Synopsis
Avengers: The Initiative #22 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Last issue the clone/cyborg Thor called Ragnarok (who thinks he's the real thing) was awoken as a delayed-action Skrull revenge, and he's been rampaging through the Initiative training base Camp Hammond. The New Warriors (Debrii, Justice, Night Thrasher, Rage, Slapstick and the 2 remaining Scarlet Spiders) have just arrived to save the day, but the fight spills out into the town of Stamford.
Meanwhile Suzi Sherman is chatting to Cloud 9. She's changed from her Ms Marvel costume back into her original Ultragirl version, because Norman Osborn has sent a lawyer to claim the MsM suit for his new Avengers team. She like many others is thinking of quitting the Initiative now Osborn's in charge. They hear the commotion outside. Cloud 9 heads off to help evacuate civilians while Ultragirl sees her NW ex-team in action, including her boyfriend Vance Astrovik/Justice.
They're not doing too well and Ragnarok's hammer has just smited Rage. Slapstick whips his huge mallet out of his Infinite Pocket, but he just gets smote too. The rest of the team pile on the villain (Debrii and Justice telekinetically), but he beats them all off. So Suzi joins in to save Vance.
Gauntlet is helping Cloud 9 and Tigra with evacuation, but he decides it's better to attack the problem at source. He blasts Ragnarok with his alien gauntlet and then calls on all heavy hitters to join him. But even more heroes answer his call. (We see Annex, Batwing, Cloud 9, Doc Samson, Gargoyle, Geiger, Hellcat, Prodigy, Red 9, Stingray, Sunstreak, Thor Girl and Tigra joining Ultragirl and the New Warriors.) But a near miss makes Tigra reconsider for the sake of her unborn baby as the cyborg blasts them all.
Time for an interlude with the Shadow Initiative in Madripoor:- Bengal, Constrictor, Komodo, Taskmaster and Mutant Zero who's changed to her Typhoid Mary costume now she's been outed (last issue). She's been on a scouting mission and reports on the current state of the island (since the 2007 Iron Man Annual). IM deposed Madame Hydra and replaced her as ruler with Tyger Tiger. But Hydra is still here in hidden bases preparing to strike back.
The team are here to bring in Initiative traitor Hardball, Komodo's ex-boyfriend. But their target comes to them, accompanied by Hydra goons led by the female Scorpion.
Some of the strongest heroes are still fighting Ragnarok. Justice suggests they separate the clone from his hammer. Gauntlet sends Doc Samson, Geiger and Ultragirl to do the job, and Annex makes a grab for the dropped weapon. But the cyborg controls it mentally and sends it out of reach. Scarlet Spider/Michael tries to disable its circuitry but the fake Thor shrugs his attackers off and blasts him, killing him.
As Ragnarok turns his attention on some of the weaker heroes Baron Blitzschlag approaches the last Spider (Patrick) and proposes a plan. Blitzschlag taunts the cyborg who thought he'd killed him last issue. The clone fires an electrical blast from his hammer. But that's what the Baron wanted because electricity empowers him and he strikes back.
But that was only a distraction as Patrick-Spider activates a hologram of the real Thor. Blitzschlag tells Ragnarok (again) that he's only a cyborg clone created by the Baron. Patrick offers supporting evidence by unmasking himself and the dead Spider and showing them as clone copies (not of Thor). They also tell 'Thor' that Asgard is now floating above Oklahoma rather than in its own dimension beyond the Rainbow Bridge. Ragnorak replies that if this Thor has led the Asgardians to such disgrace then he is unworthy of the name. And Ragnarok will come to claim it. And he flies off.
Thor Girl sees to Trauma who was injured last issue when he imitated Thor to confuse the villain. She says she's impressed by his bravery, and Trauma thinks she'll develop a crush on him like her Skrull replacement did when he did the same impersonation in #5 against Korg. But this Thor Girl just says that of course he obviously wasn't the real Thor. And she leaves to warn Asgard about Ragnarok.
The Baron and Patrick grieve over the fallen Michael. But Patrick says he won't stay with his 'father' Blitzschlag - he's going away again with the New Warriors. However Gauntlet is compelled to try to arrest the fugitive Warriors, promising them a fair hearing. But Justice and Patrick are here for another reason. They locate Blitzschlag's lab in the rubble of the base and retrieve the body of MVP, from whom all the Scarlet Spider's were cloned. Gauntlet doesn't know what they're talking about as Justice prepares to fly the body home.