West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #43
Vision Quest
Someone has kidnapped the Vision and as the West Coast Avengers try to figure out who that is they are confronted by the one responsible: Hawkeye’s estranged wife, Mockingbird. Clint is furious over this most recent betrayal and demands answers.[1]
While Mockingbird admits that she was responsible for helping a government organization capture the Vision, she explains that she was duped. She explains that after leaving the team, she tried to figure out her next move when she was visited by a man who purported to be a SHIELD agent. He asked for Bobbi’s help and she agreed to join him. She was taken to the headquarters of an organization called Vigilance. Their leader, Cameron Brock, explained that they were formed to monitor the Vision after he previously took control of the world’s computers.[2] The organization was satisfied that the Vision was no longer a threat after he stepped down from the Avengers, however this opinion has changed since the Vision joined the West Coast Avengers.
Not suspecting anything untoward, Bobbi agreed to consult on the mission to capture the Vision and determine that he was no threat. However, while revising her security plan, he uncovered the fact that Vigilance was going to use a duplicate of Ultron and that they were using underhanded means to kidnap the synthazoid.[3] When she brought up her objections the guards restrained her and she was thrown into a cell that is the type commonly used by Russia. When Hank asks what the Russians could want with the Vision, she reminds everyone that the android was once tapped into every computer on Earth and likely been made privy to secrets that they would not wish to get out.[4] At any rate, Mockingbird was able to dupe her guards into thinking she dropped dead in her cell and uses this as an opportunity to escape. She raced to warn the Avengers and discovered she was too late to stop the Vision from being kidnapped. She then apologizes for her cavalier attitude when she arrived, saying that she is still angry with her husband over their differences.
Taking command, Hank Pym suggests that they put aside motivations for now and look into Vigilance and learn who they are really working for and the team soon departs in a Quinjet. Along the way, Mockingbird tries to apologize to the Scarlet Witch. Wanda isn’t ready to forgive, admitting that Bobbi’s involvement in her husband’s kidnapping is making her re-evaluate their friendship. They soon arrive at the abandoned factory complex that serves as Vigilance’s secret headquarters. The Wasp then pulls rank and suggests she go down to scout things out before they go charging in. This upsets Hawkeye, who reminds everyone that he is the leader of this team, but grudgingly agrees that Janet’s idea is a good one.
As she flies into the factory facility, the Wasp uses her antennae to communicate with the local ants to try and pin-point the Vision’s location.[5] She notices that the staff of Vigilance are international in scope throwing Russia’s involvement into question. She follows them to the cellblock and takes a peak into one of the holding cells. She doesn’t find the Vision, but who she sees comes as a shock.[6]
The Avengers continue to have a holding pattern over the factory and the Scarlet Witch wonders what is taking so long. He mind then drifts back to the start of he relationship with the Vision. She recalls the first time she met him when the Avengers rescued her from Arkon.[7] She and the Vision then fought side-by-side on the Avengers are fell in love.[8] Not long after this, came the time when the Celestial Madonna was to be decided.[9] It came down to three women — Wanda, Moondragon, and Mantis. During this adventure, the Avengers encountered Immortus who showed the team the Vision’s origins, which showed that Ultron used the body of the original Human Torch to create the Vision, with the aid of the Torch’s creator Phineas Horton.[10] During that time, the Vision asked Wanda to marry him and Mantis was selected as the Celestial Madonna. There was then a double wedding between Mantis and the Prime Cotati and Vision and the Scarlet Witch, officiated by Immortus.[11] It wasn’t an easy relationship, as their union was renounced by her brother, Quicksilver.[12] Eventually, Wanda and the Vision retired from the Avengers to start a family and through magic, Wanda was able to become pregnant and give birth to their twin children, Tommy and Billy.[13]
Meanwhile, back at Avengers Compound, the governess hired to look after Billy and Tommy while Wanda is away is giving the twins a bath. She turns her back for a moment to get some towels and when she turns around, she is shocked by what she sees.[14]
By this time, the Avengers have been spotted and Vigilance tries to shoot their Quinjet down. Wonder Man leaps out of the building and makes his way to the control room and confronts Cameron Brock. Meanwhile, the Avengers land the Quinjet and fight their way into the facility. Inside, Mockingbird restrains one of the guards — who has a British accent — and demands he give them the location of the Vision’s cell and the access code to get in. With this information they enter the room and discover it’s not a holding cell, but a laboratory where Vigilance has completely disassembled the Vision’s body. Wanda is horrified to see her husband’s psudo-organs suspended in holding tanks while his mechanical skeleton spread out on an examination table.
Recurring Characters
West Coast Avengers (Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Wasp, Hank Pym, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Tigra), Vigilance, Billy Maximoff, Tommy Maximoff
Continuity Notes
The Avengers are shocked to see Mockingbird because she had just recently quit the team. It’s a long story:
This drama began in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #17-23: During a trip through time, Bobbi was kidnapped by the western hero known as the Phantom Rider. She was forced to drink a love potion. She eventually broke free and hunted her rapist (confirmed in Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1) down and left him to fall off a cliff to his death.
When returned to her own time, Mockingbird kept the truth a secret because the Avengers had a rule against killing. However, the Phantom Rider continued to torment her from beyond the grave in issue #31. Everyone learned the truth in issues #34-35.
Hawkeye was incredibly upset and Bobbi was angered that her husband put Avengers duty over supporting his wife. Things became untenable and Bobbi struck out on her own in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #37.
This is another complex story:
After the Vision was rendered comatose in Avengers #233, his teammate Starfox revived him by linking him up with ISAAC, the Eternal world-mind on Titan in issue #238.
The Vision then began plotting to take over the world’s computer systems in an effort to force world peace. This plot came to fruition in Avengers #251-254, but he was ultimately stopped by his teammates.
Vision stepped down from the Avengers in the following issue and since Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #1, he and the Scarlet Witch were satisfied living a private life and raising a family. However, they had just recently rejoined the west coast team in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #37.
Here, the Scarlet Witch is referred to as a mutant here. However, she actually isn’t. As revealed in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5, she was experimented upon by the High Evolutionary as a child. In order to cover up his work, he made it so all future genetic tests would have her register a mutant.
Here, Tigra lets out a loud meowl while trying to talk. She has been regressing into her feline persona since last issue. This transformation will complete itself in Avengers West Coast #48. She will eventually be cured of this affliction in Avengers Spotlight #38.
The Wasp states that Hank recently grew back her antennae recently. When Janet was first turned into the Wasp back in Tales of Suspense #44, she grew antennae as well as wings. It was later explained in Avengers #264 that this antennae eventually faded away. This happened around Tales of Suspense #67 or so. Hank restored this long lost power in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #33.
Next issue reveals that this prisoner is apparently Phineas Horton, the man who created the original Human Torch. Avengers Forever #8 reveals that this is actually a Space Phantom in disguise, posing as Horton as part of a long running scheme by Immortus to manipulate the destiny of the Avengers.
Wanda first met the Vision when the Avengers rescued her from Arkon in Avengers #76.
The couple later fell in love in Avengers #91 and started dating in issue #108.
The Celestial Madonna affair was chronicled in Avengers #129-135 and Giant-Size Avengers #2-4. This story omits that Agatha Harkness was also one of the possible candidates for Celestial Madonna. Not sure why she was omitted here, maybe John Byrne finds old people raw-dogging out a messiah to be gross?
Immortus revealed that the Vision was created using the body of the Human Torch in Avengers #134-135. Although this is refuted next issue and Avengers West Coast #50. However, this is part of a grander manipulation by Immortus who created a chronal duplicate of the Torch. One was buried in Sub-Mariner #14 the other went on to be rebuilt into the Vision.
This is another reference to Giant-Size Avengers #4.
Incidentally, Quicksilver did not approve of Wanda’s relationship with the Vision even before they were married, as seen in Avengers #110. Their marriage was similarly denounced. Later Pietro’s mind was altered by Moondragon to make him accept it in Avengers #176.
This was when Wanda and Vision left the team in Avengers #255. Wanda used magic to get pregnant in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #3 and gave birth of issue #12 of that series.
Yeah, another “we’ll tell you next issue” moment. The boys mysteriously vanished. They’ll reappear later that issue. It’s later explained in Avengers West Coast #51 that Wanda's children exist by her force of will and that when she stops thinking about them they cease to exist.
Topical References
The cell that Bobbi is locked up in is referred to as the type used by the KGB. Since the KGB are referred to in the present tense, this should be considered a topical reference. The KGB was disbanded following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. As of this writing the equivalent to the KGB today is the Russian Federal Security Service.
The Wasp assumes that a black member of Vigilance can’t be Russian because he’s black. This is actually not very accurate and can be considered topical since a study in 2009 found that there are actually over 50,000 Afro-Russian citizens. There’s probably even more now as I write this.
