Story #2Avengers Assemble: The Oral History of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes Chapter 17
Writer:
Brian Michael Bendis. Penciler/Inker:
Synopsis
Continued from
New Avengers #11.
This is in the TP as
Ch19This episode covers a lineup change (
#150-151), a battle with
Count Nefaria (
#164-166) and the
Korvac saga (
#173-177).
This was the first time the
Avengers had a planned reshuffle since
#16. Previously people just drifted in and out. This started a trend for having press conferences to announce new lineups.
The Count Nefaria story turned him from an unpowered
Maggia boss into a super-powered menace, in future just known as
Nefaria. But I don't know why
Bendis singled it out for mention here.
On the other hand the Korvac saga is one of the Avengers' biggest epics, which had actually been building since
#167, and arguably involved every appearance of the
Collector since
#28, including some revealed to be behind the scenes.
Story #3#12.1 (no title given)
Writer:
Brian Michael Bendis. Penciler:
Bryan Hitch. Inker:
Paul NearySynopsis
Abigail Brand, head of
SWORD, as come to
Avengers Tower to tell them that
Spider-Woman is one of her agents, and she has gone missing on a mission. We see by flashback
Jessica Drew flying over the
Wakandan jungle seeking an alien energy. She lands and finds it, but is confronted by members of the
Intelligencia (
Klaw,
MODOK,
Red Ghost (and his apes),
Thinker (and his android) and
Wizard).
The assembled multi-team Avengers are
Steve Rogers (boss),
Captain America (
Bucky),
Hawkeye,
Iron Man,
Maria Hill,
Ms Marvel,
Protector and
Thor (all
Avengers),
Dr Strange,
Iron Fist,
Jessica Jones,
Luke Cage,
Mockingbird,
Thing and
Victoria Hand (of
New Avengers),
Spider-Man and
Wolverine (on both teams),
Ant-Man,
Beast,
Iron Man 2.0 and
Valkyrie (
Secret Avengers).
Abigail has to explain to Steve that SWORD is the alien-fighting arm of
SHIELD, which she is surprised he didn't know about since he's head of SHIELD as well as of the Avengers. Beast owns up to being a SWORD agent too.
Brand says she went to Spider-Woman's reported location, but couldn't find anything. Now she's come to the Avengers for help. Steve designates a team for the job, with Brand to show them where to go, Iron Man, Ms Marvel and Thor for power, Protector for alien expertise, Beast probably as another science-guy, Wolverine as tracker, and Moon Knight for some reason or other.
Meanwhile Jessica Drew has woken up naked with her hands cuffed behind her. Thinker and Wizard enter her cell, and both sides try to find out what the other knows. Spider-Woman manages to fire a bioelectric blast at the villains from her bound hands. But they are shielded.
It turns out the Intelligencia think they have found a crashed comatose
Spaceknight. MODOK urges caution, but Red Ghost just dives in and pokes around, while Klaw is doing something indecipherable.
Spider-Woman's interrogation is interrupted as Protector uses an alien device to teleport himself and Iron Man into her cell. Iron Man blasts the 2 villains out into the area where the rest of the Intelligencia are working, just as the rest of the Avengers team (not including Abigail Brand) smash their way in.
MODOK boats that they can't touch him because of his force field. Until Thor whacks him with his hammer. Red Ghost and Wizard surrender, and soon the whole gang is captured.
Abigail brings Jessica in, modestly cloaked. Iron Man explains they were able to home in on the Spaceknight's energy, as she did. But Red Ghost's tinkering has activated the alien, and it turns into
Ultron!
This time
Mjolnir is ineffectual. And Ultron takes his leave. The energy devastates the Intelligencia's island base.
Brand says SWORD had heard that Ultron was active in deep space. Tony Stark guesses that Ultron downloaded himself into the Spaceknight, and then aimed it at Earth.
Tony also remembers the future they saw in
#1-6, where Ultron had taken over the world. This is what he expects Ultron will work towards next.