Avengers #62: Review

Nov 2022

Jason Aaron, Ivan Fiorelli

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Story Name:

History's mightiest heroes conclusion: The man who keeps it weird

Review & Comments

Rating:

Avengers #62 Review by Rob Johnson (November 12, 2022)

This issue is another tale of the 1M BC Avengers, this time focussing on Agamotto the 1st Sorceror Supreme. The modern Avengers only turn up on the last page.

Agamotto's ignorance about his actual origins reflects the multiple conflicting versions that have appeared in Marvel publications over the decades. It seems universally accepted that he's *not* human. He refers to the possibility that he's the tear of an Elder God given sentience. This is exactly as described in his profile in the 2012 Avengers Roll Call where the Elder God in question is Oshtur, but there the tear is shed much later in 25,000 BC. It was Marvel Legacy and this series that placed him in 1M BC. 2007's Mystic Arcana Handbook described him as Earth's 1st Sorcerer Supreme.

Oshtur was an Elder God of Earth. According to 2007's Marvel Tarot she left Earth and met the alien god Hoggoth. Later she trained Agamotto and the 3 of them formed the Vishanti. On that basis this issue is confusing in that Agamotto doesn't know his past and invokes the Vishanti seemingly as other beings.

We've seen the 1M BC Moon Knight briefly before in #35 where the worshipper of Khonshu *opposed* the 1M BC Avengers.

The story will continue in Avengers Assemble Alpha which will begin an Avengers/Avengers Forever crossover that will (I understand) end both series.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Avengers #62 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

In recent issues the Avengers have been wandering through time battling Mephisto alongside earlier owners of their superpowers while trying to get back to 1M BC and the prototype Avengers there, ostensibly to save them from the Multiversal Masters Of Evil. Last issue Starbrand got them headed to their final destination.

In 1M BC Agamotto finds some primitive men running from their cave where 1 of their number writhes in agony. His mystic senses reveal that the man has been taken over by a tentacled monster accompanied by alien spiders (and allegedly some mind maggots too). But a simple magic blasts dispels them and the wizard levitates the victim to his sanctum in the heart of an active volcano. Along the way he muses that he doesn't remember his own origin. Once there he applies some soul-stitches to protect the man from future infection. But when they leave to volcano he runs away in fear.

Afterwards Agamotto invokes the Vishanti to bring Mephisto to him. He blames the demon for the weakened dimensional walls which allowed the parasites through, and reminds him that he's defeated his schemes many countless times before over the eons. Mephisto affords him a glimpse of prehistoric Avengers being killed all over the multiverse and their Earths being ravaged (by the Multiversal Masters Of Evil as seen in this series and Avengers Forever). The devil taunts him over how the 1M BC Avengers fell apart after the abortive 'wedding' between Odin and Phoenix (in the 1MBC Avengers Special) and then defeats him and casts him down.

The 1M BC Ghost Rider arrives with his fiery mastodon steed to find Agamotto buried in snow. Warming him by a fire GR relates how he recently had to confront a cult leader who preyed on his flock, but he had to kill them all when they insisted on defending their 'master'. He asks the wizard who can see the future if things will ever get better. Agamotto replies that the more man advances the more ways they will find to harm one another. The human who is GR asks why then he should continue enduring the torment that is being GR. He gets no answer.

Next we see the sorcerer visiting the 1M BC Iron Fist from K'un-Lun. She has continued to protect primitive man with the aid of a new friend the caveman 1M BC Moon Knight. Agamotto tells them that he's trying to regather the Avengers to face a major threat he foresees. Fan Fei swears to help and suggests he go find Starbrand.

The caveman Starbrand still mourns his partner Brrkk. Agamotto offers to take the memory away but Vnn says the pain inspires him to make (bad) others feel it too. He will strike whoever the wizard tells him to.

The Panther tribe are still mourning the death of their Black Panther and refuse to leave their hidden land.

Finally he goes to Odin in Asgard who readily agrees to help in order to get away from the wailing of newborn Thor (1MBC Avengers Special again) as long as Phoenix isn't involved. Agamotto assures him that the Phoenix Force has left Midgard (1MBC Avengers Special yet again). Odin calls Mjolnir to him (which is behaving erratically these days).

Agamotto tells the assembled warriors of the Avengers to come after them ...

... and then introduces them to the newly-arrived 21st Century Avengers.

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