Synopsis
Avengers, The (1963 series) #123 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
The Avengers (Black Panther, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Thor and Vision) had just captured Zodiac in their New York lair when 1 of the criminal cartel, Libra, claimed to be the father of their guest Mantis, which was why he betrayed his gang to save the heroes last issue. A claim Mantis now hotly disputes.
The Avengers take the rest of Zodiac to jail, and then return to Avengers Mansion with Libra to hear more of his story. As they find Mantis' injured lover Swordsman, Mantis suggests Libra's blindfold is a fake. But when she rips it off him the Avengers see his eyes have been burned away.
Libra relates his history. He is German, and was working as a mercenary for the French in Viet Nam in 1953. He met and married a native girl Lua in Saigon. But her brother, crimelord Monsieur Khruul, disapproved and they went into hiding. (The Avengers recall that Swordsman told them how he was working for Khruul when he met Mantis.) After Lua gave birth to a baby girl, Khruul's assassins caught up with them and burned their house down. Lua was killed but the blinded father escaped with his daughter.
The fleeing pair stumbled on a remote temple where they were cared for by the Priests of Pama. These guys spent years teaching the soldier to use his other senses to compensate for his lost sight. But they insisted on keeping the baby girl and raising her themselves. Before he left the future Libra saw the young girl learning martial arts. And this was Mantis, complete with antennae.
The ex-soldier eventually did leave the temple and never saw his daughter again. He became a criminal and joined Zodiac as Libra.
Mantis vehemently denies this was her life, and tries to attack Libra. The Avengers try to stop her, but her martial arts defeat them all. Her death grip even momentarily stuns Thor. But Libra himself proves her match, because he studied martial arts with the same teachers.
Suddenly Mantis realises the wounded Swordsman has gone. He's taken a quinjet, and tells them by radio that he's going to Saigon to get revenge for Mantis' mother. Their only other quinjet is in New Jersey where they left it in #121. And Panther's personal craft only carries 1. So Iron Man flies to NJ to get the bigger ship.
Meanwhile Swordsman invades Khruul's villa, only to have to fight his sword-wielding minions, whom Khruul has given a drug that makes them immune to pain. The fanatical assassins soon defeat the injured Swordsman, and Khruul has him tortured for information about his long-lost niece (except Swordsman never actually mentioned her during the fight).
When the Avengers get there Khruul and his men have already left for the temple of Pama. Leaving Scarlet Witch to take Swordsman to hospital, Libra leads the others to the site, but they find the Priests already murdered. Khruul flees as the heroes despatch his men. They hear him scream, and then find him slashed to ribbons. As he dies he groans "Beware the Star-Stalker". And the Avengers don't notice a large dragon in the shadows.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Libra (
Gustav Brandt), Priests of Pama.
Enemies
Star-Stalker, Zodiac.