New Avengers (2010 series) #18

The events of this issue take place before last issue.

It starts yesterday in the Savage Land as Skaar, son of Hulk, KO's a dinosaur. Then Norman Osborn, with some precautionary armed guards, arrives with a proposal for him.

1 week ago, after Osborn was sprung from prison in #16.1 along with Superia (Dr Deidre Wentworth), he meets the leaders of his troops. Superia does the introductions:- Ophelia Sarkissian (Madame Hydra/Viper) leading a large faction of Hydra. Gorgon (Tomi Shishido) heading a large group of Hand assassins. Monica Rappaccini, AIM's Scientist Supreme. They will all join forces with Osborn/Superia's HAMMER troops.

Yesterday in Bellevue Hospital Centre a couple of cops are guarding comatose Barney Barton. They remind us he's Hawkeye's villain brother (Trickshot) whose injuries are because he was in Avengers Tower when it fell (in #16 and Avengers #14 during the Fear Itself event - but this is the 1st mention of Barney being there). A female medic surreptitiously injects him with something and he flatlines after she leaves. Later in the County Coroner's morgue she leads Osborn to the body and injects him with something else which brings him wide awake. Norman welcomes him to the Avengers.

A week ago Madame Hydra tells Osborn that Hydra believes in a world without corporations, SHIELD or Avengers but they'd always failed. But when Norman ran things (in his Dark Reign) he inspired the people to believe that too. Hydra had already splintered but she can bring him her faction, and she believes others will follow. She adds that she'll accept his leadership because she's sick of losing.

2 days ago in the Brazilian jungle Superia accompanies Osborn and the usual guards to meet someone Norman met in prison (in his 2011 mini-series). He calls out to Ai Apaec and they see a huge spider-body with a human torso with snakes for hair. Norman asks if he wants to come back to civilisation for a new life. He offers Ai a drug in repayment for his helping him escape from *that* prison (the Osborn mini-series again). Apaec risks taking the drug which immediately, and painfully, reshapes his body into a black-suited Spider-Man with 6 arms.

Continuing the 1 week ago stuff, Gorgon (his eyes masked to prevent his basilisk gaze turning people to stone) says he's a mutant and a member of the Hand as well as Hydra. He brought both together and they subverted Wolverine (in his Enemy Of The State arc). And he believes they can work together again. He's also telepathic and knows Osborn is recreating his Dark Avengers and wants him on the team. He asks Norman who he will be, and Osborn lets him read the answer in his mind that he can be whoever he wants.

3 days ago Norman is in bed with Dr June Covington who he also met in the same prison as Ai Apaec. Now he wants Toxie Doxie on his new team as a specific Avenger.

Again with the 1 week ago scene. Monica Rappaccini claims that AIM is cash-strapped after MODOK's leadership, but she says she has a gift for Norman ...

... and 5 days ago she shows it to him and the others. It's Ragnarok, the clone of Thor created by Reed Richards and Tony Stark (during the Civil War event). All it needs is financing to get it working again, and Osborn agrees to stump up the money.

At last we get to the present as Osborn addresses his assembled Dark Avengers:- Gorgon as Wolverine, Toxie Doxie as Scarlet Witch, Skaar as Hulk, Ai Apaec as Spider-Man, Trickshot as Hawkeye and Superia as Ms Marvel. Now all he needs is an armour to be the Iron Patriot again. (Which leads directly into him sending 'Ultimo' to get Iron Man's armour last issue.)