Avengers #256
This Power Unleashed!
Hercules has summoned his brother Apollo to Earth to deliver a brand new outfit after his previous one was destroyed.[1] Pleased to see Apollo, Hercules invites him into them mansion to show him around. In the lower levels of the mansion, the Black Knight is brushing up on his sword fighting skills with a practice robot. When he is visited by the Wasp, he learns that she and her husband have been divorced for quite some time. He once again realizes that a lot has changed since he was last with the Avengers and makes a note to catch up on all the things he’s missed since he was gone.[2]
When Janet heads off to arrange for the team meeting she ends up taking the elevator with Starfox. Eros takes this opportunity to ask why she has been so cold toward him recently. She admits that she has been uncomfortable about his ability to tap the pleasure center of people’s brains and how he kept it a secret for so long. When she wonders if he may have used it on her, Starfox assures her that he only uses his power on his friends only when they give him consent to do so.[3] The pair make amends, and when they exit the elevator they bump into Apollo and Hercules. The Olympian takes this opportunity to show off his new outfit to his teammates. Janet likes the new look.
After Apollo has departed and the Avengers gather for their meeting, they are unaware that their headquarters is being staked out by two government agents. When Captain America finally arrives, the team gets down to work. When they get down to talking about who will take over as chair-person, everyone agrees that the Wasp should be given the position again since she was manipulated by the Vision into giving it up in the first place.[4] Janet then makes the first order of business dealing with filling the gaps in their roster now that the Vision and the Scarlet Witch have left the team and decides to take the Black Knight back onto the team. This also gets Captain America wondering where Captain Marvel is, as she has not reported back from her mission to Sanctuary II.
This is because Thanos’ former space ship has been commandeered by a group of aliens led by Levan. In order to force Monica into their service, they have warped Sanctuary II millions of light years from Earth, making it impossible for her to return on her own. The ship’s hyper-drive has also nullified her ability to change into different forms of energy. However, she continues trying to use her powers and eventually succeeds in changing her form. She decides to keep the return of her powers a secret until she can figure out what Levan and his men are up to. While she tests her ability to turn into a living hologram, Levan comes in with some food for her. She gets annoyed with him and his offers and orders him out, but this is more so she can return to human form without him seeing her use her powers. She then begins trying to formulate a plan to get herself out of this mess.
Back on Earth, the Avengers are continuing their discussion about the Vision’s failed attempt to take over the world. While they have not heard anything about their former leader’s debriefing for the government, they are concerned that should it be learned that the Vision briefly took over NORAD and other vital computer networks, it could create a lot of problems for their operations.[5] The discussion is interrupted by the alarm and the Avengers scramble into action. When they leave moments later in a Quinjet, the government agents watching their headquarters spring into action. The Avengers have been asked by SHIELD to investigate a mysterious shipwreck that happened on the South Atlantic. When they arrive at the site, they discover that only a single member of the crew has survived and he is barely clinging to life. The dying man tells them that his ship was transporting a massive staff in the cargo hold, part of something called Operation: Big Stick. As they crossed the Gulf of Mexico the vessel was caught in a whirlpool. Before they knew what was happening a massive metallic hand emerged from the waters and chopped the boat in half with a single blow. The last thing the man remembers was the remains of the ship being thrown ashore by a massive humanoid figure. With his story told, the man dies.
The Avengers return to their Quinjet and begin trying to pick up the massive entity using the ship’s radar system. The Wasp radios Washington to find out what they are dealing with. Janet is given the run around but she learns that it has something to do with an entity the Fantastic Four recently fought called Terminus.[6] When they try to contact the Fantastic Four for more information, they are unable to reach them at the Baxter Building for some reason.[7] Even though they don’t have much intel, the Avengers press on and the path of destruction leads them to the ruins of a scientific research facility in Antarctica. While the team helps save the trapped scientists, Starfox scouts ahead. When Eros returns her reports that Terminus has ventured into the Savage Land. This worries the scientists as they dispatched an exploration team into the area.
At that very moment, said research team is being led through the jungle of the Savage Land by Ka-Zar and his sabretooth tiger, Zabu. When the ground begins to shake, they narrowly avoid being trampled by a fleeing herd of dinosaurs. However, Ka-Zar corrects the scientists when they assume the prehistoric animals were the cause of the tremors, pointing to the massive form of Terminus who has just arrived in the region.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Wasp, Black Knight, Hercules, Starfox, Captain Marvel), Terminus, Apollo, Edwin Jarvis, Levan, Skuge, Ka-Zar, Zabu
Continuity Notes
Hercules ended up with his dick out after his outfit was trashed by the Blood Brothers in Avengers #252.
The Black Knight’s spirit spent a number of years possessing the body of his 12th Century ancestor from Defenders #4 until Avengers #226. The facts on the things he missed while he was gone:
The Vision and the Scarlet Witch getting married. Which happened in Giant-Size Avengers #4.
He is particularly shocked about the Pym divorce, particularly since he was present at their wedding back in Avengers #60. Hank and Janet got divorce circa Avengers #213 after Hank struck her. This story incorrectly states that they divorce in issue #217.
Starfox initially kept this power a secret, particularly following the events of Avengers #236-237 when Captain America grew upset with Spider-Man for keeping his spider-sense a secret. However, the Vision learned about these abilities and forced Eros to reveal them to his teammates during their battle with Maelstrom in Avengers #250. Janet won’t be the last woman to be made uncomfortable about Starfox’s powers, as we’ll see years later in She-Hulk (vol. 2) #6-7.
The Vision took control of the Avengers in issue #243 and used emotional manipulation to make the Wasp stand down. This was part of a larger scheme to take over the world’s computers. See Avengers #252-254.
The repercussions of the Vision’s actions will be explored more fully in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42-45.
The Fantastic Four prevented Terminus from claiming the Earth as salvage in Fantastic Four #269-270. That story ended with Terminus being trapped in the center of the Earth. However, the entity that the Avengers are facing is not Terminus, but an impostor. Quasar #7 reveals that, while trying to get free of the Earth, Terminus encountered a Deviant named Jorro. Since the pair had a hatred of the Celestials, the two entered into a partnership. Terminus then had Jorror disguise himself and go to the surface in an attempt to recover his power lance.
This story takes place during the events of Fantastic Four #278-279, which saw Kristoff Vernard shoot the Baxter Building into space.
Topical References
The government agent staking out Avengers Mansion are depicted using an camera that shoots on film that also uses a massive scoped lens to take extreme close ups at a distance. This should be considered a topical reference as camera technology has greatly approved since 1985 and one would not need such a cumbersome camera for surveillance.
