While Captain America is going over
Avengers business in the office, he fields a call from FBI Agent
Freeman who gives him the results of the autopsy on the Red Skull:
the corpse matches Cap's fingerprints. Cap knows that the Skull was
in a body cloned from his own but still questions whether his
archenemy is truly dead....
The Red Skull proposes to the newly
freed Viper to bankroll any subversive scheme she dreams up to
destroy the United States. They seal their new partnership by
canoodling in a hot tub. Mother Superior spies on them and is upset
at the threat to her beloved Skull....
Meanwhile, Crossbones, having been
fired by the Red Skull for questioning his judgment, stops by the Bar
With No Name for a drink but a brawl among several women baddies (see
second story) annoys him and he walks out....
While Cap deals with Avengers matters
with Thor, Hercules and Quasar, Diamondback and John Jameson meet in
the library and, having just been dumped by his girlfriend (again)
flirts with Rachel....
At the Red Skull's hideaway, Mother
Superior is interviewing for the job of chief henchman to the Skull.
Three villains have applied, Mangler, Cutthroat, and Deathstroke, and
the position will go to the last one alive. A brutal fight breaks
out....
Then the Red Skull receives word that
someone is trespassing at his family home. It is Cap and the new Thor
(Eric Masterson) undergoing some on-the-job training, investigating
Skull House. They enter and Thor flies them over the booby-trapped
stairs but the second floor suddenly starts oozing and traps them in
stickum; Armin Zola arrives and commands Doughboy (for such is the
identity of the goop) to dumps the two prisoners at the bottom of the
lake...
Elsewhere, we learn that Cutthroat
“won” the job as henchman....
And in Manhattan, John Jameson is
driving Rachel to her class at secretarial school...and they are
being tailed by Crossbones....
2. “The Big Brawl” 3/5
Writer: Mark Gruenwald. Art: Larry
Alexander. Colors: Greg Wright.
Synopsis: At the Bar with No Name,
Black Mamba and Asp are confronted by Battleaxe, Golddigger, and
Steel Wind, who hope to collect the reward posted by Superia for
their capture. A massive battle breaks out between the two parties
and Crossbones (see the first story) is annoyed by the noise and
walks out. Impala joins in the brawl on the side of Asp and Black
Mamba and they manageto escape the bar. Outside, Impala asks if she
can join their team....