Avengers, The (1963 series) #363

Five Avengers and the captive Anti-Vision climb the Andes to arrive at the secret headquarters of the Gatherers. Inside, Cassandra is using a pain inducer to torture the Vision while Sloth and Magdalene fear she enjoys her work too much. Casandra overhears them and angrily reminds them that people like Vision are responsible for the destruction of their Earths. Mag questions Proctor’s methods and only wants her beloved Phillip back. And then the Avengers, dressed in psionic armor and bearing weapons, crash into the room and a violent battle ensues. Hercules takes on Sloth, Black Knight duels with Magdalene, wielding their special swords, and then Proctor enters with a sonic boom, challenging the Avengers….

Back at Avengers Mansion, Hank Pym and Bill Foster have been called in to tend to the gravely ill Swordsman and they have him stabilized in a stasis chamber. Sersi asks about Javert but also knows the two scientists are also there to examine her to see if she is insane. Hank comforts her then she is called away by notice that there are visitors. Sersi meets with Police Detective Joe MacNamara and Coroner Tomas Delgado who tell her they need to talk to an Avenger; she invites them in….

On the Shi’ar space platform Starharbor, Lilandra announces that she has heard that Kree fanatics are journeying to Earth seeking revenge against the Avengers. And so she is dispatching Deathcry to warn and aid the Avengers. Lord Chamberlain Aroke reminds her that Deathcry’s loyalty is suspect, having been a follower of Deathbird; Lilandra puts the question to Deathcry who affirms her loyalty to the Queen. And so Deathcry sets out on her journey….

At the Gatherers’ citadel, Proctor and his minions confront the Avengers. Anti-Vision mocks them and Proctor blasts him for having led the heroes there and then rips his head off. Black Knight tries to stop Proctor, Magdalene zaps him but his photon sword refracts the energy back at her. Proctor seizes Dane and looks into his eyes, learning he is a Gann Josin; Proctor exclaims he is Sersi’s only true love and she must die. Dane attacks Proctor again and is again subdued violently. When Captain America rebukes him for attacking Proctor, Dane loses it and attacks Cap with his photon sword, mocking him for his arrogance and self-righteousness. Cap defends himself while threatening to stop him if he doesn’t control himself. The others suspect the mind-meld with the insane Sersi so Black Widow stings Dane in the back of his head, ending the incident. When Dane recovers, he weakly apologizes to Cap and Proctor confirms that it is his connection to Sersi, as the same thing had happened to him. Proctor shows them his link to all of the alternate realities: Ute, an unconscious Watcher from another dimension, one destroyed by Sersi; Proctor explains that Sersi will similarly destroy this, the prime reality, if they do not kill her first. Uatu the Watcher appears before them and Proctor calls to him to confirm his words but Uatu remains silent. Hercules accuses Proctor of sending the false Vision to kill the Swordsman. When Magdalene hears this she attacks Proctor with her lance. Proctor hits the building’s self-destruct button and the Avengers flee. Proctor attacks Black Knight one last time, one Gann Josin to another, forcing Dane to stab him through the chest with his photon sword; Proctor insists this is not over and teleports away. The Watcher advises them that the danger is not yet over and vanishes. The whole place goes up in a huge explosion….

Epilogue: Hank and Bill report to Sersi that the stasis field for the Swordsman is working. They ask who was at the door earlier and she tells them it was nothing. Then we see that MacNamara and Delgado have been turned to stone and dropped to the bottom of the river….