Synopsis
This story continues from #144 (#145-146 were an out-of-sequence tale).
It's 5 issues since the start of the Serpent Crown saga (7 if you count #145-146), and only now does the Serpent Crown get involved. As with last issue the writer only spares 1 page for the other bunch of Avengers led by Thor.
The group we're following (Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch and Vision with would-be Avengers Beast and Hellcat) are with the Squadron Supreme (Dr Spectrum, Golden Archer, Hyperion, Lady Lark and Whizzer) in the Squadron's home timeline. They were sent here by Hugh Jones, President of Roxxon Oil, to avoid awkward questions by the police about the fight between the teams at Brand Corporation where the other-worlders were providing security.
The teams resume fighting. Dr Spectrum starts it by blasting Iron Man, but Shellhead goes for a rematch (from #141) against Whizzer. Hellcat tackles Hyperion without realising just how outmatched she is. Even though the Cat's costume seems to upgrade her normal athletic skills to Olympic level, she's still soon caught and Beast rushes to help. But that just ends up with Hype holding them both in his grip.
Meanwhile Vision takes down Lady Lark with his hand-materialised-inside-her-body trick, so that she can't defeat his team with her song as she did in #141. Golden Archer retaliates over the attack on his girlfriend, until Cap's shield knocks him down. And Scarlet Witch's magic-enhanced hexes are more than a match for Dr Spectrum.
Now the battle is ended by the arrival of the army, who take the side of their world's champions and hold the Avengers at gunpoint. And they are joined by Air Force One carrying President Nelson Rockefeller. Who's wearing a Serpent Crown.
Captain America updates us and his teammates on his recent brush as Nomad with such an object. In CA#180-181 the Serpent Squad and the Atlantean Warlord Krang put the Serpent Crown on the head of Hugh Jones, which forced him to use a Roxxon Oil platform to unsuccessfully try to raise the sunken continent of Lemuria. The Serpent Crown in fact manipulated the villains into arranging this.
Wanda and Vision deduce that the current Serpent Crown is the 1 from this timeline. Viszh surprises the soldiers by going transparent, and ghosts over to steal the Crown. He flies off with it and drops it into the hands of his wife. And Wanda makes the army let the Avengers go by threatening to destroy it.
Rockefeller is desperate not to lose the crown, and mentally contacts Hugh Jones on the Avengers' Earth. Jones and Security Chief Buzz Baxter have just managed to persuade the police to leave. It turns out that all Serpent Crowns in the multiverse are part of 1 old and evil mind, and whoever wears 1 of the Crowns becomes its slave forever.
Beast, Cap, Hellcat and Scarlet Witch are walking along, while Iron Man and Vision fly overhead watching for pursuit. Wanda is using her new witch powers to mentally contact the Crown. She discovers its effects, and that it has been worn by many powerful men in this world. As the other 3 discuss this they don't notice the Witch lag behind and fall unconscious. But Vision does.
Interlude:- Hawkeye, Moondragon and Thor arrive in the modern mid-West in Kang's time-sphere, after their Wild West adventure. Two-Gun Kid has come with them. Hawkeye is going to stay her in the West with him, but he hasn't quit the Avengers, just become an on-call member. They head off to catch some wild horses. And Moondragon prepares to have a talk with Thor - but that's for next time.
Vison helps Wanda up, but her probing of the Crown has allowed her to be taken over and she shouts insults at him. He tries to take it off her but she blasts him away and runs off to return the Crown to the President.
Meanwhile Golden Archer and Lady Lark have having their own lovers' tiff as they accompany Hyperion on foot looking for the Avengers. Hype is glad, as an alien, to be spared entanglement with an Earth woman.
They run into the Witch, which leads to a fight between Vision and the Squaddies. Hyperion bounces off his diamond-hard form. The Archer's blast arrow passes through his intangible form. And his heat ray downs the Lark. So Golden Archer uses a sonic arrow instead which affects Vision's ears.
Hyperion wraps a lamppost around the android and ties it in a knot, boasting that this was how he 1st captured his arch-foe Burbank. But Vision just ghosts away into the ground and pops up behind the Archer to knock him out with his eye-beams. Then Hype and Viszh pound each other until the android's dematerialised hand disrupts his opponent's body
Meanwhile Scarlet Witch had fallen to the ground again as she struggled to free her mind from the Serpent Crown. Now Lady Lark revives behind Vision and is about to use her song against the oblivious android. When Wanda bops her on the head (with the Crown?).
The Witch tells her husband that something allowed her to resist the Crown - maybe her mutant power or her new witchy abilities. But Vision suggests maybe it was her love for him.
They walk off together. Vision takes the Crown, reasoning that it won't be able to attack his computer mind. But if it does, then maybe love will save him too.