Synopsis
The Avengers #312 synopsis by
T Vernon
Rating:
After the destruction of Avengers Hydrobase, the teammates (Wasp, Falcon, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Hank Pym) have set up quarters in a subbasement of Avengers Park. They witness the wave of madness sweeping the continental United States and no one can discern a cause…
…nor are they aware that they are being watched via magical means by the secret villain behind the Acts of Vengeance [it’s Loki. It’s always Loki]. In the guise of a servant, he visits the gathering of supervillains who are the pawns in his massive scheme (Doctor Doom, Magneto, Red Skull, Mandarin, Kingpin, Wizard) to bring them up to date but he finds them bickering among themselves. Loki calms them down but Red Skull demands an apology from the Wizard for insulting the Master Race; Magneto compounds the insult. Loki calms them down then returns to his secret lair to continue his scheme….
Professor Harker, dreaming of the glories his new compressor will bring him, enters his shabby apartment to find Nebula waiting for him….
A helicopter lands in Central Park and Pyro, Blob, and Avalanche emerge, current members of the Freedom Force. They walk to Avengers Park, bullying everyone they meet on the way and wait. The Avengers are aware of them so Vision ascends through the ground to ask them their business. This leads to Vision being punched by Blob so the others race to the surface and the battle is joined, leading to a lot of wrecked statues. The mutants prove to be a formidable group but eventually, Pyro’s flame thrower is shorted out, Pym Particles are used to shrink Blob so that he falls through the Earth, but Avalanche is able to distort the Vision’s android body. The Avengers overcome the bad guys, who call the police and, being government agents, try to have the Avengers arrested. But Captain America arrives to point out that an upheaval at the top means the Freedom Force’s validity is in question so the three bad guys are on their own. The crowd starts fighting over whether superheroes are good guys or bad guys. The distraction gives Avalanche the opportunity to rip up the sidewalk so he and Pyro can escape in their copter. Wanda wants to shoot them down with her hex power but Cap warns her about civilian casualties. Then Vision, whole and well again, distracts her while the others wonder what is behind all of the recent craziness and Loki watches and laughs….