Avengers West Coast #50
Return of the Hero
Ann Raymond has come to Avengers Compound in the hopes that the Avengers West Coast can help her answer the mystery surrounding her missing husband, Thomas. She believes that it might have some connection with the Vision. Seeing that the woman is in distress, US Agent decides to bring the woman into their headquarters so the team can hear her story. Although the group doesn’t fully trust the Agent, they decide to hear Ann’s story and see how they can help.
However, the Scarlet Witch is incredibly protective of her husband, particularly since a global organization recently kidnapped him and wiped out her husband’s personality and emotions. Worse, her desire to restore the Vision to normal was used to take advantage of her by a bacterial entity trying to leap over from humanity to mutants.[1][2] When Wonder Man tries to calm her down, Wanda tells him to get his hand off her and storms out. The Vision then tells the others that he’ll try and calm his wife down and leaves so the others can continue questioning Ann Raymond.
She explains that her husband, Thomas, was once Toro the crime-fighting partner of the original Human Torch. After losing track of the Torch, Thomas settled down and eventually he and Ann got married. One day he read a newspaper story about how the Torch was revived to battle the Fantastic Four and died in battle again. Learning that there was a funeral being held in his honor, Thomas went to attend it alone. There, he was approached by the Mad Thinker who drugged Thomas as part of a larger scheme the mad scientist was involved in alongside Egghead and the Puppet Master. Hank recalls that scheme and asks her to continue her story. She explains that the Mad Thinker brainwashed Thomas into thinking he was the Human Torch and sent him to attack his old ally, the Sub-Mariner. The two then fought and ultimately, Thomas died in battle.[3]
Unaware of this, Ann went looking for her husband when he didn’t return home. She discovered that the cemetery where the Torch was allegedly buried had been out of use for over 30 years. When she returned home she found the Sub-Mariner waiting for her and he told her what became of her husband.
Ann’s story contradicts with the story the Avengers were once told by Immortus — that the Vision was created from the remains of the original Human Torch. However, after the Vision publicly revealed that he was not created from the Torch after all, Ann hoped that the man who fought Namor was actually the Human Torch and perhaps her husband might still be alive. The Avengers decide that this bares further investigation and Hank has the Wasp look after Ann while he looks into this further. His first order of business is to contact the Sub-Mariner — currently a member of the east coast team — to confirm Ann’s story and has no reason to believe doubt that the man he fought was actually Toro.[4]
That’s when an alarm goes of in Hank’s lab, prompting him, Wonder Man, and US Agent to race in to see what the problem is. It turns out, that Tigra — whom Hank shrank down in size — set off one of the alarms in her cage. He explains that he was forced to do this to their teammate because Tigra’s feline persona had become more dominant, making her go wild.[5] That’s when US Agent mentions how he encountered Tigra’s strange behavior earlier. This pisses of Wonder Man, who demands to know why the Agent didn’t tell anyone sooner. US Agent pulls rank, saying he only answers to the government and what he tells them is on a need-to-know basis due to his security clearance. They almost come to blows when the Wasp breaks them up.
With Ann Raymond resting comfortably, Hank calls the team back together and decides that investigating the graveyard where the original Human Torch was said to be buried might finally put the mystery behind his connection to the Vision to rest. When the Vision points out all of the times they found evidence confirming the connection, Pym reminds him that they all came from dubious sources — particularly from Immortus who must have been manipulating them as part of some grand scheme.[6][7] Observing the Avengers from his headquarters in Limbo, Immortus is amused over Hank’s deduction and gloats that his master manipulations will be result in his becoming the absolute master of time itself.[8]
Meanwhile, at the recently re-opened Anvil Studios, Martin Preston’s secretary is barred access to meet with her boss and threatens to call security if she doesn’t leave. The insulted starlet goes, but vows to see the secretary fired. Since things have been quiet, the secretary checks on Martin who is quietly looking out the window of his office. He tells her that he won’t need anything and lets her take the rest of the day off. This is because Preston has found a way to finally get out from under Mephisto’s curse, regain his soul, and allow his alter-ego — Master Pandemonium — to get he revenge against the Avengers.[9]
Later, the Avengers West Coast arrive in the town of Pleasantville and try get permission from the mayor to conduct a search of the cemetery. When this involves a lot of red tape that is taking up valuable time. When they find the Torch’s grave, the Vision uses his phasing powers to peak into the coffin below the ground and confirms that the Human Torch is in the grave — kept preserved all these years because he is a synthetic organism. Wanda grows impatient and decides to use her hex powers to dig up the Torch. Wonder Man and the Wasp are a little disturbed when Wanda begins talking about mutants being superior than humans. Before they can figure out what she means, the Human Torch suddenly springs back to life and flames on as he bursts free from his grave and flies off. Wonder Man then uses his jet belt to follow after the Torch to try and calm him down and get him to come back.
Back at Avengers Compound, the governess that the Scarlet Witch hired to look after her children — Billy and Tommy — has lost the boys for the second time and is searching the house in a panic. That’s when there is a knock at the door. At the door, stands a woman whose features are obscured by a sudden flash of lightning. She tells the governess not to worry as the visitor has come to assist her in finding her missing charges.[10]
While in Pleasantville, Wonder Man catches up with the Human Torch and convinces him to come back. The Avengers then introduce themselves and the Vision and Human Torch shake hands. They all return to Avengers Compound where the compare notes with Hank Pym. Hank is able to piece together everything and thinks he has figured out why the Vision is similar enough to the Torch to be mistaken for him. He reminds them all of a young girl named Frankie Raye, a young woman who herself became a Human Torch recently. He recounts how she was the adopted daughter of Phineas Horton, the Torch’s creator. Learning of Johnny Storm, the new Human Torch of the Fantastic Four, Phineas took Frankie with him to the warehouse where his equipment was being stored by the military. While helping her step-father try and recreate the Human Torch she was doused in chemicals that gave her flame powers of her own.[11] Pym theorizes that Ultron must have raided that warehouse for parts when he created the Vision, hence why Hank recognized the Vision’s components as being World War II vintage.
With this mystery finally solved, the Wasp has a surprise for the Human Torch: A replica of his original costume made out of Unstable Molecules, as the Avengers would like to invite him onto the team. The Torch is touched by the offer that it brings a tear to his eye and he accepts the invitation. As they are welcoming their newest teammate, they suddenly hear something making a landing outside. When they race outside to see what it is, they are shocked to see that Iron Man is back.[12]
Recurring Characters
Avengers West Coast (Wasp, Hank Pym, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, US Agent, Human Torch), Ann Raymond, Sub-Mariner, Iron Man, Master Pandemonium, Immortus, Edwin Jarvis,
Continuity Notes
The Vision’s situation and his connection with the original Human Torch is a complex one.
The original Human Torch from World War II was an android created by Phineas Horton in 1939, as seen in Marvel Comics #1.
The Torch burned out in the 1950s and his deactivated body was recovered by the Mad Thinker in the Modern Age and used to try and defeat his successor, Johnny Storm. That fight ended with the android Torch being deactivated. See Fantastic Four Annual #4.
During this downtime, as revealed in Avengers Forever #8, the time-master Immortus used his powers to create a chronal duplicate of the Torch. One copy was buried in a grave, as seen in Sub-Mariner #14 and will be revived in Avengers West Coast #50. While the other….
Was taken by Ultron who kidnapped Horton and forced him to recreate the Torch as the Vision. Horton died during this process. See Avengers #57-58 and 134-135.
More recently, in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42-45, the Torch was kidnapped by an organization called Vigilance who disassembled him and erased his memory. Although he was rebuilt, he no longer has his original personality and emotions. It was during this time that the Avengers were convinced by a man claiming to be Phineas Horton that the Vision was not based on his work.
This was all part of the grand scheme of Immortus to manipulate the destiny of the Avengers, as detailed (again) in Avengers Forever #8. The man appearing to be Horton in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42-45 and last issue is actually a Space Phantom who posed as Horton to sell this lie.
Wanda was targeted by That Which Endures in Avengers West Coast #47-49. Here, she refers to herself as a mutant. However, she is not. Years later, Wanda will learn that she was actually experimented upon by the High Evolutionary. In order to cover up his work he made it so future genetic testing would have her register as a mutant. See Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5.
Toro’s history here is long and complicated. The facts:
He first became the the partner to the Human Torch back in Human Torch Comics #2 back in the 1940s.
The reason why Thomas hasn’t aged overly much since that time is due to the fact that he is an Inhuman, as detailed in All-New Invaders #8. Inhumans age much slower than normal humans do.
The whole Torch battle with the FF and Toro’s fight with the Sub-Mariner happened in Fantastic Four Annual #4 and Sub-Mariner #14 respectively.
The Mad Thinker’s scheme was part of a larger plot that included schemes by Egghead and the Puppet Master see Captain Marvel #13-14 and Avengers #63-64.
Toro did in fact die during that battle. However, he will be resurrected years later in Avengers/Invaders #12.
The Sub-Mariner states that his encounter with Toro happened not long after his mind was reawakened after decades with amnesia. As detailed in Sub-Mariner #1, Namor’s memory was wiped out by a telepath named Destiny. Decades later, his memory was revived by Johnny Storm, the modern day Human Torch, in Fantastic Four #4.
Tigra has been de-evolving into a feral state since West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42. She will eventually be cured in Avengers Spotlight #38.
Hank Pym and the Vision note all the times that the Vision was tied to the Human Torch:
When Hank himself ventured inside the Vision’s body to make repairs back in Avengers #93.
A Sentinel scanned the Vision in Avengers #102 and stated that some of his components were vintage from the 1940s.
When Kang formed his Legion of the Unliving in Avengers #139, it included the Human Torch. When the Vision was damaged in battle, the Torch discovered that they had the same components and used some of his own to repair the Vision, see Giant-Size Avengers #3.
Wonder Man recounts how he was part of Kang’s Legion of the Unliving during the period in which he was “dead”. Wonder Man seemingly died in Avengers #9 and came back to life in issue #151. It was revealed in issue #165 that he wasn’t dead but undergoing an metamorphosis into a being of pure ionic energy. Despite this distinction, he was recruited into Kang’s Legion of the Unliving in Avengers #139 as well, snatched out of time moments before his death. He was put back in his proper place in time in Giant-Size Avengers #3.
Immortus has been manipulating the Avengers destiny since their inception. However, this most recent scheme has been to manipulate the Scarlet Witch — a powerful Nexus being — and use her power to his own end. This started back in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42 and will come to fruition in Avengers West Coast #61-62.
Martin Preston got himself horribly injured in a car accident and bargained his soul to be restored. Mephisto replaced his limbs with demons and then sent him on a quest to recover what he believed were fragments of his own soul. See West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #4, 9, 14 and 15. In reality, Mephisto had recently pulled himself back together after being destroyed by Franklin Richards in Fantastic Four #277. The fragments Pandemonium has been going after were actually of Mephisto’s soul. This will all be revealed in Avengers West Coast #51-52.
Another thing that is explained in the next two issues is that Tommy and Billy exist only as long as Wanda is thinking of them, whenever she does, they blink out of existence. The mystery woman here is Agatha Harkness.
Frankie Raye’s alleged connection to Phineas Horton and the story of how she got her flame powers in Fantastic Four #238. There are some issues with this, see below. Mention is made of how she went on to become a herald of Galactus. This happened in Fantastic Four #244.
Iron Man’s membership with the West Coast Avengers is a complicated one:
Iron Man was a founding member of the west coast branch of the Avengers, joining the group in West Coast Avengers #1.
However, the man in the suit was Jim Rhodes, who had temporarily taking Tony Stark’s place while he struggled with alcohol addiction from Iron Man #167-183. Jim took on the role from issue #169 to 195, and Tony went got back in the saddle in Iron Man #200. Tony then took over the slot on the WCA in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #1.
More recently, Tony discovered that his Iron Man technology was stolen and sold without his permission. He started bricking all his unauthorized tech even going so far as attacking government operatives and foreign agents. The negative publicity forced Hawkeye to kick Iron Man off the team. See Iron Man #225-229.
Since the world at large did not know that Tony Stark and Iron Man were the same person. Tony faked Iron Man’s death, built a brand new suit of armor and then told the public that a different man was wearing the armor now. See Iron Man #230-231.
Topical References
World War II is stated has having happened 40 years prior to this story. This should be considered a topical reference due to the Sliding Timescale. As the Modern Age is pushed forward in time, the number of years between the end of WW2 and the start of the Modern Age will continue to grow larger with the passage of time.
Phineas Horton in the Modern Age
As the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age forward in time, it becomes increasingly impossible to explain how Phineas Horton can still be alive as it causes the gulf of time between the 1940s and the Modern Age to grow larger with the passage of time. When he first appeared in Marvel Comics #1 circa 1939, Horton was already an ordinary human in his middle age, making his continued longevity nearly impossible without some kind of method of artificially extending his lifespan.
Marvel has yet to explain this discrepancy as of this writing (March 2022). However, there are two possible explanations:
In Marvel Comics #1000, it was revealed that Horton was associated with a group of rogue scientists who later became known as the Enclave. They managed to survive in the modern age themselves thanks to technology that slowed their aging process. It’s entirely possible that Horton had access to this type of technology.
Avengers Forever #8 revealed that the Phineas Horton that the Avengers interacted with in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #44 and Avengers West Coast #48 was actually a Space Phantom in disguise. It wouldn’t be too outlandish to think that the Horton who raised Frankie Raye could have been a Space Phantom as well.
