Synopsis
Unknown demons went around possessing heroes trying to get hold of the Eye Of Agamotto until finally they possessed Iron Fist and took him away with it. Then the New Avengers had to fight an invasion of other unknown demons through a rent in the sky. But at the end of last issue the demons left and the rent closed, but not before returning Iron Fist (in a transmuted costume) and the Eye. And Danny Rand declared that he'd met Dr Strange's ascended mentor the Ancient One who told him that DrS stole the Eye from its owner and so he's to blame for what's happening.
But this issue starts several years ago where Mister Rasputin, a minor foe of Stephen Strange, tries to hire the Hand ninjas to kill the then-Sorcerer Supreme and steal the Eye for him. He tells them that he's trained for years to even be able to hold the amulet, and that no-one knows who Agamotto is. But then Stephen's manservant Wong pops up to tell them that Agamotto is 1 of the 3 Vishanti, some of the most powerful mystical entities in the universe. And legend has it that he was Earth's 1st Sorcerer Supreme. Agomotto left his Eye to be passed down through generations of SS's, all chosen by the Eye itself. So stealing it will do them no good. Rasputin thinks Strange sent his servant because he's afraid to face him personally, but now they can use Wong as a bargaining chip. Then Stephen steps forth from the shadows and the duo do it the hard way by comprehensively defeating the ninjas with magic and martial arts. (Rasputin seems to have slipped away.)
Then we get another sidebar, this 1 current. In #1 demons took away the spirit of Dr Voodoo's brother Daniel Drumm. Now we see him in the featureless white space to which Iron Fist was taken, trying to find anyone else or contact his brother Jericho. He's beginning to believe he's dead, but the space isn't quite so featureless anymore.
The main battleground in the previous issues was Avengers Mansion and Central Park across the road. Hawkeye (Clint Barton who's been MIA since #2) digs himself out from under an overturned taxi. He meets the rest of the combatants at the Mansion's front door and has a reunion with his wife Bobbi Morse (Mockingbird). He hasn't got time to be brought up to speed on what's happened because he's received a priority emergency call from the (not-New) Avengers. He tells them he's not going to join *this* team - he only attended the lunch meeting in #1 to see Bobbi. After he's left Spider-Man complains that he's on *both* teams so why didn't he get a call? Ms Marvel (Carol Danvers) asks him if he's got an APE pager, and he has to admit he didn't know there was such a thing. Nobody seems to wonder why Wolverine didn't get a call when he too is on both teams (and the X-Men).
The next scene change is to Dr Voodoo's Sanctum Sanctorum in New Orleans. Jericho Drumm, the current Sorcerer Supreme and hence official possessor of the Eye, is desperately searching his magic library for any clue as to where his brother is and how to rescue him. Then he gets an anguished visitation by said ghost.
The New Avengers regroup in the (re-)damaged Mansion. Iron Fist's anger has reduced to simmering since punching Stephen Strange at the end of last issue. DrS is still blaming himself for all this, and Danny Rand still thinks he's right. But Stephen explains that whoever Danny met could *not* be the Ancient One. The AO *gave* him the Eye to anoint him as Sorcerer Supreme, as he in turn passed it on to Jericho Drumm. If the AO had reason to want it back he would know the proper route to get it. Whoever this is he obviously needs the amulet for his own reasons but is having to resort to force or trickery to get it. Danny says that the AO told him that Strange cast spells on the Eye to stop him from taking it, which Stephen now flatly denies. And IF apologises for hitting him. But DrS says the idea was sound and *does* cast some protection spells on the Eye.
Victoria Hand asks if there's a list of who might want the Eye and is powerful enough to do what's happened in past issues. Spider-Man jokingly wonders if Agamotto wants his Eye back, but Strange and Daimon Hellstrom take the idea seriously. Jessica Jones asks why they don't give it back to him. Thing says you don't give the bad guy what he wants. She counters that in his home dimension he might be the good guy. Daimon says he was the 1st Sorcerer Supreme and like the Ancient One is now ascended to a higher plane. Stephen tells them that if it *is* Agamotto then it's really bad news.
And at that point Agamotto himself joins them in his tiger aspect. Then he turns into a tigerish version of the AO who continues to talk as if he's *not* Aggie. He asks Stephen if he really wants to go to war with Agamotto and the forces of the Light Dimension. And he urges DrS to hand the Eye over to 'him'. But Strange insists on addressing him as Agamotto directly, saying that he should know that he *can't* give the Eye to him because it now belongs to Jericho Drumm. So the 'god' takes over the other Avengers who approach menacingly while chorusing that the Vishanti are no more and he needs all his power including his amulet. Against that this dimension matters not at all. DrS can't believe that the Vishanti have gone but his resistance is crumbling.
But then Dr Voodoo intercedes and forces Agamotto into his alternate form as a caterpillar. The possession of the Avengers is broken and Aggie vanishes away. DrV takes the Eye back from Strange and claims to know exactly what to do. He personally challenges Agamotto. And the challenge is accepted.
He tells the others that Agamotto didn't reveal himself before because he didn't want this kind of challenge, which Strange adds is to the death. Daimon shouts that Jericho's not up to this, and Stephen calmly adds that they don't know where the foe is. But Jericho says that his brother Daniel contacted him, possibly with his dying breath, to show him the dimension of light where he's hiding. If the Vishanti are broken then the the mystic universe is in chaos and Agamotto is less powerful than he was. And the Avengers can help in the fight.
The fight is 1 vessel against 1 vessel but Jericho is considering using a binding spell. Stephen muses that it's not *against* the rules. And they explain to the others that there are rules that mages agree to follow, but creative bending of the rules is allowed. Daimon protests that their enemy has been breaking the rules, but Strange points out that's how they know they're the good guys in this. This particular binding spell will gather all the powers and abilities of the group and give them to the 1 who will enter the challenge.
DrV admits that this spell has never been used on mortals before so the side-effects might be unpredictable, but everyone, even Victoria Hand, is up for it. He intends to be the vessel but Wolverine says he will take it because he's ready to do *whatever*'s necessary. He suggests Jericho be his guide. Stephen and Daimon have to agree the scheme makes sense and Agamotto won't be expecting it.
So Voodoo gets them all to sit in a circle round Logan and Jericho recites the spell while DrS(?) bolsters Wolvie with a Fortification chant. And when it's done Wolverine stands with all their powers, the only outer evidence being Daimon's inverted pentacle and Danny's dragon sigil on his chest.
Story 2: Avengers Assemble - the oral history of the Earth's mightiest heroes Chapter 8.
Written by Brian Michael Bendis with illustrations by Stephanie Hans and Jack Kirby & John Romita.
Chapter 7 in Avengers #5 covered the early days of Cap' Kooky Quartet, centring on the Swordsman tale in Av#19-20. This Chapter will be based on #21-24, with maybe a hint of #25.
1st off they talk about the Enchantress in #21-22 (but barely mentioning the villain Power Man she created to implement her plan). Pietro Maximoff remembers her being a thorn in their side despite the Asgardian being really Thor's enemy. (She'd been in the Masters Of Evil for 5 out of the 16 issues of the original team, and now she's back.) Janet Van Dyne wonders why Odin's favourite punishment seems to be banishing someone to Earth.
Pietro remembers that she (with PM) created situations that made them look bad (in #21). Steve Rogers says it only worked because of the team's internal weaknesses. Clint Barton apologises for constantly undermining his leadership, and everyone else chimes in with examples. Clint does point out that Cap was still coming to terms with being a man out of his time. Rick Jones (who'd actually left them by then to go back to his pal Hulk) reminds them about his confusing relationship with Cap. And Clint adds that he had a big crush on Wanda Maximoff while she was in love with Steve, and her brother Pietro was watching us both. So Enchantress, Power Man and Dr Doom (#25) came in on top of that. Steve denies that any love was in the air. Pietro hotly defends Wanda's honour.
The upshot was that the team got disbanded by the city council and found jobs elsewhere (#22). Clint thinks it was his semi-criminal past that caused the problem (although I feel Pietro and Wanda's 'terrorist' past would have weighed heavier). Tony Stark thinks it's just because the public forget the good someone's done in the past (or even don't believe most of it) and just concentrate on their bad press. He cites Spider-Man as a prime example. He says a superhero can't do the job for public adoration, just for their desire to do good. (Tony mentions a couple of times the team fighting Dr Doom. He might be referring to the retro-added #1.5 or possibly #25.) Everyone recalls that they very quickly got back together.
They don't mention that Cap quit the team anyway. But Clint does say that Kang chose their time of weakness to attack them from the future (#23-24). Kang praises his own cunning but Steve thinks he's not as clever as he makes out. Pietro thinks his attack *caused* them to reform again.
Clint remembers that at this time the media were asking what happened to the *real* Avengers - Giant-Man, Iron Man and Thor, even the Hulk? Rick Jones likens it to a rock band continuing after losing their lead singer. Steve remembers losing his belief in the team, but he kept his promise to hold it together until the originals came back.
And in Chapter 9 in Avengers #6 2 of them (Giant-Man and Wasp) do return (noticeably the ones without a series to call their own).