Avengers #296
Hearts of Oak… And Heads to Match!
Thor arrives at a Washington hospital to check on the Black Knight’s condition. Apparently, the blood curse on his Ebony Blade is turning him into a living sword. The hospital staff explain that they couldn’t even put him in a hospital bed because he cleaved it in half with his body and that he is being kept in the parking lot.[1]
There, Thor surrounds himself and the Black Knight so that the arriving members of the media don’t overhear their discussion. The Black Knight has regained some manner of control over his increasingly stiff body and explains how Doctor Druid has gone rogue. As they head back to Hydrobase they are being observed by Doctor Druid and Nebula.[2] With She-Hulk and Jarvis under his full control, Druid prepares to deal with his errant teammates.
Elsewhere in time and space, the Council of the Cross-Time Kangs holds an emergency meeting after they have learned that Nebula plans on stealing the most powerful weapon in the omniverse for her own goals. She has succeeded so far thanks to technology stolen from the other Kangs and Chairman Kang wants to know how this happened. He discovers, much to his dismay, that Nebula stolen the needed equipment by seducing many of them. Needing to get control of the situation, the Chairman calls together his loyal Kangs — “Fred” from the Avengers timeline and a reptilian Kang Mesozoic-24 — in the hopes they can work together and stop Nebula from achieving her goal.[3]
Back in the present, Thor and the Black Knight finally arrive at Hydrobase.[4] Entering their headquarters it appears as though She-Hulk has knocked out Doctor Druid. However, this is a ruse allowing Druid and She-Hulk to plant devices on their teammates that will allow Druid to subjugate them as well. Nebula is pleased and tells Druid that they can now put her final plan into motion.
This whole scene is observed by Chairman Kang and his minions. The Chairman decides it is time for “Fred” to know the truth about this weapon that they all seek. Although they don’t know what the weapon is, they know that it is trapped in a Time Bubble, a massive barrier barrier that surrounds a period of 15 year span some 20 years in the future of the Avengers time.[5] The Council of Cross-Time Kangs have attempted to pierce the Time Bubble and failed. What they do know is that at some time in history the Avengers succeed as they have observed a Quinjet pierce the bubble. However, they do not know when the Avengers accomplished this. Chairman Kang explains that Nebula knew this as well and believes that she is trying to manipulate the Avengers into piercing the bubble so she can claim the weapon for herself.
In the present, Nebula is also explaining her plan to the Avengers and asks them to assist her on her mission. When Thor points out that the Avengers do not have access to time travel, Nebula explains that she pilfered the needed technology from the Council of Cross-Time Kangs.[6] Although many have tried and failed to breach the Time Bubble, Nebula is willing to risk death to achieve her goal.[7] Soon, she has the Avengers retrofit the Quinjet so they can travel through time. The three members of the Council of Cross-Time Kangs arrive just moments after the Avengers and Nebula depart through the time stream. They learn from Jarvis, the Avengers butler, that they are too late.[8]
Meanwhile, Nebula and the Avengers travel the turbulent time stream to some twenty years in the future. Emerging from the stream Nebula is pleased that they have appeared outside the Time Bubble, putting her one step closer to total victory.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Thor, Black Knight, She-Hulk, Doctor Druid), Nebula, Council of Cross-Time Kangs (Chairman Kang, Fred Kang, Mesozoic-24 Kang), Edwin Jarvis
Continuity Notes
The sword had the curse suspended by a spell in Doctor Strange (vol. 2) #68-69, but it was broken Avengers #293 when Namor used the blade to slay Marrina. Due to the blood curse, Dane Whitman’s body is being transformed into a living sword, as stupid as that sounds. This causes Whitman to become completely immobilized eventually, but he is eventually freed from this curse thanks to the aid of Doctor Strange and the spirit of Sir Percy, his ancestor and the original Black Knight. See Thor #396-400 and Black Knight (vol. 2) #1-4.
Kang Nebula is actually Ravonna Renslayer who is manipulating Druid in order to get access to a powerful weapon that is trapped in a Time Bubble that exists some 20 years in the future. This is all part of a long running scheme to get revenge against Kang the Conqueror. See Avengers #294-297, Fantastic Four #337-341, Captain America Annual #11, Thor Annual #17, Fantastic Four Annual #25, and Avengers Annual #21.
Avengers Annual #21 and Avengers Forever #9 clarify that these are not divergent Kangs, but others who murdered the Kang of their native reality and usurped his identity for their own ends.
Thor is relieved that the island’s defense systems are still damaged after their recent battle with the Super-Adaptoid. See Avengers #286-290.
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3 designate the future the Time Bubble exists in as being in Reality-8810.
Here, Thor states that the time travel powers were removed from his hammer, Mjolnir. He sacrificed this power to liberate the planet Phantos from Limbo in Thor #281-282. Avengers Forever #8 reveals that Thor was manipulated by Immortus as part of a grander scheme to manipulate the Avengers destiny.
Here, Nebula refers to herself as the granddaughter of Thanos as writer Walt Simonson intended for her to be the same Nebula who fought the Avengers in Avengers #259-260. This was later changed in the Citizen Kang story arc featured in the annuals listed in footnote #2 above. Although Nebula claimed to be Thanos’ granddaughter, this claim is questionable at best. See Nova (vol. 2) #1 and Silver Surfer Annual #5.
Jarvis is depicted wearing an eyepatch here. This is because his optic nerve was damaged after suffering a beating during the siege on Avengers Mansion in Avengers #275. He will wear this eye patch until around issue #318
The Kang brought before the Council is the apparent survivor of the Kang War that occurred in Avengers #267-269. At the end of that story, Kang fled into Limbo after being driven mad by a globe of knowledge. Avengers Forever #9 clarifies that this is not the Kang, but another divergent created when the Kang at the end of Avengers #269 committed suicide and created two divergent selves to break his insanity. This Kang was recruited by the Cross-Time Kangs in Avengers #291.
Topical References
The present day is stated as happening in the 20th Century. This is a topical reference due to the Sliding Timescale that has pushed the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward so that it doesn’t begin until after the start of the 21st Century.
