Synopsis
Avengers (2023 series) #22 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Way back at the start of this series Kang The Conqueror warned the Avengers about forthcoming Tribulation Events in order to win their aid against Myrddin and his Twilight Court. Kang and Myrddin were in contention for the mysterious Missing Moment. The alliance with Kang fell apart but 2 of the Tribulation Events have occurred.
Now Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) calls a meeting of the team (minus Black Panther who's still dealing with the situation inside Meridian Diadem since #20) in their Impossible City base in Earth orbit. She reminds them that so far they've been reacting to events but it's time to go proactive, and Scarlet Witch can help there. Wanda Maximoff tells them of her wide array of esoteric contacts, and she put the word out that information about the Missing Moment would win her favour. She has learned (from a 6-armed snake-like being with 2 crazy-looking heads) that a data archive on that topic formerly owned by Kang is up for auction, but the projected price is prohibitive. So Tony Stark suggests they steal it, which tickles Storm's fancy too. 1 difficulty is that the auction will take place in the Speculatorium Casino of En Dwi Gast, the Elder Of The Universe known as the Grandmaster ...
... where we next see 2 of our cast entering in grand style, arm-in-arm walking on air. The major-domo is impressed to be welcoming Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, the Living Darkhold but turns his nose up at the plain Vision, until Wanda suggests that he should well know that the Vision needs no other titles. Beings stare at her as the duo wander through the Casino. She reminds him that her presence is known to mess with probabilities, which should draw the attention of the Casino's staff. But then she pretends that someone has spilled her drink. And Storm announces her presence as Ororo Munroe, recently Regent Of Sol and Seat Of Loss of the Great Ring Of Arakko and she claims that Wanda has spilled *her* drink. And she calls her a pretend mutant.
Now we flashback to the Avengers meeting where the 2 women are planning this out. Captain America (Sam Wilson) has suggested they need a diversion to keep surveillance occupied. Carol asks if they can really kick up that big of a stink, and the duo laugh in her face.
In the Casino it's weather magic vs chaos magic in midair, with Vision pretending to beg them to stop. As guards rush to the scene we find Tony, Sam and Carol disguised as the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and definitely not a Scarecrow but probably Dorothy.
In another flashback the 3 discuss another part of the plan. Stark says he's spent a week, with the City's help, infiltrating eye-spy microdrones into the Speculatorium to map it out. But they get get killed within 2 hours. There's top-notch teleport shielding so they can't get into the vault that way. However they might have an advantage because it's not Grandmaster's home, just a place he owns as a hobby. They might get away with it if they don't attract his attention. (Sam remembers being caught up with Wanda and Vision in 1 of GM's games (in the Avengers: No Surrender story arc).)
In the Casino we see the trio at the vault door as Tony tries to electronically pick the lock. Carol reminds him there are several ways she could break through it but he wants to avoid a noise. They can still hear the noise from the mayhem upstairs. Tony says there'll be a power surge that he needs Captain Marvel to absorb to avoid tripping the alarm. So when they hear a guard patrol approaching it's up to Sam to deal with them. Captain America dives at them with a red, white & blue umbrella that's part of his lion outfit. As he proceeds to take them out the umbrella is revealed to really be his shield. Everybody does their job and the vault is open. There's a box inside but unfortunately that's open too, and empty. Someone's stolen what they came to steal.
CM alerts Vision who scans the crowd with his synthezoid senses. He detects Kang with a woman and a man he recognises as Walter Hardy (who Kang must have pulled from time before his death). Tony correctly deduces that the woman is Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, a recent bete-noir of his.
And in the Grandmaster's personal penthouse we learn that he is indeed in residence. Not only does he know they're there he seems to have arranged it so they are pawns in 1 of his games. And his opponent who has bet on Kang's team is Myrddin.
Characters:
Plus: Myrddin, Walter Hardy.