Synopsis
Avengers: The Initiative #35 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
This issue again closely parallels events in the Siege mini-series. It starts off overlapping the end of Siege #3 and continues through Siege #4, but that issue and this both end with Siege aftermath stuff. And again this issue is split between events in Asgard from the Siege series and the Camp HAMMER activities of the Avengers Resistance.
Asgard has collapsed (due to Sentry burrowing through it). Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn) tries to escape, leaving Taskmaster to dig himself out of the ruins and rescue Constrictor who was also partially buried. Frank Schlicting's 1st thought is where Rachel Leighton is, but Diamondback is actually found by her old boyfriend Captain America (Steve Rogers). Frank sees them walking off and figures that was always on the cards, so he goes with TM to find some Goblin Gliders to escape on.
However Rachel tries to persuade Cap to help her find Frank, because she loves him and he's been good to her while she was undercover in Osborn's Initiative. But then they see the other 2 flying off on Gliders. Those 2 meanwhile spot Cap and Luke Cage catching up with Iron Patriot and knocking his facemask off to reveal Osborn's face painted Goblin green. Tony Masters says he just *knew* Norman was going crazy, and he and Constrictor make good their escape.
Now Osborn has lost the whole of his IP armour (because Iron Man disrupted its system in Siege #3). He's faced with Cap, Luke, IM , Thor and Spider-Man, and he's gibbering that he was the only 1 who could save them from *him*, as the Sentry appears - now under the control of the Void persona. (And Siege #3 ends with him changing into the demonic Void.)
The Asgard action continues with Hood and Madame Masque. Suddenly the Norn Stones disappear from Hood's hands as Loki takes them back and transfers the power they gave Hood and his gang to the heroes instead. (In Siege #4 Loki realised the Void was too dangerous so he empowered the heroes to be able to hurt him.) Masque drags Parker Robbins away from Asgard and they steal an army vehicle. On the way out Hood feels the Norn Stones destroyed and Loki dead (true, by the Void's hand in Siege #4).
Meanwhile in Camp HAMMER Osborn's Initiative villains are fighting the Avengers Resistance. But suddenly the villains here lose their extra power too when Loki takes it away. The Resistance (Gauntlet, Justice, Night Thrasher, Rage, Scarlet Spider, Slapstick, Tigra and Ultragirl) now including more members of the pre-Osborn Initiative (Batwing, Bengal, Butterball and Penance) freed last issue. Facing them I see Badd Axe, Man-Killer, Ringer, Scorcher and some H.AM.M.E.R. troops.
But we cut away from what is now a massacre by the heroes to Baron Von Blitschlag's lab. As he listens to news reports of the end of the battle for Asgard, with Sentry/Void dead and Norman Osborn arrested (Siege #4 again) he's destroying records that would incriminate him. But Melati Kusuma (legless and in a wheelchair without her Komodo powers) finds him and pulls a gun on him. Blitzschlag is about to see if his electric power is faster than her trigger finger when the arrival of Cloud 9 tips the balance and he surrenders.
But Cloud 9 is followed by Melati's hated ex-boyfriend Hardball. Abigail Boylen has to stop Melati from shooting him until Roger Brokeridge gets the chance to inject her with something which neutralises the SPIN Tech which took away her powers. And she turns into the reptilian Komodo, complete with legs. But she's still angry with Roger (for betraying the team and her love by joining Hydra (in the Initiative Special), and for making her a captive of Hydra (#23-24)). Abigail reminds her that he kept her safe (while she was a captive) and also he released Dragon Man to save her in the Negative Zone Prison (#27), and she urges Melati to listen to him. But we don't find out what he's going to say because the Baron butts in with a data stick containing damning dirt on Osborn that he wants to trade for a softer sentence.
Outside Gauntlet and Justice accept the surrender of some HAMMER troops, promising a fair deal for any who didn't commit war crimes. The Resistance celebrate, but Tigra is just concerned that not all Osborn's gang have been arrested. And we know her thoughts centre on Hood.
Days later Hood has been caught (in New Avengers: Finale). Tigra visits him in his holding cell. (She used her police credentials to get in. She became a cop in her 2002 mini-series.) She wants revenge for what he did to her in NAv#35. She threatens and strikes him, but doesn't go further. This is because she met his ex-wife and baby daughter and knows that he'll never get to see them again - while *she* can go home to *her* child.
Later there's a party on the roof of Avengers Tower (also seen at the end of Siege #4 and the beginning of NAv(2010)#1). Cloud 9, Hardball, Justice, Komodo, Night Thrasher, Rage, Scarlet Spider, Slapstick and Ultragirl attend (and Melati and Roger seem to be friends). Gauntlet isn't there because he's gone as a soldier to Afghanistan. The Superhuman Registration Act has been repealed, so the NAv and the resistance can come out of hiding. Steve Rogers has been appointed to replace Norman Osborn as head of all law enforcement. Night Thrasher suggests reforming the New Warriors. Justice thinks there should be a replacement for the Initiative to train new young superheroes, like ones he knows Osborn was recruiting (as mentioned in #31).
Tigra joins them with her baby son William and a Cat-People nanny. (We've known she's pregnant since #20, but she doesn't mention here that the father was the Skrull replacement Henry Pym in the lead-up to Secret Invasion.) She says she had a 2-month pregnancy (like a cat) and gave birth between SI and Osborn taking over the Initiative, and she left the baby with the Cat People because Osborn wanted to experiment on it. (This doesn't quite tie in with #25, the last time her pregnancy/child were mentioned. There Osborn had already taken over, Tigra was still pregnant and Osborn threatened to take the child when it was born. So she went AWOL.)
Steve Rogers talks to Diamondback about keeping the 50-States Initiative teams going on a voluntary rather than conscripted basis. He asks her to run it but she asks for time to think it over. Steve correctly guesses Rachel's concerned about her relationship with Constrictor who hasn't been in touch. We see Frank Schlichting in Japan with Taskmaster contracting for mercenary work. He too is distracted, and carries 2 of Rachel's exploding diamonds with him.
There's a last page round-up of news about other characters:- Butterball has taken Batwing to replace the U-Foes as North Carolina's Initiative team. Bengal has returned to his family and opened a martial arts school. The others are chars not in this issue:- Debrii has stayed in Paris and become a judge on a TV super-talent show. Prodigy has become a motivational speaker and is trying to reform the Slingers. There are only rumours about what Trauma is up to.