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Avengers #22

Nov 1999
Kurt Busiek, George Perez

Avengers #22 cover

Story Name:

Ultron Unlimited Part Four: This Evil Triumphant!


Synopsis

Avengers #22 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4.5 stars
Ultron-16 and his robots invaded Slorenia and killed everyone, and later turned the dead bodies into slaved cyborg warriors. The UN have sent troops in to take back the country with 5 Avengers (Black Panther, Captain America, Firestar, Iron Man and Thor) in support. The troops have been battling the cyborgs while the Avengers went after Ultron. They have just, surprisingly, defeated U-16 when they were faced with Ultron-17. And then loads more Ultrons with different numbers on their foreheads (we see a 704 on the opening page of this issue). Their only consolation is that the robots can't all get to them at once.

In Avengers Mansion Edwin Jarvis is woken by an alert that Alkhema has escaped from the federal prison in Raphine, Virginia. (The place exists but I don't think it has a top security prison in our universe.) This surprises him because it should have been sent to Justice, the only Avenger currently on site because of his broken leg. Jarvis goes to the records room where Vance Astrovik was researching the history of Ultron. The youth isn't there but the computer shows he was last looking at a police impound list.

Earlier in this story arc Ultron captured Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wasp and Wonder Man along with Henry Pym and WM's brother Eric Williams, and has them in power-dampening shackles. He intends to combine their brain patterns in random ways to produce unique minds for the robot race he intends to replace humanity. An Ultron with no visible number is currently copying the engrams of the Vision onto a small disc, noting in passing that his and WM's have both changed (differently) since Vision's mind was created from that of Simon Williams. When he's finished he adds it to the 4 he's already done. Only Eric's remains uncopied.

I didn't mention it then but during last issue Henry Pym was muttering about how Ultron was all his fault. His ex-wife Janet Van Dyne was concerned about him having another nervous breakdown and tried to convince him that he couldn't have foreseen what the AI he created, Ultron-1, would evolve into. But Hank said there was something he'd never told anyone about that. We get more of that this issue but now he adds that he used his *own* brain patterns as the basis for Ultron. So all the evil the robot has done stems from *him*. Ultron-1 had hypnotised his creator into forgetting about him. Wasp remembers that Hank retrieved those memories (old #58) just before he had the breakdown that turned him into Yellowjacket (#59), and she realises this damning knowledge was what broke him.

Outside Iron Man has realised that the multitude of Ultrons can't all be built from true adamantium, because not enough of the alloy exists for that. He's scanned them and found that most of them are made of titanium steel which he, Cap, Firestar and Panther can cope with. And the rest are composed of the weaker secondary adamantium which Thor can smash if he tries hard enough. And the Thunder God proves him right with 1 example.

During the fighting Firestar's costume has shredded exposing the circuitry-filled undersuit she wears to protect her from her own microwave power. But now bits of *that* layer are broken so she may be risking her own life by continuing. And Thor's power isn't unlimited. So Iron Man comes up with a solution. Even the secondary adamantium Ultrons have to have molecular rearrangers inside to stop the adamantium from 'setting' and rendering them immobile.  He takes 1 from the Ultron that Thor just destroyed and supercharges it so it emits a blast to 'melt' these more dangerous Ultrons.

Back in the catacombs where Ultron keeps his captives he now turns to Eric Williams, the ex-Grim Reaper. But suddenly he turns to find Vision free. The synthezoid explains that the power-dampeners didn't stop him interfacing with the computer control system, and just now he found the way to switch his shackles off. This enabled him to lower his density and ghost out of them. But now he doesn't want to fight his 'father', just talk.

As a fellow mechanical being he empathises with Ultron's loneliness and alienation from humanity. But he has learned to accept emotions like love and the hurt of rejection and the anger that follows. (Wonder Man and a groggy Scarlet Witch realise he's talking about his love for Wanda, and her current love for Simon.) The synthezoid offers the hand of friendship to the adamantium robot, and Ultron seems to consider it.

Back outside Iron Man and Thor have destroyed all the secondary adamantium Ultrons, and all the titanium ones seem to be done too. But the super-molecular-rearranger has burnt out, and Thor and IM are each in their own way knackered. But they follow BP, Cap and FS into the tunnel leading to Ultron's lair ...

... where the true adamantium Ultron reveals he was kidding and blasts his 'son'. But the damaged Vision reveals that *he* was really stalling for time while he switched off the electroshocks that were keeping the Witch unconscious, and also to free Grim Reaper. Eric now picks up a laser torch and cuts through the shackles that hold the other Avengers. They leap to the attack but Ultron says that now he has their engrams he can just kill them all anyway. However it is a this point that the other 5 Avengers from outside join in the game. While above the hidden battleground an Avengers quinjet arrives.

All the Avengers except Scarlet Witch and Vision pile on Ultron. They may be weakened from the previous long fight or the long power-draining but they need to buy time for Wanda Maximoff to recover from her enforced unconsciousness enough to use her Chaos Magic hexes to cause Ulty's molecular rearranger to malfunction. But their exhaustion means that Ultron defeats them all. Vision staggers to his feet and asks Eric Williams if he knows any way to stop the mad robot. But Eric runs off to become Grim Reaper again. So Vizh just bathes Ultron in his solar eye-beams, but also tries using the argument that Ultron's proposed new robot children will probably just turn against him as *he* did. He too gets defeated for his trouble.

The last Avenger standing is Scarlet Witch. Wanda tries the trick she used successfully against Alkhema (#19). But in her weak state her control slips and instead of crippling the robot she boosts his power. Thor returns to the fray but Ultron stops his descending hammer and uses it to channel a heightened blast of power into the Thunder God's face.

Henry Pym (who for 'sentimental' reasons Ultron had clothed in his Goliath costume) has been fighting giant-size and now lands another blow on his 'son', but the robot just bats him aside. As more Avengers try again Hank suffers yet another blow to his fragile ego. But then Justice arrives (remember that quinjet?) and tosses 2 cannisters to him. Vance says they contain Antarctic vibranium (that dissolves metals on contact) that the police confiscated from AIM (#13) (remember his research last issue and the impound list mentioned earlier?). He says it's never been tested against adamantium, but it might work.

Ultron is blasting away at the won't-stay-down Avengers again when Goliath takes the vibranium rods out of the containers and begins to pummel the robot with the rods in his fists. And Ultron is staggered. The vibrations emitted by the anti-metal melt Wanda's bracelets, cause Cap's photonic shield generator to fail and melt the circuits in Firestar's biosuit. Panther dives to push Iron Man out of the way of the radiation. The pent up rage and hatred for his creation cause Pym to batter Ultron mercilessly and the robot finally explodes.

The vibranium rods are packed back in their containers. All the robots and necro-cyborgs are deactivated. Vance Astrovik lends girlfriend Angelica Jones his cloak to cover her tattered clothing, and he's finally comfortable on the team. Henry Pym too is now at peace with himself. And they all go home. But underground Alkhema and her War Toys retrieve the engram discs.


 

Review / Commentaries


Avengers #22 Review by (January 27, 2020)
Kurt Busiek, he who tried to make sense of the life of Kang/Immortus in Avengers Forever, knits together Henry Pym's history of mental breakdowns.

Alkhema will return in the Avengers: Ultron Imperative 1-shot and use the engram discs to create a race of Robos. But the discs include an imperative for them to rebuild Ultron. They all get destroyed but the new Ultron's head survives.
But in the meantime Ultron's robot 'bride' Jocasta's similar programming will have infected 1 of Iron Man's armours in IM#26-31 turning it against its master. Then in IM#46-48 the head from AUI will attach to the rogue armour as the next Ultron.

Slorenia may be gone but it's not forgotten. In #36-37 Bloodwraith absorbs the souls of the dead population and goes on a rampage until Scarlet Witch seals him within the devastated country.
Then in the Av: Endless Wartime graphic novel the country is repopulated again and has a US-backed democratic government in a civil war against supporters of the old despotic rulers the Tabissara. Iron Man recalls the events in Force Works but no mention is made of Ultron and Bloodwraith.

Grim Reaper will return in #31-33 in a war for control of the Maggia criminal organisation before also getting involved in Av:UI.

Black Panther regains control of Wakanda in his #10-13. But his #16-17 will bring him back to New York so he'll drop in for our next issue.

Giant-Man and Wasp will only cameo in Captain America #21 before they appear in that next issue.

It'll be a long time until the next issue. In the meantime the regular team members have lots of apps:-

Tony Stark joins Captain America in his #20-22 as the vibranium in Cap's old broken shield threatens to explode all vibranium in the world. Cap winds up in Wakanda with a mended shield.
Cap stays in Wakanda to help Black Panther get his country back in BP#12. Meanwhile Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Vision and Wonder Man are called in to stop a rampaging Hulk in his #3,5,7.
Cap, Firestar, Justice, ScW, Thor and WM are possessed by nanites and forced to fight the Fantastic Four in their #23. Then Ju helps BP in New York in his #13-14. Meanwhile IM faces a guy in the old War Machine armour in his #18-20, rescues the X-Men's Warlock in *his* #2 and returns to the 1st story in his own #21 for a little adventure with Warbird.
IM Annual 1999 has Count Nefaria draining ionic energy from ionic beings like WM.
Cap fights the Flag Smasher in *his* Annual 1999 and ScW cameos.
In CA: Sentinel Of Liberty #11 Cap and Human Torch easily defeat the Acrobat who once impersonated Cap in HT's story in Strange Tales #114.
The whole team gathers for the Galactus The Devourer mini-series and then the Domination Factor mini-series, both co-starring the FF.
IM helps Thor in *his* #14 against Absorbing Man and Titania and then Thor continues into #15-16 against Enrakt the Enchanter.
Next is the 8th Day crossover. IM kicks it off in the 2nd story in his #21 and Thor picks up the ball in his#17. Then they both run with it through IM#22, Spider-Man #11 and Juggernaut: 8th Day.
Then ScW guest-stars with Thor in his #18-19 to help him defeat the Enchanters.
Thor #20-21 finish of the Enchanters arc and start 1 involving a Thanos clone and Mangog which continues through the 2000 Annual into #22-25. Meanwhile Cap, IM and ScW cameo in FF#24.
Thor fights Absorbing Man in his #26-27, with IM helping again in the 2nd issue.
Cap, FS, Ju and Thor are in a crowded issue Generation X #59.
Cap goes to jail in his #23 while IM has to face Ultimo with Warbird in his #23-25. Cap, FS, ScW and Vision cameo in the last issue.
Cap takes *his* turn fighting Absorbing Man in his#24 while FS, Ju and Vizh have to fight Machine Man turned into a mutant-hunting Sentinel in X-51 #4-5.
Then everybody assembles for our #23.



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Main/1st Story Full Credits

George Perez
Al Vey
Tom Smith
George Perez (Cover Penciler)
George Perez (Cover Inker)
Tom Smith (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Richard Starkings.
Editor: Tom Brevoort. Editor-in-chief: Bob Harras.



Characters

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Black Panther
Black Panther

(T'Challa)
Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Firestar
Firestar

(Angel Jones)
Grim Reaper
Grim Reaper

(Eric Williams)
Iron Man
Iron Man

(Anthony Stark)
Jarvis
Jarvis

(Edwin Jarvis)
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch

(Wanda Maximoff)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)
Wasp
Wasp

(Janet Van Dyne)
Wonder Man
Wonder Man

(Simon Williams)
Plus: Alkhema, Justice (Vance Astrovik).

Thor

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