). While Wonder Man tries to fix the time machine with the help of Two-Gun's blacksmith friend, Boom-Boom Brown, the rest of the WCA join the old western heroes in hunting for a gang of exotic bandits roughly equivalent to 20th century super-villains: Hurricane, Rattler, Doctor Danger, Fat Man and Red Raven, all led by the armored Iron Mask.
During the search, Two-Gun confesses that he is tempted to return to the 20th century and the Avengers but can't say for sure if he'd do it--he found the 20th century too strange, but now he finds the 19th century somewhat dull by comparison; meanwhile, Tigra flirts with Rawhide Kid and the usually aloof Phantom Rider shows unusual interest in Mockingbird. The WCA and their allies find and defeat the old west villains with relative ease, despite added opposition from Iron Mask's secret weapon, the giant alien known as the Living Totem. Wonder Man then reports that the time machine is beyond complete repair, but suggests that they use it to travel further back into the past and seek the aid of ancient Egyptian time traveller Rama-Tut, once an ally to the Avengers. Hawkeye decides to try Wonder Man's plan, starting with a test jump to the 18th century; but as the Avengers fade away on the time platform, the Phantom Rider strikes Mockingbird down and rides off with her before anyone can stop him.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Two-Gun Kid, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Espirita (as provisional member); Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Rawhide Kid, Phantom Rider III, Iron Mask, Red Raven, Hurricane, Rattler, Doctor Danger, Fat Man, Living Totem, Boom Boom Brown.
Note: Two-Gun Kid joins the ongoing cast as of this issue.
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WCA 19
Hawkeye, Iron Man, Wonder Man and Tigra land in 1776, where they are attacked by Spanish soldiers. The WCA hold the troops at bay easily, but Wonder Man's show-off attempt to crush all their guns at once causes an explosion that badly burns Hawkeye and forces the Avengers to flee; they then meet Carlotta Valdez, a precocious young Spanish noblewoman who witnessed the fight and offers medical aid. As she tends to Hawkeye's burns, Hawkeye realizes that she is the woman from Firebird's long-ago vision of a past life, the woman who will soon be killed by a traitor in the Spanish ranks. Gambling that Carlotta is probably Firebird's ancestor, Clint scrawls out a message to Bonita on a piece of cloth with an inkjet arrowhead and asks Carlotta to keep it somewhere safe until someone claims it, even if she must pass the cloth on to future generations. Though confused, she agrees and departs with the message. Their hearts heavy with the knowledge that Carlotta will probably soon die and that her message for Bonita is a long shot at best, the WCA set out for Egypt so that they can travel to the time of Rama-Tut.
Back in 1876, the Phantom Rider uses an Indian herbal potion to brainwash Mockingbird into loving him and forgetting her past life. They defeat the pursuing Two-Gun Kid and Rawhide Kid and flee, but not before Mockingbird stumbles upon Hawkeye's inkjet arrowhead, discarded a century ago. Strangely drawn to it, she decides to keep it as a souvenir. Meanwhile, in the 20th century, Espirita helps Hank explore the potential applications of his Pym particles--never dreaming that a message from the time-lost WCA is pressed within the pages of her family Bible.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Two-Gun Kid, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Espirita (as provisional member); Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Rawhide Kid, Phantom Rider III, Carlotta Valdez.
Note: The Phantom Rider seen in WCA is the third such adventurer, Lincoln Slade; he replaced his brother, Carter (the original Phantom Rider until his death) and Jamie Jacobs (a youth who briefly filled in as the Phantom Rider before dying as well). All three were originally known as Ghost Rider (not to be confused with the 20th century motorcyclists by that name) but are also known as Night Rider, Phantom Rider and He Who Rides The Night Winds. To avoid confusion with the more recent Ghost Riders, all will be referred to as the Phantom Rider in this text. Lincoln's 20th century descendant, Hamilton Slade, is the current Phantom Rider thanks to supernatural powers conferred upon him by his ancestor's spirit; he is the Phantom Rider (AKA Ghost Rider) who teamed with Firebird and other heroes to form the Rangers.
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WCA 20
Carlotta dies in 1776 as Firebird's vision foretold, and she passes Hawkeye's note on to a priest. In 1876, the fugitive Phantom Rider resumes his civilian identity as marshal Lincoln Slade and introduces the mesmerized Mockingbird (also unmasked) to the townsfolk as his fiancee. In the 20th century, Hank and Espirita continue to explore Hank's scientific past in search of clues to how he can forge a future for himself; and back in 1776, the rest of the WCA make their way to Egypt while Hawkeye struggles to endure his burns and the others struggle to endure Wonder Man's arrogance. Finally arriving in ancient Egypt, they find their old ally Rama-Tut in a near- incoherent state as he is about to enter suspended animation. Hawkeye manages to coax a clue out of him, though--that they should seek aid from Rama Tut's past self, who better knew the science the Avengers need. The plan is risky since Rama Tut was a villain in his early years, but Hawkeye rallies the Avengers into soldiering on and appoints Iron Man interim leader--much to Wonder Man's chagrin--before finally passing out from his injuries. The foursome then travel back to Rama-Tut's earlier reign, only to be shot down by the evil early Rama-Tut himself.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Two-Gun Kid, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Espirita (as provisional member); Hank Pym (as staff member).
Other Characters: Carlotta Valdez, Phantom Rider III, Rama-Tut, Rawhide Kid, Doctor Strange, Clea.
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WCA 21
When Carlotta Valdez died in 1776, her bible--with its note from Hawkeye--was given to a priest. The bible and the note remained in the clergy's hands for decades until young Isabel Ramirez--a descendant of Carlotta's family--took the bible back in 1847, eager to reclaim a family heirloom and somehow sensing the transcendent importance of both the scriptures and the message the book contained. In 1876, Mockingbird continues to serve as the Phantom Rider's unwitting love slave until Two-Gun Kid attacks her in the guise of Hawkeye, shocking her back to her true self and leaving her determined to destroy the man who violated her. In ancient Egypt, the rest of the WCA are shot down by Rama-Tut but the moon god Khonshu offers the dying Hawkeye a chance at restored life if the Avengers will strike down Rama-Tut, who seeks to raise himself above Khonshu and the other gods in the hearts of Egypt; Hawkeye agrees on the condition that Khonshu will send a message to the future soliciting aid for the time-lost WCA. Khonshu complies, restoring Hawkeye and the rest of the WCA to fighting strength and sending Hawkeye's message to Khonshu's 20th century disciple, the costumed adventurer Moon Knight.
Meanwhile, Hank Pym and Espirita have assembled the tools Hank needs to succeed as an adventurer again without losing sight of who he is, by concentrating on his scientific skills and relying on his inventions rather than trying to make himself super-powerful: now calling himself simply Doctor Pym rather than hiding behind yet another costumed identity, Hank makes use of a new robotic sidekick named Rover and a miniature arsenal of shrunken tools and weapons that he can enlarge for use at a moment's notice, having realized that he can still change the size of other objects even though he can no longer change his own bodily size. Determined to regain his place in the Avengers, the newly self-confident Hank admits that he is romantically attracted to Bonita and is overjoyed when the feeling proves mutual.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Two-Gun Kid, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Espirita (as provisional member); Moon Knight (as non-member ally).
Other Characters: Isabel Ramirez, Rama-Tut, Khonshu, Rawhide Kid, Frenchy, Rover, Dominus.
Note: Moon Knight joins the ongoing cast as of this issue.
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WCA 22
Seventy years ago, an elderly Isabel Ramirez died of a heart attack while saving the life of young boy Benito Jaurez, just after she had bequeathed her family Bible to her young granddaughter Chita. Chita vows to keep and study the Bible always, eventually marrying Benito and starting a family that produced a granddaughter of her own, Bonita "Firebird" Jaurez; so it was that Hawkeye's message from the past reached the present via Bonita's family Bible. Back in the 19th century Old West, an enraged Mockingbird joins Two-Gun Kid and Rawhide Kid in hunting down the Phantom Rider, and insists on pursuing him alone after an initial scuffle. In the era of Rama-Tut's ancient Egypt, the WCA try to find a way back to the present--but despite close encounters with the time-travelling Doctor Strange and Fantastic Four, they are left stranded when Rama-Tut and all the other time travellers unwittingly elude them; despite their seemingly hopeless situation, Hawkeye refuses to give up and rallies the team's spirits, reminding them that his message to the present may still get them home. Back in that present, Doctor Pym and Espirita are celebrating Pym's new lease on life when Moon Knight arrives to draw their attention to Hawkeye's message in Espirita's Bible. The threesome then seek the present-day Fantastic Four's aid only to learn that Dominus--the alien subversive who trapped the WCA in the past--has destroyed the current FF's time machine.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Two-Gun Kid, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Espirita and Moon Knight (as provisional members); Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman (as non-member allies); Thing (as member of Fantastic Four).
Other Characters: Isabel Ramirez, Chita Ramirez, Benito Jaurez, Rawhide Kid, Phantom Rider III, Rama-Tut, Doctor Strange (past self only), Human Torch II (past self only), Rover.
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WCA 23
In 1876, Mockingbird finally confronts and defeats the unrepentant Phantom Rider in a scuffle that ends with the villain hanging from a cliff's edge by his fingertips after he tried to kill her. A grim Mockingbird returns the favour by allowing him to fall to his death, making no move to save him. Back in ancient Egypt, the WCA seek refuge from Rama-Tut's vengeful legions with the grateful priests of Khonshu, who explain that the WCA were indirectly responsible for driving Rama-Tut away by making the past victories of Doctor Strange and the Fantastic Four possible. Determined to return home but prepared for a long stay, Hawkeye decides to help the priests protect themselves from Rama's legions by designing weapons for them--the same weapons that the priests later bequeath to Khonshu's modern-day disciple, Moon Knight.
In the present, Doctor Pym and Mister Fantastic are fixing the FF's time machine while Moon Knight muses on his mercenary-turned-mystic origins and how out of place he is in these surroundings. Meanwhile, Espirita catches up on old times with the Thing, who tells of how he left the WCA to shun humanity but ended up rejoining the FF despite his lingering bitterness toward them. Espirita, by contrast, holds no grudge from her sometimes poor treatment by the WCA but confesses that she is no longer seeking active Avengers membership since a religious vision drove her to embrace the service of God over all other pursuits in her new identity as Espirita.
Once the time machine is fixed, Pym, Espirita and Moon Knight use it to rescue Hawkeye, Tigra, Wonder Man and Iron Man from ancient Egypt. The assembled heroes then crash the Phantom Rider's funeral in 1876, where Hawkeye is joyfully reunited with Mockingbird; she does not tell him the truth about the Phantom Rider's death, though, claiming instead that the madman committed suicide, since she fears that Hawkeye and the Avengers would turn against her if they knew the truth. Hawkeye invites his old partner the Two-Gun Kid to rejoin the Avengers, but Two-Gun decides to remain in the past for now. That being said, the WCA return to the present to confront the man who trapped them all in the past in the first place: Dominus.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Two-Gun Kid, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Espirita and Moon Knight (as provisional members); Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman (as non-member allies); Thing (as member of Fantastic Four).
Other Characters: Rawhide Kid, Franklin Richards, Rover; and in flashbacks, Dr. Strange, Wong, Rama-Tut, Doctor Doom and Human Torch II.
Note: The Two-Gun Kid leaves the ongoing cast as of this issue.
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WCA 24
Together again and back from the past, the WCA--now including Doctor Pym, Espirita and Moon Knight--attack Dominus in his lair. Though they defeat his minions, they are mentally immobilized by Dominus himself, who explains that he is actually a sentient machine and that he mentally enslaved his creators, the alien Arcane, just as he has enslaved countless other worlds in their name. As Dominus rants, though, he is assaulted by the Moon Knight, whose multiple personalities enable him to resist the mind control. Unable to comprehend his failure to control Moon Knight, Dominus goes mad and flees Earth, taking the base that housed him along as he rockets into space. The flying Avengers pursue, with Iron Man protected by his armor and Firebird finding that she can somehow breathe even outside the atmosphere, but Wonder Man's jets fail in the vacuum of space and the others are forced to turn back and rescue him; worse yet, his injured pride prompts him to react angrily rather than gratefully. As the WCA return home, Hawkeye is cheered by the presence of several new recruits but sobered by the knowledge that Wonder Man may be leaving the group as he grows more egotistical and preoccupied with his movie career.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Espirita and Moon Knight (as provisional members).
Other Characters: Dominus, Sunstroke, Butte, Cactus, Gila, Menachim Heitz.
Note: WCA Annual 2 (which continues into Avengers Annual 16) follows this story. Its events will be covered in more detail in the Annuals section. In brief, the ECA and WCA join forces to thwart a plot by the Collector and the Grandmaster to usurp the power of Death herself. Wonder Man adopts a new costume and hairstyle as of that story on the advice of his film colleagues (advice relayed in WCA 24) in a move reflective of both his increasingly superficial ego and most Avengers readers' hatred of the red-and-green costume he wore in WCA 12-24. As production assistant Menachim Heitz told Simon, "The public hates that costume!"
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WCA 25
Wonder Man basks in the publicity and adulation that the debut of Arkon IV brings him, and is even considering quitting the Avengers to concentrate on solo stardom. When the jealous Tyrannus (trapped in the grotesque body of the Abomination) attacks Wonder Man, Simon beats the monster with a supreme heroic effort--but is then hurt and humbled to discover that his Hollywood peers couldn't care less, thinking it was all just another publicity stunt. Realizing that his role as an Avenger is more important than movie stardom could ever be, Wonder Man swallows his pride and resolves to stay with the WCA. Meanwhile, a tormented Mockingbird denies that the Phantom Rider violated her (which he did) and continues to conceal the fact that she all but killed him in revenge for it, convinced that either revelation could destroy her relationship with Hawkeye; Moon Knight parts company with his sidekick Frenchy in preparation for officially joining the Avengers; and Espirita departs on a spiritual quest to better understand her mysterious powers, parting amicably with Hank before leaving.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Wonder Man and Mockingbird; Espirita and Moon Knight (as provisional members).
Other Characters: Abomination/Tyrannus, Dino, Christina Carson, Menachim Heitz.
Note: Espirita leaves the ongoing cast as of this issue. Tigra does not appear in this issue.
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WCA 26
The twelve leaders of the Zodiac crime cartel meet to discuss strategies for dealing with the gang of LMDs (androids) who have formed a rival Zodiac group, but the meeting turns out to be far too late: the original Scorpio, whom the rest of the original Zodiac thought dead, actually survived in the form of an LMD and infiltrated the original Zodiac in the guise of a new human Scorpio. After revealing himself, Scorpio then leads the android Zodiac in slaughtering the rest of the original Zodiac--all but Cornelius Van Lunt, AKA Taurus, who escapes and seeks protection with the Avengers, volunteering his aid in defeating the android Zodiac. Though suspicious of their old foe Van Lunt, the WCA accept--and Van Lunt swears to Moon Knight by the moon that he will not take advantage of the situation for criminal gain, though he has no intention of actually keeping this astrological oath.
Regardless, Van Lunt correctly guesses where the androids will strike next and the WCA are there to oppose them. The two sides seem evenly matched until Hawkeye accidentally shoots the android Sagittarius dead, after which the android Zodiac panic and flee to their lair. Once there, Scorpio muses on how the sentient otherdimensional Zodiac Key through which he creates and empowers the Zodiac's android bodies is linked to him in such a way that he cannot die, instead reincarnating him in a series of android forms. So long as the key exists on the Earthly plane, so does he; and using the Key, Scorpio creates a new Saggitarius--this one an exact double of Hawkeye.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Moon Knight (as provisional member).
Other Characters: Scorpio, Josyane, Mike (Simon's agent, in his first on-panel appearance), Aquarius II (Zachary Drebb), Aries III (unrevealed), Cancer (Jack Klevano), Capricorn (Willard Weir), Gemini (Joshua Link), Leo (Daniel Radford), Libra (Gustav Brandt), Pisces (Noah Perricone), Sagittarius (Harlan Vargas), Virgo (Elaine McLaughlin) and the android Zodiac.
Note: This is the last appearance for all of the original Zodiac except Scorpio, Taurus and Libra (the latter is reincarnated as the hero Moonraker during The Crossing).
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WCA 27
The android Zodiac ambush Hawkeye, sending the new Sagittarius (Hawkeye's exact double) to infiltrate Avengers Compound in his place. The switch works, though the fake Hawkeye's indifference to Mockingbird leaves a guilt-ridden Bobbi certain that her marriage is cracking under the strain of her secret. On the advice of her old mentor Nick Fury, Mockingbird finally works up the nerve to tell Hawkeye the whole truth about what the Phantom Rider did to her and what she did to him. When she confronts "Hawkeye" and tells him the truth, though, she realizes that he is an android double and destroys him with the aid of Tigra...not suspecting that Tigra has been replaced by another LMD, the new Leo.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Moon Knight (as provisional member).
Other Characters: Scorpio, the android Zodiac, Nick Fury, Cornelius Van Lunt (Taurus).
Note: Before her abduction and replacement, Tigra makes romantic advances toward Moon Knight in this issue.
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WCA 28
The WCA battle the android Zodiac twice more before Scorpio decides to destroy the Avengers by battling them in the Zodiac Key's home dimension. The Key reluctantly complies by transporting the combatants there, but the Zodiacal energies that empower the androids do not exist in the Key's dimension, so the entire android Zodiac is rendered inert. The conflict-loving Brotherhood who rule the dimension then send the WCA--including the captive Hawkeye and Tigra--back to Earth so that they may be ready to face the Key and its Zodiac in new conflicts in the future. Mockingbird tries again to tell Hawkeye the truth about the Phantom Rider, but simply cannot bring herself to hurt him so badly. Meanwhile, the rest of the WCA discover that their ally Van Lunt has double-crossed them and escaped, a deception that Moon Knight is eager to avenge.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Moon Knight (as provisional member).
Other Characters: Cornelius Van Lunt, Scorpio, the android Zodiac.
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WCA 29
After escaping from the WCA, Cornelius Van Lunt (AKA Taurus) starts rebuilding his Zodiac crime cartel by inviting the Shroud to join as the new Pisces. The Shroud is both an ally to the Avengers and a hero who merely poses as a crimelord, though, so he refuses; what's more, he steps aside and lets the pursuing Moon Knight attack Taurus. Taurus flees and a desperate chase ensues, ending with Van Lunt's apparent death in a fiery plane crash. Alerted by the Shroud, the WCA show up in time to save Moon Knight from going down with the plane--but Hawkeye is furious with Moon Knight for pursuing an Avengers enemy on his own without informing the team, especially since it led to an apparent fatality. To Hawkeye's surprise, though, Mockingbird and Tigra stick up for Moon Knight by suggesting that it may be time for the Avengers to rethink their refusal to kill opponents. Meanwhile, Moon Knight himself is surprised to find that his patron god Khonshu has actually begun speaking to him in his mind, communicating directly with him for the first time.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Moon Knight (as provisional member).
Other Characters: Khonshu, Cornelius Van Lunt, Shroud, Phantom Rider IV.
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WCA 30
The alien Sligs, seeking to succeed where the Kree and Skrulls failed by conquering Earth, abduct the WCA to test the Avengers' mettle. When each Avenger succeeds in besting the Sligs' Examiner combat robot despite its ability to adapt new defences after every defeat, the Sligs' ship blows up under the strain of trying to compensate for the resultant power overload, and the Slig empire resolves to leave Earth in peace lest the Avengers destroy them.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Moon Knight (as provisional member); Vision II and Scarlet Witch (non-participating guest appearance).
Other Characters: Thomas and William Maximoff.
Note: This issue is guest-written by Al Milgrom.
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WCA 31
Moon Knight is communing with his patron god, Khonshu, who professes a growing fascination with the Avengers, when Tigra interrupts. The two Avengers share a passionate kiss but are themselves interrupted by a brooding Iron Man, who picks a fight with Moon Knight. Hawkeye breaks it up and asks why Tony has been so testy lately, but Iron Man refuses to elaborate and flies off, asking Clint to trust him. Shortly after his departure, though, the eastern Avengers call with the shocking news that Iron Man recently attacked the Vault--America's prison for superhumans--and assaulted Captain America in the process.
Meanwhile, the modern-day Phantom Rider--who is possessed by the spirit of the 1870s Phantom Rider, Lincoln Slade, who abducted and violated Mockingbird before she caused his death-- has joined forces with the Texas Twister in an effort to contact otherworldly demons. Twister is doing so in an obsessive quest for his lost love Shooting Star, who was stolen away by demons, while the Phantom Rider assists only because he hopes to bend any demon they summon to his will and send it against the WCA. Instead, their magicks summon the otherdimensional warrior king Arkon, an old foe of the Avengers, who was on his way to Earth to vent his wrath over the motion pictures made in his name and image...the latest of which co-stars Wonder Man. Arkon attacks the WCA, forcing Wonder Man into single combat by threatening a nuclear disaster if the other Avengers interfere. After a fierce struggle, Wonder Man manages to convince Arkon that the film industry did not know of Arkon's feelings and might be persuaded to stop making Arkon movies if Wonder Man explained the situation. Arkon grudgingly agrees to give Simon a chance to settle the matter diplomatically, and departs.
While the WCA are distracted by Arkon, Phantom Rider arrives and lures Mockingbird away, revealing to her that he is now a true ghost in a mortal host body and that he now possesses the supernatural powers he formerly faked as an 1870s vigilante. They scuffle, and the ghostly Phantom Rider easily outfights Mockingbird until she is hanging from a cliff's edge as he was in their previous battle. He spares her life and departs, though, vowing that he will make her suffer and beg for mercy before he finally kills her.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Moon Knight (as provisional member); Black Knight III, Captain Marvel II, Sub-Mariner and Doctor Druid (cameo via teleconference).
Other Characters: Khonshu, Phantom Rider III, Texas Twister, Arkon.
Note: Iron Man departs the ongoing cast as of this issue. His departure hinges on events in his own comic book, namely the then-current "Armor Wars" storyline. In that storyline, Tony embarked on a one-man vigilante crusade to confiscate and destroy all copies of his armor technology after learning that his designs had fallen into the hands of criminals; so he began attacking friends and foes alike--anyone who might be using his armor technology--to ensure that his inventions could no longer be used for evil. Iron Man committed many illegal acts in the course of this crusade, even attacking Stingray (a government agent and Avengers associate), SHIELD's armored Mandroids and the Vault's armored Guardsmen, injuring Captain America in the latter incident. He also assaulted and incapacitated a host of armored super-criminals, and invaded Russia to neutralize their armored heroes Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man, accidentally killing the latter. Before long, Tony Stark was forced to save his company's image by claiming to have dismissed his alter ego Iron Man from Stark's staff. Similarly, the WCA were forced to follow suit by expelling Iron Man from the Avengers when he refused to give up his vigilante crusade. This expulsion (depicted in Iron Man's comic book) happens between WCA 31 and 32. Shortly afterward, Iron Man concludes his quest by neutralizing the last of his targets, and fakes his death in the process, returning to action as a supposedly new Iron Man on the Stark payroll. He does not rejoin the Avengers until much later, though, long after this latest estrangement from the group.
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WCA 32
The Wasp, recently retired from her post as eastern Avengers chairwoman, visits Avengers Compound to boost the WCA's spirits after Iron Man's expulsion. Meanwhile, Mockingbird discovers that Hamilton Slade is the last living descendant of 1870s Phantom Rider Lincoln Slade, and correctly deduces that Hamilton is the current Phantom Rider's host body; resolving to confront him, she finds out that he is on an archaeological dig in the Grand Canyon and suggests that the WCA go there on a vacation to escape their troubles. Once there, Mockingbird unleashes the giant monster Yetrigar (trapped years ago by SHIELD and Godzilla) to distract the WCA while she goes after Hamilton Slade. She finds him and tries to beat him into confessing his crimes and leaving her alone, but Hamilton is unaware of his Phantom Rider identity (he remembers his possessions only as mental blackouts) and cannot comply since he doesn't know what she's talking about. Moon Knight observes the confrontation and restrains Mockingbird--not because he disagrees with her brutal, potentially lethal assault on Slade, but because he says she must be certain of his identity before taking decisive action. They apologize, promise Slade compensation and convince him to keep this episode to himself. Meanwhile, the WCA subdue Yetrigar--and when the others ask where Mockingbird and Moon Knight were during the fight, the pair claim that Mockingbird was pinned under a boulder from which Moon Knight freed her.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Moon Knight (as provisional member).
Other Characters: Khonshu, Hamilton Slade, Phantom Rider III, Yetrigar.
Note: The Wasp joins the ongoing cast as of this issue.
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WCA 33
The WCA officially induct Moon Knight (whose mind is increasingly dominated by Khonshu) into their ranks just as a shocked Hank Pym reports that he has stumbled upon Eastern Bloc security computer files referring to his first wife, Maria Trovaya--files hinting that she may still be alive, though Hank thought her dead at the hands of communist agents in her native Hungary many years ago, when she was abducted on their honeymoon. The WCA decide to accompany Hank to Hungary to investigate, but on arriving the Avengers are confronted by communist agents (mostly old foes of Hank) who declare the Avengers criminals and try to arrest them. All are captured except Hank and the Wasp, who decide to continue the search for Maria before rescuing the Avengers. To that end, Hank regrows Wasp's atrophied forehead antennae so that she can communicate with the local ants and see if they've seen or heard of Maria recently. One ant has heard mention of her in Bratislava Prison--but when Pym and the Wasp break in, the only captives they find are their old teammates the Vision and the Scarlet Witch.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird and Moon Knight.
Other Characters: Ambassador Jim Pickens, Beasts of Berlin, El Toro, Madame X.
Note: The Vision and the Scarlet Witch join the ongoing cast as of this issue.
Note: This issue contains a house ad melodramatically advertising the Walt Simonson run on Avengers as the end of the team. Ironic since some Avengers fans came to regard the Simonson run and the subsequent WCA/Avengers run by John Byrne as the end of the book's glory days.
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WCA 34
The communist officials free Hawkeye, Tigra and Wonder Man but refuse to release Mockingbird and Moon Knight, claiming that they are criminals. Hawkeye, Tigra and Wonder Man don't accept this ruling and attack the communist agents and soldiers until US Ambassador Jim Pickens appears with a document remanding all Avengers in Hungary to his custody; however, Mockingbird and Moon Knight are nowhere to be found since they have already been transferred to Bratislava Prison, where they are held with Vision, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Pym and Wasp in a cell that neutralizes their powers. The renegade Avenger Quicksilver suddenly appears, gloating over the captive Avengers and explaining how he has formed an alliance with the Hungarian authorities to help them develop super-beings while he pursues his own plans of revenge and conquest.
Once he departs, Scarlet Witch apologizes for her brother, trying to justify Quicksilver's behaviour by the fact that the madman Magneto was their father, but Vision professes his love for her and deems such an explanation absurd since that would mean Wanda was mad, too. The other Avengers are moved by the scene, Mockingbird so much so that she finally breaks her silence and confesses to all present what the Phantom Rider did to her and how she caused his death--not knowing that the Phantom Rider himself is watching invisibly in his ghost form, having offered to "help" Hawkeye by finding the missing Avengers. When all the Avengers present react to Bobbi's tale with understanding and forgiveness, Bobbi is overjoyed to think that Clint and the others might forgive her, too. The Phantom Rider, on the other hand, is determined to make Bobbi suffer and leads Hawkeye and the others to the captive Avengers--though not before he tells them his version of how Mockingbird "murdered" him in his past life, turning Hawkeye and Wonder Man against Bobbi. The team sets its personal dispute aside long enough to free the captive Avengers and fly their quinjet out of Hungary--but not before a Hungarian surface-to-air missile wings them, forcing the quinjet down into the nearby country of Latveria.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird and Moon Knight; Quicksilver (as adversary).
Other Characters: Ambassador Jim Pickens, Beasts of Berlin, El Toro, The Horde of Scarlet Beetles, Madame X, Phantom Rider III/IV.
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WCA 35
The WCA awaken to find themselves prisoners of the mad child Kristoff, who claims to be Doctor Doom, ruler of Latveria, trapped in Kristoff's body (this text refers to him simply as Doom for ease of reading). Doom offers to free the Avengers if they will swear to join him in opposing the adult Doom--whom Kristoff calls a mad impostor--seeking to depose the boy Doom. The Avengers are reluctant to consider an alliance with any incarnation of Doom, but Khonshu--who has almost entirely usurped control of Moon Knight's body by now--emerges long enough to persuade Doom to free the team. Quicksilver appears as Hungary's emissary to Doom afterward, realizing too late that this Doom is the Kristoff Quicksilver once scorned; Doom tries to murder Quicksilver, but the Avengers stop him and the super-swift mutant flees. The Avengers then depart to continue their mission in Hungary, though beset by internal strife: Hawkeye is outraged at Mockingbird's betrayal of his trust and the Avengers' principles, while Mockingbird is furious with Hawkeye's apparent insensitivity to her plight. Both angrily demand a divorce.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird and Moon Knight; Quicksilver (as adversary).
Other Characters: Kristoff, Khonshu, Phantom Rider III/IV, Boris.
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WCA 36
The WCA invade Bratislava Prison again in search of Hank Pym's wife Maria but are ambushed by Hank's old foe the Voice, who has joined the communists and whose power enables him to control the Avengers' minds through speech. He commands the other Avengers to hunt down Pym and kill him: Hawkeye subdues Hank but cannot bring himself to kill him, while Moon Knight resists the Voice's power since Khonshu now rules his psyche; Hank Pym manages to hold off the rest of the WCA until he stumbles upon Maria, whose brain has been enlarged to superhuman proportions since the communists experimented upon her, trying to replace her defector father's scientific skills by creating a superhuman intellect in their service. As their drugged captive, she has been responsible for creating many of the communists' weapons and superhumans--but Hank frees her mind long enough for her to free the Avengers' minds and immobilize the communist forces. Hank then announces that he is leaving the Avengers to devote his time to finding a cure for his wife's freakish condition. The assembled Avengers are touched by the Pyms' reunion, but Mockingbird sours the moment by announcing that she and Hawkeye are splitting up.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird and Moon Knight; Quicksilver (as adversary).
Other Characters: Beast of Berlin, El Toro, Madame X, Voice, "Maria Pym" (later revealed to be SODAM).
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WCA 37
Hawkeye and Mockingbird bitterly argue over their differences as the Avengers try in vain to mediate, with all but Wonder Man arguing for leniency. Still, Hawkeye is unable to forgive the fact that Mockingbird all but murdered the Phantom Rider and then lied to him about it repeatedly, while Mockingbird is outraged at Hawkeye's callous reaction and decides to leave both him and the Avengers. Moon Knight and Tigra, sympathetic and unable to agree with Hawkeye's stance against killing, decide to go with Mockingbird; the trio depart, leaving the heartbroken Hawkeye behind as his team and marriage fall apart around him, though at Vision's and Scarlet Witch's suggestion the threesome's departure is declared a leave of absence rather than a permanent resignation.
Doctor Pym and the Wasp leave as well, Pym to seek a cure for his wife and Wasp to return to her vacation, and the two part as friends. That leaves the WCA a team of two with Hawkeye and Wonder Man, but Vision and Scarlet Witch volunteer to stay on with the group as long as Hawkeye needs them. This boosts Hawkeye's spirits considerably, though it still leaves the WCA somewhat short-handed--until long-lost Avengers member Mantis shows up. A pleasant reunion ensues until Mantis mysteriously attacks the team, holding off all of them single-handedly; while the battle rages, Hawkeye correctly deduces that the Voice is controlling Mantis and stalks the villain, subduing him and forcing him to free Mantis's mind. Mantis then explains that she recently awoke in an amnesiac state remembering nothing of the past several years since her time with the Avengers, and sought out the team to ask their help with this conundrum. Hawkeye agrees gladly, elated to have found a fifth member.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Mantis, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird and Moon Knight.
Note: Doctor Pym and the Wasp leave the ongoing cast as of this issue. Mantis joins the ongoing cast as of this issue.
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WCA 38
While the WCA seek the secrets behind Mantis's amnesia, Wonder Man thinks back to a time when the WCA defeated the Defiler, an extradimensional energy parasite posing as a heavy metal rock musician. The Defiler's fans (prospective victims) were rescued, and the Defiler himself was trapped in his own barren dimension with nothing and no one to feed on.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird in the flashback story; Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Mantis and Wonder Man in the framing sequence.
Other Characters: The Defiler.
Note: Moon Knight does not appear in this issue. The WCA members featured in the Defiler flashback (which takes up almost the entire issue) are Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Tigra, Wonder Man, Iron Man and Doctor Pym, indicating that this story takes place before Iron Man was expelled (WCA 31-32) but after Doctor Pym joined (WCA 25). More precisely, the Defiler story probably takes place between WCA 28 (the defeat of Zodiac) and WCA 29 (Moon Knight's hunt for Cornelius Van Lunt), which would explain why Moon Knight is absent. WCA 38 is a fill-in issue, written by D.G. Chichester & Margaret Clark and drawn by Tom Morgan & Dave Hunt.
WCA Annual 3 takes place shortly after this story; it features Hawkeye's WCA and Mockingbird's splinter group waging separate battles against a common foe, the High Evolutionary. Black Panther, Giant-Man II, Ka-Zar and Shanna guest-star.
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WCA 39
While Scarlet Witch settles her and Vision's affairs in New Jersey with the aid of Mrs. Williams, the rest of the WCA explore the mystery of the amnesiac Mantis's recent past. The trail leads first to a suburban house where Mantis apparently lived a quiet life as "Mandy Celestine" for a time; the WCA then visit the Vietnamese temple of the Priests of Pama, who raised Mantis and groomed her for her destined role as the Celestial Madonna, foretold mother to a child of cosmic importance. Her fated mate--the eldest of the alien Cotati plant beings--inhabited the body of her late lover, the fallen Avenger called the Swordsman, and married her, after which they vanished into space to conceive their child. As she has already told the WCA, Mantis's memories end with that departure years ago; just as she recounts this, though, the Cotati-animated Swordsman bursts from the Swordsman's grave and attacks, impaling Mantis.
To the Avengers' surprise, the true Mantis then emerges from a second grave, and the reunited lovers explain what has happened: when the couple went into space to mate, they did so in spirit form; the bodies they left behind were buried by the Priests of Pama. Mantis created a plant-based version of her body in which to bear her hybrid child, and raised the baby on Earth as Mandy Celestine until it had to leave the world and experience its alien heritage. Restless and depressed without her spouse and child, Mantis projected her spirit back into space and took on other plant forms, eventually allying herself with the Silver Surfer and seemingly dying in battle with the Elders of the Universe. Her spirit was shunted back to Earth, where it assumed a new plant-based duplicate of her body, but the near-death trauma produced amnesia that did not end until the Cotati-Swordsman's attack forced her back into her true form. The Cotati Swordsman, his work done, allows his borrowed body to crumble to dust after bequeathing the Swordsman's blade to Hawkeye (who had been the original Swordsman's protégé). The WCA head home, but Mantis remains at the temple to meditate on what she has lost and what she has regained.
Meanwhile, a grateful Giant-Man (Bill Foster) parts company with Mockingbird, Moon Knight and Tigra after they battled the High Evolutionary together (an adventure which restored Foster's super-powers). Shortly after Foster leaves, the Phantom Rider attacks Mockingbird again but is scared off by Khonshu, who emerges invisibly from Moon Knight's body during the fray.
Avengers Assembled: Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Mantis and Wonder Man; Tigra, Mockingbird and Moon Knight (as members on leave).
Other Characters: Mrs. Williams, Cotati Swordsman, Thomas and William Maximoff, Giant-Man II, Phantom Rider III/IV.
Note: Mantis leaves the ongoing cast as of this issue. This is Steve Englehart's last issue as ongoing WCA scripter: creative differences with the Tom DeFalco editorial administration (notably Englehart's refusal to drop Mantis from the ongoing cast) led to Englehart's abrupt dismissal as of this issue, which DeFalco had extensively rewritten; much of the script was altered, and the entire conclusion of the Mantis story was a hastily concocted editorial rewrite. By this time, Roger Stern had already been dismissed from his assignment as ongoing Avengers writer for similar reasons. Neither of the Avengers titles ever really recovered in terms of consistency, characterization and continuity after the departure of Stern and Englehart. Subsequent writers--notably Walt Simonson and John Byrne--would undo or contradict much of Stern & Englehart's work (and that of their predecessors) on the two titles, and the books would eventually suffer both creatively and financially.
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WCA 40
Mockingbird stumbles upon the ghoulish Digger burying three men alive and apprehends him for the police. Digger's colleagues in the Night Shift--a criminal gang that preys almost exclusively on other criminals--decide to attack the WCA and negotiate Digger's release. Like the general public, they are unaware that Mockingbird is not currently a WCA member; they are also unaware that their own gang leader, the Shroud, is secretly a crimefighter who uses the Night Shift against other criminals as part of his war on crime. The Shroud is away on business, though, so they attack the Avengers. The WCA subdue Night Shift while Mockingbird, Moon Knight and Tigra search the Night Shift's headquarters and confront the Shroud, who refuses to explain himself and departs. He then rescues the Night Shift from the WCA, though he does linger long enough to offer apologies and explanations to Hawkeye.
Avengers Assembled: Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II and Wonder Man; Tigra, Mockingbird and Moon Knight (as members on leave).
Other Characters: Shroud, Digger, Brothers Grimm II, Dansen Macabre, Gypsy Moth, Misfit, Needle, Tatterdemalion, Tick-Tock, Werewolf by Night, Thomas and William Maximoff, servant (possibly Joachin or Carlos), Yolanda (of WCA maintenance staff--first appearance).
Note: This is Al Milgrom's last issue as regular WCA penciler. Mark Gruenwald guest-writes, and botches the continuity a bit regarding Mockingbird and Tigra's views on the Shroud; Tigra is an old friend of the Shroud's and both she and Mockingbird were depicted as having clear knowledge of his altruistic motivations in the past, but in this story they simply regard him as a suspicious criminal.
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WCA 41
Mockingbird, Moon Knight and Tigra, accompanied by their occult ally Hellstorm, visit Hamilton Slade and explain how they believe him to be possessed by the evil spirit of his ancestor Lincoln Slade, the Phantom Rider, whose ghost has been tormenting Mockingbird. Hamilton reluctantly consents to an exorcism ritual which releases two ghosts from his body--that of Lincoln Slade and Lincoln's brother, Carter, the original Phantom Rider. Both souls had been using Hamilton as an unwitting host body, competing for influence over him, and the two freed spirits promptly attack each other. When Lincoln seems to be winning, Hellstorm drives Khonshu out of Moon Knight's body to join the fray; this attracts the attention of the rival Egyptian god Seth, whose legions arrive to attack Khonshu.
A wild brawl ensues, during which Moon Knight's Egyptian paraphernalia is destroyed and Tigra temporarily loses control of her feral instincts before Mockingbird restrains her. In the end, Seth's legions are routed and Khonshu leaves the mortal plane--possibly forever--to battle Seth; he restores Moon Knight's full consciousness and free will before departing, though he urges the Knight to keep fighting evil in his name. Hellstorm banishes Lincoln Slade's ghost to the netherworld while Carter Slade's ghost merges with Hamilton, who becomes consciously aware of and in control of his actions as the modern Phantom Rider for the first time in the process. The new Phantom Rider promises to devote himself to atoning for Lincoln's sins, but the ending is otherwise unhappy: Tigra suggests returning to the WCA, but an exhausted Mockingbird still can't face Hawkeye and departs for some time alone, while a confused and disillusioned Moon Knight, freed from Khonshu's control, takes his leave of both Tigra and the Avengers.
Avengers Assembled: Tigra, Mockingbird and Moon Knight (as members on leave).
Other Characters: Leir, Sif, Seth, Khonshu, Hellstorm, Phantom Rider, Phantom Rider III, Phantom Rider IV.
Note: Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Vision and Scarlet Witch do not appear in this issue. Moon Knight leaves the ongoing cast as of this issue. The issue is guest-written by editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco, who incorporates characters from his ongoing Thor comic (such as Seth) while rather abruptly resolving some of former WCA writer Englehart's ongoing subplots; this is all in preparation for John Byrne taking over as the regular WCA writer and artist with issue 42. Tom Morgan supplies the art for this issue.
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WCA 42
The Scarlet Witch awakens one morning to discover that her husband, the Vision, has vanished without a trace; before the WCA can solve this mystery, they are attacked by a robot that appears to be Ultron but is actually an inferior copy, one the Avengers destroy with relative ease. Suspecting the robot was a distraction, the Avengers search their headquarters and discover that their computers have been purged of every file related to the Vision, as if someone were trying to erase all record of his existence. As the Avengers try to figure out who did this, their estranged teammate Mockingbird arrives and claims responsibility.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird.
Note: The ongoing cast as of this issue is Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Tigra, Wonder Man, Doctor Pym, Wasp, Vision (who appears only in flashbacks in this issue) and Scarlet Witch.
Special Note: John Byrne takes over as ongoing writer and artist with this issue and promptly discards or disfigures established continuity and characterization as he sees fit, mostly without explanation. To use some examples: Doctor Pym, Wasp and Tigra are all active WCA members as of this story, despite the fact that Pym and Wasp had resigned for the foreseeable future in previous issues (what became of Pym's Maria Pym project is later revealed in a Solo Avengers story arc); contrary to all previous appearances, Pym and Wasp seem to be rekindling their old romance; likewise contrary to all previous appearances, Pym and Wasp have assumed an aggressive leadership role within the WCA and the team seems to be disregarding Hawkeye's leadership; again contrary to all previous appearances, Hawkeye is portrayed as a leader without the support or confidence of his team, and is much more volatile--Byrne's handling of him seems to be a caricature of Hawkeye's long-ago early days with the Avengers; Pym and Wasp, for that matter, act more as they did in stories long past, too; and Tigra starts to succumb to the animal side of her personality again, despite having seemingly resolved that problem in WCA 15. In the issues to come, Byrne retcons even more Avengers continuity and characterization.
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WCA 43
A contrite Mockingbird explains to the rest of the WCA how she was duped into helping plot the Vision's kidnapping by a covert agency she believed to be SHIELD. She'd been told she was devising a contingency plan for capturing the Vision should he ever attempt world conquest again as he did under the influence of ISAAC, but she found out that the plan was going to be put into action without provocation and that a dangerous diversionary assault on the WCA using a fake Ultron was in the works. When Mockingbird protested, she was imprisoned--escaping only hours too late to prevent the robot's attack and Vision's abduction. The repentant Mockingbird leads the WCA in breaching the phony SHIELD base where she'd been held captive, but by the time they arrive the Vision has been completely disassembled.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Tigra and Mockingbird; Vision II (incapacitated).
Other Characters: Cameron Brock (head of the bogus SHIELD operation), Helen Bach (nanny to Thomas and William), Thomas and William Maximoff.
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WCA 44
The WCA have found the Vision--but his body has been totally disassembled; worse yet, his mind and all known backup copies of it--including his accumulated memories and acquired personality traits--have been erased. Even if the Vision can be reconstructed, and the template for his mind recreated by copying Wonder Man's brain patterns again, there is no guarantee that his previous memories and personality can ever be restored. His chief captor, Cameron Brock, confesses that Vision's abduction was a joint operation of every major intelligence agency in the world, a cooperative effort to make sure any potentially dangerous data did not remain in the Vision's mind from his brief domination of the world's computer systems. Since the operation was sanctioned by the US government and most of the participants have diplomatic immunity, the WCA have no choice but to let Vision's abductors go free.
Meanwhile, Tigra loses control battling Brock's men, forcing Hawkeye to subdue her; and the Wasp frees another of Brock's captives: famed scientist Phineas Horton. Horton created the android that became known as the original Human Torch in 1939, and Brock had hoped Horton could advise them on the handling of the Vision since Vision is believed to be the reconstructed Human Torch; however, a confused Horton tells the WCA what he told Brock: that the Vision is not his handiwork. The WCA return home, where a hysterical Ms. Bach claims that Thomas and William have vanished; when Scarlet Witch finds them safe and sound, she promptly fires Bach.
Pym succeeds in reconstructing Vision, but Vision awakens in a mindless defensive mode and attacks the Avengers, forcing them to subdue him. Hawkeye protests the Vision's abhorrent treatment to the team's US government liaison, Raymond Sikorsky, but Sikorsky brushes off the criticism by saying that the matter is closed, apparently unappreciative of the fact that the Avengers considered Vision a living being and that the government operation essentially killed the Vision they knew. Sikorsky then goes on to say that the government is forcing the WCA to take on a new member as their supervisor, someone to prevent future security risks. Said supervisor arrives in the person of USAgent (John Walker), the super-strong, mentally unstable government agent who, unbeknownst to the public, had formerly been the dishonored replacement Captain America who took on Steve Rogers' costumed role for a time at government insistence.
Meanwhile, a mysterious group interested in mutants has targeted the mutant Scarlet Witch for use in their unknown project.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird and USAgent; Vision II (incapacitated).
Other Characters: Cameron Brock, Phineas Horton, Raymond Sikorsky, That Which Endures, Ms. Bach, Thomas and William Maximoff.
Note: USAgent joins the ongoing cast as of this issue. Raymond Sikorsky's characterization here is completely at odds with his previous appearances, in which he's been depicted as a sympathetic friend to the Avengers in general and the Vision in particular.
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WCA 45
The other Avengers are resigned to accepting USAgent's role as their new government supervisor in accordance with their government charter, but a furious Hawkeye quits and storms out. Mockingbird follows him. Scarlet Witch hires a new nanny, Mrs. Hunter, who discovers that Thomas and William have mysteriously disappeared again; meanwhile, Scarlet Witch herself is reunited with the reconstructed Vision. He isn't the man she remembers, though: the trauma of his dismantling has turned his synthetic skin ghostly white; more importantly, he has been reprogrammed with knowledge of his past life but lacks any emotional connection to it--and Pym says there's no way to even begin restoring Vision's personality without a new copy of their old template, Wonder Man's brain patterns. But Wonder Man refuses to supply the necessary brain patterns. The Vision returns to Avengers duty anyway, adopting a new costume more reflective of his new appearance, and Pym makes a stunning announcement: despite what the Avengers had been led to believe by Immortus long ago, there is no way Vision could ever have been the original Human Torch.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Wonder Man, Tigra, Mockingbird and USAgent.
Other Characters: Thomas and William Maximoff.
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WCA 46
When a mysterious new team of super-heroes calling itself the Great Lakes Avengers appears in Milwaukee, Hawkeye and Mockingbird go there to investigate while trying to work out their marital problems. The GLA briefly mistake the couple for impostors and a fight ensues, but it quickly breaks up as the GLA realize who they're dealing with and come clean, introducing themselves as novice super-heroes trading on the Avengers name. Even as Hawkeye and Mockingbird chastise them for the unauthorized use of the Avengers title, though, Hawkeye decides that the weird but promising GLA could be forged into a real Avengers team with him as leader. Meanwhile, USAgent discovers to his disgust that Tigra has been hunting and eating mice at the Compound, and Scarlet Witch gets a letter from the Absolon College of Robotics offering to help with the Vision's problems.
Avengers Assembled: Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Tigra, Mockingbird and USAgent.
Other Characters: Great Lakes Avengers (Mister Immortal, Flatman, Big Bertha, Dinah Soar and Doorman), Mrs. Heyges (first appearance, Avengers Compound cook), Carlos (first appearance, AC butler).
Note: Though they do not officially resign from the Avengers altogether, Hawkeye and Mockingbird leave the ongoing WCA cast as of this issue. Wonder Man, Doctor Pym and Wasp do not appear in this issue.
Title Note: As of issue 47, the series is retitled Avengers West Coast (AWC).
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AWC 47
Scarlet Witch wants to restore the Vision's mind, but the other Avengers seem unconcerned since they believe nothing more can be done--and some of them don't find his current state to be much different from his early personality. Desperate, Scarlet Witch decides to accept Absolon College's offer of help and flies there with the Vision. Dean of Robotics Jeremiah Random welcomes them warmly, but it turns out to be a trap: Random wants Scarlet Witch for their mutant experiments, and he subdues her while the unwitting Vision is detained elsewhere. Meanwhile, Wonder Man confesses to the Wasp that he's in love with the Scarlet Witch, hence his reluctance to help recreate her husband's mind from his own brain patterns; the visiting Black Panther helps Doctor Pym overhaul the Compound computer systems; USAgent chastises Tigra for her increasingly feline behaviour; Thomas and William disappear from under the nose of yet another nanny; and an emergency signal from Scarlet Witch's quinjet (destroyed by Random) prompts eastern-based Avengers members Captain America and She-Hulk to investigate.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, Wonder Man, Tigra, She-Hulk and USAgent.
Other Characters: Jeremy Random, Thomas and William Maximoff, That Which Endures.
Note: By the time of this issue, John Byrne had taken over writing the original Avengers series as well as Avengers West Coast and began spreading characters around the two books more freely, thanks in part to a new policy begun in Avengers 305 by Captain America; this policy established all willing Avengers as active on-call reservists for either coastal roster, with no set membership limit or jurisdictional boundaries.
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AWC 48
Scarlet Witch's captors are revealed as That Which Endures, a sentient cell present in all life that has evolved on Earth to date except for mutants; since mutants seem fated to become the dominant species, That Which Endures decides to use Wanda as their first test subject, controlling her mind to serve them as they introduce their presence into her system. When Captain America and She-Hulk come to the rescue, the brainwashed Scarlet Witch subdues them--but not before their quinjet's emergency signal attracts the notice of Hawkeye, Mockingbird and the Great Lakes Avengers. Meanwhile, Starfox spies on his grandniece Nebula's plans to create a weapon of ultimate power; a woman named Ann Raymond is on an obsessive quest to reach the AWC after hearing that the Vision is not the Human Torch; Phineas Horton explains to the Avengers that Vision couldn't be the Torch since the Vision is a synthezoid and the Torch was a non-mechanical android, proving that Immortus was lying about their common origin; and Immortus himself gloats over this in his limbo realm, speaking of how the deception figured into his own mysterious plans for the Scarlet Witch.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Captain America, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Wonder Man, She-Hulk, Starfox, and Mockingbird.
Other Characters: Ann Raymond, Nebula, Phineas Horton, Immortus, That Which Endures, Jeremiah Random, Gunthar, Mister Immortal, Big Bertha, Flatman, Doorman, Dinah Soar.
Note: Tigra and USAgent do not appear in this issue.
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AWC 49
Hawkeye, Mockingbird and the Great Lakes Avengers join forces with the Vision to defeat That Which Endures; Mister Immortal destroys the telepathic link joining That Which Endure's human host bodies, freeing Scarlet Witch and all the other pawns from its control and destroying That Which Endures's ability to act collectively for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Wonder Man whines about his love life some more to the Wasp while Doctor Pym is forced to subdue a now completely feral Tigra, shrinking her to a tiny size in the process.
Avengers Assembled: Doctor Pym, Wasp, Captain America, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision II, Wonder Man, Tigra, She-Hulk, Mockingbird.
Other Characters: Jeremiah Random (real name revealed to be Charles Edison), That Which Endures, Carlos (AC butler), Mister Immortal, Flatman, Big Bertha, Dinah Soar, Doorman.
Note: USAgent does not appear in this issue.
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AWC 50
A distraught Ann Raymond tells the Avengers of how her husband, Tom, once the original Human Torch's sidekick Toro, was reportedly killed in battle with the Mad Thinker years ago; but the revelation that the Vision is not the original Human Torch gave Ann hope that the Thinker's victim may have been the Torch, and that the similarly empowered Toro might still be alive somewhere. The Avengers investigate despite the impatient grumblings of an increasingly hostile Scarlet Witch and discover that the Human Torch's funeral was a ruse to lure Toro into the Thinker's clutches, and that the original Human Torch himself is still buried at the site of the mock funeral. Scarlet Witch revives him, and Doctor Pym deduces that Ultron must have used Professor Horton's molds and chemicals (left over from the Torch's creation) to manufacture the Vision, rather than remaking the Torch as the Vision. The revelations conclude as the Avengers offer the Human Torch membership in their ranks, and he tearfully accepts. The tender moment is interrupted, though, by the arrival of prodigal member Iron Man. Meanwhile, Agatha Harkness and Ebony arrive to help care for Wanda's children; Master Pandemonium plots against the Avengers; and Immortus gloats over how his manipulation of the Vision and the Scarlet Witch is calculated to make him the absolute master of time itself.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man (cameo); Doctor Pym, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Tigra (as a shrunken captive), Sub-Mariner, USAgent and Human Torch.
Other Characters: Edwin Jarvis, Ann Raymond, Agatha Harkness, Ebony, Thomas and William Maximoff, Master Pandemonium and Immortus.
Note: Iron Man rejoins the ongoing cast as of this issue. The Human Torch joins the ongoing cast as of this issue.
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AWC 51
Iron Man has returned seeking to rejoin the Avengers, but under the false pretense of being a new Iron Man (see notes on WCA 31-32 for details); all the western Avengers but USAgent know that Stark was the original Iron Man, but Iron Man refuses to say whether or not he is the original Iron Man they knew. Meanwhile, the increasingly unstable Scarlet Witch's former mentor, Agatha Harkness, arrives and tells Wanda that her mystically conceived children are unreal and have been vanishing whenever she does not concentrate upon them. Unable to accept this and raging against her ineffectual "human" allies, Wanda is already teetering on the brink of madness when Master Pandemonium and his demon hordes steal her sons Thomas and William away. The Avengers accompany her into Pandemonium's realm in a rescue attempt, but they arrive to find the toddlers somehow grafted to Pandemonium's arms.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, USAgent and Human Torch.
Other Characters: Agatha Harkness, Ebony, Thomas and William Maximoff, Ann Raymond, Immortus, Master Pandemonium.
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AWC 52
Master Pandemonium gloats of how he stole Scarlet Witch's twins to replace fragments of his soul and discovered that they actually were two of the lost portions of his soul; augmented by the magical mutant power they inherited from the Scarlet Witch, Pandemonium is more powerful than ever and quickly defeats the Avengers. Agatha Harkness bargains for their safety by giving Pandemonium the final fragments of his soul, but instead of becoming all-powerful he collapses into nothingness. The soul fragments he had been collecting weren't his after all; they were fragments of the essence of his demonic patron, Mephisto, who was using Pandemonium as an unwitting pawn to retrieve them after they had been sundered from Mephisto in battle with Franklin Richards. Harkness's familiar, Ebony, battles Mephisto long enough for Harkness to cast a spell that erases the Scarlet Witch's twins from all existence, including Wanda's memories of them; this disrupts Mephisto's reunified form and disperses him, allowing the Avengers to return safely to Earth. Wanda is left an unconscious mental and emotional wreck by the experience, though Harkness hopes that the loss of the memory of her children will be a comfort. Forces are already conspiring to torment Wanda further, though, as she is targeted as a prospective bride for the demon Set. Her ordeal as one of the demon's brainwashed brides was recounted in the "Atlantis Attacks" crossover running through Marvel's annuals, including AWC Annual 4.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Tigra (shrunken), USAgent, Human Torch.
Other Characters: Master Pandemonium, Mephisto, Agatha Harkness, Ebony, Thomas and William Maximoff, Ann Raymond, Ghaur, Llyra.
Note: Tigra leaves the ongoing cast as of this issue. Her situation would later be resolved in Avengers Spotlight 38.
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AWC 53
A coalition of the world's greatest criminal masterminds is plotting the downfall of super-heroes in general and the Avengers in particular. The mysterious lackey who apparently serves these masterminds, the one who first brought them together, gloats over how well their basic strategy is working, a campaign in which they are spurring various villains to attack heroes unfamiliar with their powers; however, one of the masterminds, Magneto, scorns the lackey and admits that he is not interested in the destruction of the super-heroes; rather, he sees an opportunity in the resultant chaos to reclaim a valued ally and advance the cause of mutantkind. Unbeknownst to Magneto and the other masterminds, though, their "lackey" revels in how easily he manipulates them in his plot to destroy the Avengers.
Meanwhile, the WCA have returned from helping to defeat Set (in the "Atlantis Attacks" crossover annuals) but the Scarlet Witch has lapsed into a catatonic state from the cumulative stress of her many recent ordeals. This is finally too much for Wonder Man, who overcomes his selfish desire for Wanda by volunteering to recopy his brain patterns into her husband, the Vision, in hopes that this will restore Vision's original personality and aid the Scarlet Witch's recovery. Vision refuses this offer, though, on the grounds that the recopied brain patterns would make him a facsimile of the original Vision at best, and would not restore his seemingly lost soul; furthermore, the Vision says, he has decided that he would be of more practical use to the Avengers if he returned to their eastern-based roster.
The other Avengers try to convince Vision to stay for Scarlet Witch's sake, but the argument is interrupted when three of the criminal U-Foes--Vapor, Ironclad and X-Ray--savagely attack the heroes. The Avengers hold their own, thanks in part to Doctor Pym reviving the Scarlet Witch by momentarily tricking her into thinking that Vision has been restored to his old self, but the battle ends with the arrival of the fourth U-Foe, Vector. The other U-Foes had been tricked (presumably by the coalition of criminal masterminds) into believing that the Avengers had murdered Vector, but since he is alive they flee, having no reason to fight the Avengers. When Doctor Pym tries to contact the eastern Avengers for more information on the U-Foes, he is distressed to find that there is no answer from the team's eastern headquarters (the masterminds have already destroyed it); rightly suspecting a larger menace at work, Pym flies eastward with Wasp, Scarlet Witch and Vision to investigate.
Meanwhile, Immortus unmakes an alternate reality in which Mary Queen of Scots ruled Great Britain, musing on his ongoing efforts to weed out all such alternate timelines and how the Scarlet Witch figures into those plans.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Human Torch.
Other Characters: Loki, Magneto, U-Foes (Vector, Vapor, Ironclad and X-Ray), Ann Raymond, Immortus.
Note: Vision leaves the ongoing cast as of this issue. USAgent does not appear in this issue. AWC 53-55 are part of a story called "Acts of Vengeance", an Avengers-based crossover running through most of Marvel's comics. The basic thrust of the story is this: a mysterious figure gathers six of the world's greatest criminal masterminds--Doctor Doom, Magneto, Red Skull, Mandarin, Kingpin and Wizard--and unites them in a plot to destroy the Avengers. In addition to sinking Avengers Island (Hydrobase) in a robot attack, their main strategy consists of manipulating hordes of lesser villains into attacking the Avengers and their fellow super-heroes seemingly at random, selecting targets other than their usual opponents in hopes of confusing and overcoming the heroes. For instance, the U-Foes and the Mole Man (enemies of the Hulk and the Fantastic Four) are tricked into attacking the WCA in AWC 53-54. Acts of Vengeance concludes in AWC 55.
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AWC 54
The Mole Man, duped by the coalition of criminal masterminds into believing that the Avengers attacked his subterranean realm, unleashes giant monsters; a flying monster attacks Doctor Pym, Wasp and Scarlet Witch (who is catatonic again) as they return from the east, but Magneto secretly saves their quinjet from crashing, giving Pym the chance to shrink the monster to a harmless size. Another giant monster attacks Los Angeles, where Iron Man and USAgent battle it while Wonder Man and Human Torch take the battle to the Mole Man himself. They soon convince him of the Avengers' probable innocence, and he calls his monsters off. The eastern and western Avengers then regroup, now firmly convinced that someone is out to destroy them.
Other Characters: Loki, Magneto, Mole Man.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Wasp, Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, USAgent, Quasar, Human Torch.
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AWC 55
Thor tells a group of his fellow Avengers that the true mastermind behind their recent troubles is his half-brother Loki, the Asgardian god of mischief; one of Loki's pawns, the Wizard, was captured by the eastern Avengers but escapes back to the criminal masterminds' meeting place, where he and his peers receive two unpleasant surprises: first, they discover that the "Doctor Doom" among them was a robot; second, the "lackey" who brought them together reveals himself as Loki and takes his anger out on them for failing to destroy the Avengers thus far. Magneto is already gone and the Kingpin flees, but the Mandarin, the Red Skull and the Wizard are at Loki's mercy until the Avengers arrive. Loki's remaining pawns escape as he tries to destroy the Avengers with sorcerous attacks, but the heroes manage to hold their own until Thor seals Loki within a gigantic rock fissure, trapping the villain for the foreseeable future. Thor then explains why Loki masterminded this elaborate plot against the team: because it was one of Loki's schemes that first brought the Avengers together years ago, an irony that has tormented Loki ever since.
Meanwhile, Immortus unmakes another alternate reality (one in which Lincoln was not assassinated) and Magneto accosts his catatonic daughter, the Scarlet Witch, exerting his influence over her in her vulnerable state so that she embraces his agenda of conquering "inferior" humanity. When Wasp and Pym return to the Compound from the final battle with Loki, Wasp confronts a newly malevolent Scarlet Witch who has killed Wonder Man and assaulted USAgent as a prelude to destroying the Avengers and the human race.
Avengers Assembled: Thor, Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Wasp, Captain America, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch (as invalid turned adversary), Vision, Falcon, Wonder Man, Mockingbird, USAgent
Other Characters: Agatha Harkness, Immortus, Magneto, Loki, Mandarin, Wizard, Kingpin. The "Red Skull" in this story was later revealed to be a robot (in Avengers Annual # 19).
Note: "Acts of Vengeance" concludes in this issue, though an epilogue follows in Avengers Spotlight # 29, and Avengers Annual # 19 recounts the entire Acts of Vengeance story with new details.
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AWC 56
A newly evil Scarlet Witch holds Agatha Harkness, USAgent, Wasp and Wonder Man hostage as she revels in the greater power that her madness has unleashed within her; she can now literally remake reality at her whim, causing whatever effect she desires by retroactively altering the timeline to correspond with her wishes--as she did when she resurrected her would-be lover Wonder Man for her amusement after killing him last issue. She molests him and taunts the other Avengers until Magneto arrives, discouraging her from such "petty cruelty." Meanwhile, Doctor Pym discovers that Tigra has escaped (Immortus freed her to further distract the Avengers from his plans) and the Human Torch goes off in search of her, encountering an official who claims that the Avengers are being evicted from their headquarters. Doctor Pym, meanwhile, encounters a mysterious visitor who informs him of the Scarlet Witch situation. Pym confronts the Witch and Magneto only to be struck down by the Witch's brother, Magneto's son, Quicksilver, the super-swift mutant who had been a longtime member of the Avengers until he, too, went mad and turned against them some time ago. The mutant family exult in their reunion, confident that together they can become masters of the world.
This issue includes an additional short story depicting the previously untold reunion of Captain America and the original Human Torch during the "Atlantis Attacks" crossover.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Wasp, Captain America, Quicksilver, Wonder Man, USAgent, Human Torch; Scarlet Witch (as adversary); Sersi (as provisional member).
Other Characters: Ann Raymond, Immortus, Lockjaw, Magneto, Agatha Harkness.
Note: Quicksilver joins the ongoing cast as of this issue. This issue also contains an apology from John Byrne for mistakenly including Tigra in the "Atlantis Attacks" annuals when she was still a shrunken captive of Doctor Pym in AWC.
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AWC 57
Magneto, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver have defeated Wonder Man, Wasp, USAgent, Doctor Pym and Agatha Harkness as Magneto triumphantly welcomes his prodigal children--Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch--back into his service. Human Torch and Iron Man arrive to aid the other Avengers, but Magneto escapes and takes Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch to his orbiting satellite base, Asteroid M. The trio seem eager to renew their old war on humanity, but there are hints that Quicksilver is not quite what he seems; regardless, the WCA try to forcibly rescue Wanda and Pietro from Magneto's influence, but Magneto defeats them with ease and returns them to Earth, assuring the newly bloodthirsty Scarlet Witch that he will be less lenient should the Avengers' lives be in his hands a third time.
Avengers Assembled: Iron Man, Doctor Pym, Wasp, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch (as adversary), Wonder Man, USAgent, Human Torch (deactivated by Scarlet Witch in this issue).
Other Characters: Magneto, Agatha Harkness.
Note: John Byrne abruptly departed as writer and artist of AWC following this issue, leaving his various plots and subplots unfinished. Two fill-in issues followed, after which a new regular creative team began with AWC 60.
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AWC 58
As the WCA return from th