Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Last issue ended with Avenger X bursting free of her tomb which rewritten history had moved to the Avengers' storage room in the basement of their current home in the Baxter Building, now HQ of Parker Industries.
We know Avenger X from the recent continuity implant mini-series Avengers #1.1-5.1. But the team members who found her (Captain America (Sam Wilson) and Wasp (Nadia Pym)) don't know who she is and have carried her up to their top floor base. They are joined by Hercules, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and Thor (Jane Foster).
The young woman is surprised that Cap is an African American and asks about Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. (These were the 4 Avengers in her day.) Then Vision enters and warns them that Cassandra is a power syphon. When the team met her she amplified their powers, but they learned that she did it by draining the life from other people. In the final battle against her she disappeared. (We know that the Frightful Four buried her.)
AvX shows her colours by causing Vision to explode, which also takes Hercules out of the fight. She gets away and the other 4 split up. 3 of them start evacuating parts of the building, keeping an eye out for the enemy. Nadia is left to contact the 4 old Avengers and try to find a weakness in Cassandra they can exploit.
Spider-Man comes across her in his travels. His Spider-Sense had warned him she was dangerous but he hadn't wanted to prejudice his team against so obviously weak and traumatised a foe. Now it goes off again but she puts on a confused act to win his sympathy. But then she hits him with the strength of Hercules and drains his own power.
Sam contacts Nadia and is told that the old Avengers aren't answering. She's not getting any joy from the Avengers' database either. Cap sees Avenger X and gives chase with his thrown shield. Wasp has abandoned her task and found Spidey, looking withered like Herc. Cassandra is clinging to the ceiling Spider-like and drops on Cap. Now she has his shield and skill.
Wasp meets up with Thor and tells her that AvX has taken the others out and absorbed their powers. Cassandra hits Thor with Cap's hurled shield which stuns her a bit (and knocks her helmet down a stairwell). Groggy Thor goes up against the villain who manages to get the upper hand with a combination of skills and drains *her* power. Mjolnir takes the weak Goddess down the stairwell to join her hat.
Cassandra tracks down the remaining Wasp. But Nadia *did* manage to contact *somebody*. Iron Man (Victor Von Doom) turns up to save the day. He effortlessly deflects her attacks and grabs her by the throat. But then the ricocheting shield hits his armoured head and she manages to get his mask open. She is about to touch his face and steal his power/knowledge when Wasp strikes.
Next thing AvX knows is that she and Wasp are in the Microverse. Nadia tells Cassandra she won't be able to escape from here even if she takes her shrinking/growing power because Nadia didn't have time to leave a homing beacon to aim for. But Wasp hasn't actually committed suicide because she expects help ... and grabs Cap's shield as it whizzes past.
She and the shield enlarge in front of Dr Doom. Nadia knew that Victor knew all about travelling to the Microverse (since way back in Fantastic Four #16), and gambled that he could rescue her.
The other Avengers are recovering so Doom takes his leave.