Synopsis
Last issue a new team (mostly the old team) of New Avengers took up *official* residence in Avengers Mansion. Almost immediately they were attacked by demon-possessed Dr Strange and Daimon Hellstrom who were after the Eye Of Agamotto. They'd already attacked the current Sorcerer Supreme Dr Voodoo who had it but he had mystically sent it to Luke Cage, who now has it but is now also possessed and has grown giant-size.
Hawkeye tells Jessica Jones to take her baby Danielle Cage out of danger but she hands her to Spider-Man because she needs to help save her husband, and Spidey takes Dani upstairs. Wolverine and Iron Fist urge Thing to grab the amulet from Cage and take *it* away. Ms Marvel wonders if this is another Skrull attack, which panics Mockingbird (the only 1 present who was abducted by the Skrulls in the leadup to their Secret Invasion). Thing makes his move but Luke punches him out of the building and into Central Park. But Cage has dropped the Eye and during the scramble for it his flying wife hits him with a mighty uppercut. Logan grabs the amulet and tosses it after Thing. DrS and Hellstrom menace Jess so Wolverine sticks his claws into their shoulders.
The fracas now shifts to the Park. The Eye lands near a picnicking couple who look up to see giant Cage and several Avengers racing towards them, and Thing lumbering from another direction. The panicking picnicking man tosses the amulet away and both Cage and Ben Grimm lunge for it. But Carol Danvers zooms past and takes it away into the sky.. And Thing returns the favour of a punch to Luke.
Back in the Mansion Wolvie still has his claws in the possessed mystics and demands to be told who they really are. In response the possessors leave their victims as astral smoke. Peter Parker has come back downstairs and is shocked to see what Logan has done, but is assured that the claws only went in a little way. In turn he has to explain that he's left the baby upstairs but brought the baby monitor with him. Logan tells him to get a doctor. Spidey replies that they have 1 but Logan stabbed him. Then Stephen Strange recovers.
Outside Jessica has giant Luke pinned down and is trying to get through to him, but now 1 punch sends *her* flying. So Thing takes over the job and asks who the possessor is but is told that his feeble human mind wouldn't comprehend the answer. Now Mockingbird gets the idea of recording the event (why?) and persuades a bystander to 'lend' her his mobile phone.
Inside DrS commends Logan for using physical pain to drive the demons out, but it seems Wolvie didn't know that would work. Spidey's got a roll of paper towel to staunch the wounds and Strange starts to heal himself. But they have to give him the bad news that Luke is possessed too.
In the Park Bobbi Morse is recording as Cage tries to persuade Grimm that he's not possessed anymore, but Ben isn't fooled. Then the demon offers to set Cage free if they give him the Eye. Iron Fist asks why they want it and the demon replies that they work for the being that the Eye belongs to. Returned Jessica repeats her attempt to get Luke to fight his possessor, but then Ms Marvel returns as well and makes a counteroffer - free Luke or she'll smash the Eye. The enraged demon throws off Thing and Hawkeye and tries to reach the hovering heroine. She dodges and taunts him then moves in to take *her* turn at a mighty blow to the chin. Big mistake as he grabs her and she drops the amulet.
In the Mansion DrS finishes his mystical healing and then does the same for Daimon. Neither of them know who's doing this but Hellstrom somehow knows that they're trying to pull the dimension apart.
Outside Danny Rand now has the Eye and Cage is chasing him. But he turns and downs the giant with a blow from his glowing Iron Fist. Everybody else piles on while IF suggests they get Luke inside to avoid civilian casualties and then find Dr Voodoo who might know what all this is about. Then the 4 from the Mansion join them with Hellstrom urging them all to get away from it, but they don't know whether he means the demon or the Eye. But the 2 magic-users detect that the demon has transferred into Danny who still has the Eye.
Then Voodoo himself turns up and orders the demon to leave Iron Fist and the Eye and go. The heroes surround him and the 3 sorcerers prepare magic attacks. But the demon and Danny and the amulet disappear in a blinding flash.
Luke recovers. Hellstrom and Voodoo blame each other but Ben tells them they've got to help get Danny back. Daimon despairs and Jericho Drumm asks Dr Strange to tell him what to do. Stephen tells them all that without the Eye they forfeit everything, as burning skies split open to let in winged demons.
Story 2: Avengers Assemble - the oral history of the Earth's mightiest heroes Chapter 3.
Written by Brian Michael Bendis with spot illoes by Arthur Adams & Laura Martin and Darick Robertson & Morry Hollowell.
The 1st Chapter (split between current Av#1 and NAv#1) concentrated on the original Avengers #1 and Hulk quitting in #2. In Chapter 2 (in Av#2) the focus was on the WWII origin of Captain America and his return in Av#4.
This Chapter covers Cap's partnership with Rick Jones and his complicated relationship with Sub-Mariner.
Cap says he'd only had a few years in the early 40s to adjust to his change from frail Steve Rogers to the super-soldier, but now he was being treated like a legend.
Rick Jones and Tony Stark remark that he had to cope with being a man out of his time.
Thor likens it to his coming from Asgard to Earth.
Janet Van Dyne just says she was impressed by him.
When Cap met Rick Jones in Av#4 he was struck by how much he resembled his dead young partner Bucky Barnes. And over the following issues he took Rick under his wing.
Rick reckons that Cap was just looking for something that reminded him of his old life, and he himself welcomed the excuse to hang out with the Avengers. But he also felt guilty for abandoning his old pal Hulk.
Cap admits he was in mourning, and training Rick helped.
Tony doesn't think it was weird but Jan and Henry Pym do.
Rick remembers that (in the rest of Av#4) he and Cap alone had to save the team from somebody.
Cap also can't remember the foe's name (it was a Medusa-like alien who'd turned the Avengers to stone) but he knows that Prince Namor was behind it. They'd been allies in the Invaders but Subby had always had conflicting allegiances and motives.
Namor himself says he holds Cap in the highest regard, along with Dr Doom. He's proud to have fought alongside him in WWII but Cap and other surface-dwellers can never understand his responsibility to his Atlantean people and the oceans themselves. And he himself often has to admonish them for how badly they treat the whole planet.
Cap claims to understand but says Namor has to pick a side. 1 day he's your friend and the next he's teaming up with Dr Doom.
Tony says he didn't know Namor as well as he does now, and thought him very arrogant. And that's coming from someone who *is* arrogant.
Hank thinks the attacks on the surface world were more tantrums than terrorism.
Jan just comments on the rumours of his relationship with Sue Storm.
At the end of Av#4 the Avengers fought Sub-Mariner and Atlantean troops.
Cap remembers how he was impressed by their bravery and teamwork. And particularly by Thor.
Hank remembers this as the team's 1st big win. But they couldn't have done it without Cap.
Tony was impressed by how the relatively-powerless Cap took Namor on.
Then they immediately invited Cap into their ranks, without even a meeting to discuss it.
The next Chapter in Avengers #3 moves on to Baron Zemo and his 1st 2 iterations of the Masters Of Evil in Av#6-7.