Avengers, The (1963 series) #345

Follows WONDER MAN #7

A massive solar flare caused by the opening of a stargate near the sun has destroyed the STARCORE space station. A team of Avengers (Quasar, Sersi, Vision, and new Thor Eric Masterson) is dispatched to search for survivors. They locate the station’s lifepod with the refugees but another stargate opens up and hundreds of Shi’ar ships emerge, heading for the first stargate. Seeing the Earth heroes as a threat, the lead Shi’ar ship opens fire. The super-powered Avengers aassault the ship and capture it….

Later, Captain America presides over a meeting of all the Avengers. The captive Shi’ar are shrunk by Hank Pym and contained along with Captain Atlas and Dr. Minerva. Since the use of the stargates in our solar system is threatening to cause the sun to go nova, Cap proposes a diplomatic mission to the Kree and Shi’ar to negotiate an end to the war. Cap divides the heroes into three teams: one to visit the Kree, one to go to the Shi’ar, and the third to remain on Earth. Hawkeye rebels against being assigned to Earth and uses Hank’s chemical to become Goliath once more. Cap then swaps him with a disgruntled USAgent. Quasar guides the ships on their journey and encounters the cosmic being Her.

Epilogue: Lilandra, the Shi’ar empress, is having moral qualms about their course of action—but her evil sister Deathbird arrives with a grim suggestion….

Continued in IRON MAN #278