Synopsis
Avengers Assemble (2024 series) #5 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
While the AvengERS (Emergency Response Squad) led by Captain America (Steve Rogers) were handling handling various situations the Serpent Society led by Pit Viper used the cover of the chaos to steal ingredients for the toxic Serpent's Tears inspired by Mephisto. But our team has sussed what's going on and confronted them in the Attanian Republic. But last issue Viper used some Tears to turn Cap into a serpent.
Now the teams clash, with Serpent-Cap on the other side. Shang-Chi faces the mysterious new Serpent Tiger Snake in a martial arts battle. Shang claims he was caught by surprise when they 1st met (#3) but now he has the measure of his foe. TS says he fights for his maker Mephisto, which Shang says means he dishonours his art. An explosive blow downs the bad guy who asks his master why he has abandoned him. SC says that blow would have defeated but not destroyed a normal human (but it looks like it killed TS).
While Pit Viper fights Night Thrasher he notes Tiger's fall and protests that Mephisto promised he was unbeatable, which makes him doubt his lord and allows his foe to get the upper hand (or foot). In the background Hawkeye is holding off Serpent-Cap with his bow while Hercules shrugs off the grip of Anaconda and Wonder Man stands before the large container of Serpent's Tears and wonders how to destroy the contents. The other new Serpent, the gigantic Titanoboa, stomps on She-Hulk while Wasp's sting and Photon's light blast bounce off his thick hide. They agree to split up so Janet Van Dyne can tackle some other Serpents while Monica Rambeau goes hand-to-hand with the titan to shock him directly. Sidewinder is teleporting around Lightning to avoid any attacks, but when he himself strikes he just gets an electric shock.
Cap-Snake has Clint Barton down but Night Thrasher comes to his aid by wrapping his Avengers jacket round Cap's head and pulling him away. That's left Pit Viper to recover but he now has college girl Lightspeed flying rings round him. Simon Williams is still pondering the problem of the toxin when Fer-De-Lance stabs him, boasting that the Tears affect all flesh. Of course her weapons don't harm his ionic body and she gets a shock from his ionic energy. But this gives him an idea. Meanwhile Titanoboa does a Hulk-clap which sends Photon flying, but She-Hulk manages to rise beneath his foot to topple him helped by a blast from returning Wasp.
WM has decided that the Serpent's Tears might not affect him because his body isn't flesh but ionic particles/energy. So he drinks all the toxin, which doesn't exactly have *no* effect. Cap-Snake is beating up Hawkeye and Night Thrasher so Photon and Wasp leave the giant to Shulk and rush to their aid. Jan zaps Cap while Monica feeds him concentrated vita-rays (as used in his WWII origin) to 'wake him up'. Jan, Clint and Dwayne Taylor then go to help subdue Titanoboa, passing Shang-Chi fighting Rock Python and Lightning battling Bushmaster. The giant is pummelling Jennifer Walters while Boomslang, Rattler and Asp try to stop the newcomers interfering. Barton complains that he has no bow and arrows so Taylor throws him a small package which turns out to contain a magnetic rail launcher 'slingshot' and a globe containing condensed-gamma-vapour. Hawkeye fires it at She-Hulk and it supercharges her Hulkiness so she's able to KO the foe with 1 blow.
Hercules and Miguel Santos face a hoard of Serpents, so Herc asks Lightning to hit him with a superbolt, and then he unleashes all that power (with a Hulk-smash to the ground) to take down all their opponents in 1 go. He reminds Miguel that he's been battling serpents since he was in a crib. Lightspeed is still taunting Pit Viper as she flies around him leaving her rainbow trail. She's obviously seen what Wonder Man has done with the Serpent's Tears because she adds that to her taunts. Jordan Dixon now realises that he's trapped by solid light, which she squeezes crushing his armour. Then she rushes to Simon's side as he recovers from the toxin. And Photon brings over the beaten but still-Serpent body of Steve Rogers.
The baddies are delivered to the International Court Of Justice in The Hague. And they return to base to cure Cap by adding Simon's ionic energy to Monica's vita-rays while their friend/leader was immersed in a chamber design by Dwayne Taylor. And it works.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Fer-de-Lance, Lightning (
Miguel Santos), Lightspeed (
Julie Power), Night Thrasher (
Dwayne Taylor), Photon (
Monica Rambeau), Pit Viper (
Jordan Dixon), Serpent Society, Sidewinder, Tiger Snake, Titanoboa.