Synopsis
Last issue Iron Man left Avengers Tower suspiciously after learning that someone had attacked Red Hulk with an Infinity Gem or two. Steve Rogers and the assembled Avengers (and Red Hulk) have tracked him to the old site of the Inhumans' home Attilan in the Himalayas, and have found him with the rest of the Illuminati (a group they don't know about).
Steve is in charge of all US security forces, and he wants to know why the 6 (Dr Strange, Mr Fantastic, Iron Man, Medusa, Prof X and Sub-Mariner) are meeting behind his back. Iron Man takes him aside, and Steve accuses the group of banding together since he was put in charge. But Tony Stark blurts out that they have been meeting since the Kree/Skrull War.
Prof X mentally 'overhears', and the Illuminati decide to tell the rest of the Avengers their history. Including the fact that Black Bolt was a member, not Medusa, but now he's dead. And including the fact that they agreed to tell no-one about the group, because there was no-one that all of the group would agree to trust.
This obviously doesn't go down well in some areas. Thing is unhappy that Mr Fantastic didn't confide in him, but not half as upset as he thinks Reed's wife Invisible Woman will be. Luke Cage accuses Dr Strange of betraying the trust of the New Avengers.
Steve and Iron Man are continuing their argument. Steve reminds Tony that he kept Congress from holding Stark responsible for the actions of Norman Osborn. And in return Tony promised to be a good Avenger.
Iron Man has also told Steve how the Illuminati have been hiding the Infinity Gems, but now 2 of them have been stolen.
Thor breaks up their 'discussion', and declares that the important thing is to deal with the current problem. Steve agrees, but says Iron Man will be out of the Avengers afterwards. And if the Gems cause any harm, Stark will be held to account for it this time.
Dr Strange tells Steve their opponent already has the Power and Reality Gems, and there are 4 more:- Soul, Time, Space and Mind. Prof X adds that the more gems he has, the easier it will be for him to find the others, because they call to each other.
Wolverine accuses someone of letting the secret slip out. But that is purely to detect if anyone reacts. He declares them all clean. But Prof X points out that someone may have extracted the information from one of their minds.
Steve Rogers says that the priority is to find and protect the other Gems. Red Hulk says they should find them and use them against their foe. They have no other chance short of nuking him, and even that may not work. Lots of Avengers are won over by the idea, until Spider-Man makes his "with great power comes great responsibility" speech. He says they can't afford to use the Gems, they're too dangerous and seductive. Steve takes a practical middle course, get the Gems but don't use them unless absolutely necessary.
Now it only remains for the Illuminati to tell them where the other Gems are hidden.
The someone who attacked Rulk in #1 was the Hood. Scattered through the preceding scene are flashbacks where we see him in jail. He befriended a fellow inmate named Ertzia, imprisoned for an unspecified murder, who turned out to be an Inhuman. Ertzia showed him a red globe whose shape he controlled, and confided that he was a keeper of Black Bolt's secrets.
We recognise that globe as like the one that held the Reality Gem when Hood found it in #1 in the remains of Attilan. Presumably Ertzia told him all about it.
Now we see Hood meeting his lover Madame Masque. He uses the Reality Gem to take away Whitney Frost's scars, so she no longer has to wear a mask. The 2 Gems are now embedded in the palms of his hands (or maybe just his gloves).
Story #2Avengers Assemble: The Oral History of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes Chapter 13 continued
Writer:
Brian Michael Bendis. Penciler/Inker:
Synopsis
This section of the
History concentrates exclusively on
#92.
The captured humans from
#90-91 have reported how the
Avengers saved them from the
Kree, but also that
Captain Marvel is a Kree. Senator
H Warren Craddock heads an
Alien Activities Commission to uncover alien spies. And popular opinion turns against the Avengers for harbouring Marvel.
While the Avengers testify to the Commission, Marvel's friend
Carol Danvers takes him to a hideout. But during the hearing
Rick Jones has a vision of Marvel and Carol in trouble, and dashes off to help them.
Back at the
Mansion, the current Avengers (
Goliath (
Clint Barton),
Quicksilver,
Scarlet Witch and
Vision) are disbanded by the returning Big 3 (
Captain America,
Iron Man and
Thor).