Synopsis
Avengers, The (1963 series) #333 synopsis by
T Vernon
Rating:
Doctor Doom has invaded the party at the new Avengers Headquarters, taking control. Rage assaults him and receives an electric shock for his troubles. Secret Service Agents hustle the President and First Lady to safety as Doom allows all of the dignitaries to depart safely. She-Hulk ministers to the injured Rage while Doom explains that any attacks on him would be foolish, only destroying their new headquarters. Black Widow tries to contact the outside world but Doom has halted the communications system. He uses a kinetic hologram projector to show everyone the two battles taking place elsewhere in the building: Vision and Sandman versus one Doom and Captain America against another. Doom has a proposal: Two of the Doctor Dooms are Doombots and he will share the weak points in the Avengers’ security system in exchange for a small favor. Thing makes sure Rage is okay and they becomes friends in a second. Sersi explains that only the whole membership can vote on his proposal so he will have to call off the Doombots fighting Cap and the others; Doom responds that negotiations will be broadcast over the PA system. So Doom explains the situation: their recent adventure with the Tetrarchs of Entropy (issues #329-331) proved that the Avengers possess the secret of inter-dimensional travel; Doom’s mother is trapped in another dimension and that knowledge would give him some hope of rescuing her. And for that, he promises to reveal the weaknesses in their new security system. And to add some incentive, he reveals that the real Doom has a small neutron bomb on his person that will detonate if his armor is damaged in any way, thus dissuading them from violence. Reed Richards tries to access a computer terminal secretly but Doom is already online. Thing and Rage share a cupcake….
Meanwhile, Cap is battling Doom and they fall into a giant water tank—and Cap knows he is fighting a Doombot as no bubbles came out of the armor. So Cap knocks its head off with his shield….
And Vision has left Sandman to battle Doom while he investigates how Doom could have entered. The only possible entry is a single exhaust vent that would not admit Doom’s head. He returns to the fight where Sandman is taking a beating; Vision suggests he “get inside the problem.” So Sandy fills Doom’s armor with sand, immobilizing him while Vision chops his head off, revealing the second Doombot. Cap, Vision, and Sandman return to the big room. Cap explains how he knew his Doom was a robot and Vision demonstrates how the two Doombots infiltrated the building. They were disassembled and the pieces dropped through the narrow vent and were programmed to reassemble themselves. Cap tells Doom that had he simply asked for the information they might have considered it. Anyway, only Thor knows how to cross the dimensions and he isn’t there. Doom does not believe that and threatens to detonate the bomb which would destroy several square blocks. But Rage has figured it out: he hurls a cupcake in Doom’s face then leaps forward and knocks his block off, revealing a third Doombot (he said there were two Doombots but not only two). Rage explains that if Doom loved his mother so much he would go through all of this, he would not commit suicide and leave her helpless. Doom comes up on the screen to reveal he has a neutron bomb and is in his limo nearby—but he believes Captain America that they don’t have the secret and so he deactivates the bomb and notes that Rage was right: there is nothing Doom wouldn’t do for his mother….
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Rage (
Elvin Daryl Haliday).