Force Works #18

Apocryphus is one of Kang's Anachronauts, as introduced in the Citizen Kang crossover, specifically Fantastic Four Annual #25. One of the silhouetted figures with him looks like Deathunt 9000, another Anachronaut, who will pop up in War Machine #21. Apocryphus was probably the man who found Kim last issue. It is possible that other shadowy figures in these 2 issues are other members of the original Anachronauts. None of the other Anachronauts take part in the attack this issue, nor the attack in Avengers: The Crossing. But #19 will reveal that the attack squad are all part of Kang's growing Anachronaut army. An army which Kim seems destined to join. The original Anachronauts were last seen in a backup story in Avengers Annual #22, where they were working for Terminatrix, who they knew was pretending to be the then-'dead' Kang. An epilogue to Avengers: Terminatrix Objective showed Terminatrix and the revived Kang later ruling together, presumably still served by the Anachronauts. This will be confirmed by Avengers Forever, until Terminatrix and Anachronauts die in Avengers Forever #3. The obvious way to include the Apocryphus and Deathunt in that sequence is in the published order, between Terminatrix Objective and Avengers Forever. But see my comments on Avengers #393 for an alternative suggestion. Gustav Brandt was Libra of the criminal gang Zodiac, supposedly dead since West Coast Avengers #26. He was the father of Mantis, who we have already seen in Avengers #392 as one of the villains behind this crossover. He was trained by the Priests of Pama in Agaphaur, who later also trained Mantis.

This issue is part of the Crossing crossover, continuing directly from Iron Man #322. Iron Man may not actually appear in this issue. But he is probably the shadowed man who sends the Strike Team against Hawkeye, after getting permission from Kang or Mantis. A clue to support this is that the man appears to have fingers encased in red armour. Also, he knows of the presence of Hawkeye, U.S.Agent and an unidentified other, but not Black Widow, which is exactly the information he would have got from Cybermancer. His control room here appears to be the same as that of Iron Man's Arctic bunker in Iron Man #324. Plus the Marvel Comics and Comic Vine Databases list Iron Man as a character in the issue. However on the minus side, Force Works isn't yet documented in the Official Index to the Marvel Universe, but the relevant entries in Iron Man's Index don't indicate that he made a between-issues appearance in this issue. The only alternative candidate I have is Deathunt 9000 of Kang's Anachronauts. Deathunt leads Strike Team Decimal Four in War Machine #21. But his fingers aren't armoured. And his appearance in a technological hideaway on Earth might clash with his possible silhouetted appearance in the 'alternate Vietnam' mentioned below. The premature disclosure that the villains fear is presumably that the presence of Deathunt with the Strike Team in War Machine #21 will point to Kang's involvement. I don't know why the place Force Works are in isn't like Vietnam. Vietnam has been removed from Earth, so it would make sense that it has been brought here, as the temple of Agaphaur has. Next issue suggests that I am right.