Comic Browser:

Avengers #252

Feb 1985

Roger Stern, Joe Sinnott

Story Name:

Deciding Factor

Synopsis

Avengers #252 synopsis by T Vernon

Rating:

Vision has invited Doc Samson to Avengers Mansion to ask if he would consider joining the Avengers, possibly even heading up a Midwestern branch of the team. Samson politely declines as he considers himself neither a hero nor an administrator. On the way out, they encounter Starfox who, thinking Samson may be a mutant, asks him about a newspaper article about the recent rash of anti-mutant hysteria in the country. Samson explains it as insanity….

On the Mansion’s back patio, Captain America is sketching a portrait of the Scarlet Witch while she too, is concerned about the anti-mutant phobia. Wanda confides in Cap that she is concerned about the Vision’s frequent mood swings. Starfox enters, telling them that Vision grabbed his newspaper and hurried off….

Cap finds Vision alone and brooding about prejudice and wondering whether he should use the Encephalatron to bring peace to the world. Vision tells him about the strain Avengers leadership is putting on his marriage then asks that if Cap could bring about a golden age on Earth but only by sacrificing himself, would he do it? Cap responds that he might do so—but only if he was certain it would work. Then Wanda rushes in with news that her and Vision’s home in New Jersey is on fire….

Wanda, Vision, and Cap head to Leona where Wanda mourns the belongings she has lost; Cap learns from a police officer that the fire was deliberately set by someone who called the station with an anti-mutant rant. On the way back to the Quinjet, Cap overhears a neighbor telling a friend he is glad the “muties” are leaving; Cap rebukes him, reminding him that the American Dream is for everyone. The incident convinces Vision to go ahead with his plans….

The next day, Vision gathers the Avengers and informs them that Thanos’ secret base in the Arizona desert has been discovered and the Army is examining the tech they’ve found. Vision is sending Cap, Wanda, Starfox, and Hercules to make sure nothing bad occurs. After they leave, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) arrives and Vision asks her to investigate Thanos’ starship in deep space which is giving off a strange signal. Vision has even given Jarvis the day off so he will be alone….

The four Avengers arrive at the Arizona base and the commanding officer assures them everything will be fine. They come upon two scientists fiddling with a machine and Starfox warns them but the device explodes. He explains that the machine is a teleporter and tries to shut it down but a pair of beings trapped within materialize: it is the Blood Brothers and they swiftly punch out Herc and Starfox. It is up to Cap and Wanda to fight the alien bruisers….

Dane (the Black Knight) Whitman arrives at the Mansion and tries to enter but his membership card is declined by the reader and he is seized by metal tentacles and pulled inside….

Captain Marvel’s progress is noted….

Back at the alien base, Cap is trying to evade one Blood Brother while Wanda removes the air from around the other one’s head, trying to suffocate him. He responds too quickly and the other Brother seizes Cap. But Hercules has revived and he slams one brother into the other, knocking them both out. The one casualty: Herc’s loin covering has been torn; Wanda lends him her cape to cover himself with….

Dane finds himself within a huge glass tube and Vision, appearing as a hologram, apologizes but says he can’t be interrupted in his plan to save humanity from itself….

Review / Commentaries

Avengers #252 Review by T Vernon (May 19, 2023)

Comments: Cover title: The Mighty Avengers, on issues #241-255. Part one of three parts. Like Thanos, the Blood Brothers were introduced in IRON MAN #55; they have been trapped since MARVEL FEATURE #12, teaming Iron Man and the Thing. Issue includes a rare reminder that Steve Rogers started out as an artist.

Review: So we finally get to the plot that has been simmering since issue #238: Vision takes over the world. And it’s a rather nice tale too, managing to find a battle with the Blood Brothers in the middle of it. And there’s a lot of anti-mutant bigotry though I sometimes find it understandable if you don’t want someone in your neighborhood who can shoot lasers out of their eyes, which would fall under the category of gun control, a notable liberal sentiment. Anyway, they are also paving the way for the second VISION AND THE SCARLET WITCH miniseries (the twelve-issue one). So here we have a Blood Brother (out of scale on the cover) biffing Herc, Doc Samson biffing Hulk, Starfox showing a concern for human rights, Cap drawing, Cap doing marriage counselling, Cap lecturing bigots, Monica flying through space, Herc biffing two Blood Brothers, Cap lecturing a Colonel, And Dane Whitman thinking he should have gone to Motel 6. Oh, and in the last panel, Vision gets all visiony. More to come.

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Roger Stern

Joe Sinnott

Christie Scheele

Bob Hall (Cover Penciler)
Joe Sinnott (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)

Additional Credits

Layouts: Bob Hall. Letterer: Jim Novak.
Editor: Mark Gruenwald. Editor-in-chief: Jim Shooter.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Avengers

Black Knight
(Dane Whitman)

Captain America
(Steven Rogers)

Captain Marvel
(Monica Rambeau)

Doc Samson
(Leonard Samson)

Hercules
(Heracles)

Jarvis
(Edwin Jarvis)

Scarlet Witch
(Wanda Maximoff)

Starfox
(Eros)

Vision

Plus: Blood Brothers.

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