Avengers / Invaders #9

Plot by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger. Also penciller in this issue: Patrick Berkenkotter.

This is the start of Act 3.

Spitfire is with Union Jack.
Somehow Red Skull immediately knows what the Cosmic Cube is.
The Avengers and Invaders arrive in 1943. Next issue will tell us it's a month after the Invaders left (and after Paul Anselm got back). So Skull has used the Cube to conquer the world in that time. And at the end of this issue we learn that he actually did it all (or a lot of it) in the 1st few minutes.
Namor says he once attacked New York with a tidal wave - this was in Timely's Human Torch #5b.
At the end of the issue RS teleports himself to New York to survey the damage the teams did. The caption wrongly says this is behind the Aryan Wall that surrounds Europe.

The heroes the Avengers are simulating are all genuine Timely characters, all with their recorded adventures set earlier than this:-
Black Avenger was called Thunderer in Daring Mystery Comics #7-8, and he was given appearances in the modern Marvels Project #8 and Marvels #1. Then he changed his id to Black Avenger for All-Winners Comics #6.
The Golden Age Black Widow was an anti-heroine collecting souls for Satan in Mystic Comics #4-5,7, USA Comics #5 and All-Select Comics #1. Her app in Marvels #1 comes between those 2. She had a later flashback app in Marvel Knights Spider-Man #9.
Captain Terror fought Nazis in USAC#2-4 before the US entered the War. Challenger had a slightly longer career in DMC#7 and Mystic#6-10. He was seen with Black Widow in MKSM#9.
Electro was a robot in Marvel Mystery Comics #4-19. He featured in the MMC 70th Anniversary Special and in MProj#6, where he helped out against the replay of Namor's tidal wave.
Silver Scorpion was originally in DMC#7-8 and Comedy Comics #9. Roy Thomas made her an armoured heroine in Invaders vol2 #2-4. Spider-Woman imitates the unarmoured version here.

Comments: No inkers are credited for the series. The identities assumed by the Avengers (as explained next issue) are: Black Avenger (Luke Cage), Challenger (Spider-Man), Silver Scorpion (Spider-Woman), Captain Terror (Wolverine), Electro (Iron Man), Golden Age Black Widow (Ms Marvel); Wasp does not need a disguise as she can shrink to near invisibility.

Review: Oh crap, the Red Skull gets the Cosmic Cube; wait, maybe this story will finally become interesting…Nazi-controlled world? Didn’t see that coming—since I figured no self-respecting writer would rake up that old cliché again…The Avengers don the identities of Golden Age Timely heroes? Roy Thomas will be thrilled—since he’s the only one who would recognize them all without help…Wait, Luke Cage is in this series? Since when?...Namor summons a sub to take them across the Atlantic; why doesn’t he call up an armada to wipe out the Nazis?...Ruined Statue of Liberty? Ho hum, that’s how we know New York is in trouble…Bucky’s reflection on heroic acts that will remain forever unknown is actually moving, what happened?...And the Red Skull get the final word, “I’ve been bored of late.” I’d say he must have been reading this series but that cheap shot is too easy.

They all have lives after this documented in modern Marvel mags:-
Black Widow and Electro will be 2 of the 12 in Twelve: Spearhead and put in suspended animation to the present in the Twelve limited series.
Captain Terror will make an appearance in 12#1, but but he'll be an old man in his later apps:- Sensational She-Hulk #16-17, a reunion in Captain America #442, and as Smasher's grandfather in Avengers (2013) #5 and Avengers World #2,14
Black Avenger will also attend the CA#442 reunion, and he'll be in a retirement home in Ant-Man: Last Days.
Challenger will get brought forward in time from the 40s in She-Hulk (2004) #11, and lead an Initiative team in some issues of Avengers: Initiative.
Silver Scorpion will be 1 of the V-Battalion's Penance Council in some issues of Thunderbolts and the 2 Citizen V & V-Battalion mini-series.