Uncanny Avengers #23: Review

May 2017

Gerry Duggan, Pepe Larraz

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Story Name:

Coda

Review & Comments

Rating:

Uncanny Avengers #23 Review by Rob Johnson (May 27, 2017)

This issue closes off some plotlines and gets rid of some team members ready for Secret Empire.

Deadpool's new job for Captain America will be unveiled in DP#31-34 as part of SE, which ominously has him dressed in Hydra green.

There's no Human Torch this issue but he's back next issue.

I don't know if the team makes it to N'Orleans because the next we see of them is in SE#0 getting trapped in New York by the Darkforce bubble, except Quicksilver who outside the bubble taking part in the defence of Washington. Next issue will follow the team in NY, while Pietro will go on to be part of the Avengers team searching for fragments of the Kobik Cosmic Cube in SE#2 onwards.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Uncanny Avengers #23 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

Last issue (among other momentous events) and Rogue shared a kiss (or 2). Presumably because of absorbing DP's injuries and cancer (temporarily because they're back now) she blacked out. And Wonder Man was released from within her, accusing Wade Wilson of attacking her.

Now she awakes on her bed at the Unity Squad's HQ with the pair hovering solicitously over her. Beast bounds in, overjoyed to see his old buddy Simon Williams back in the ionic flesh. Hank McCoy has come up with a (scientific gobbledygook) explanation of why kissing Deadpool released WM, but he wonders if Rogue will retain Wonder Man's powers. The sight of her hovering (literally this time) over the bed suggests she has.

Anna Marie passes on Beast's offer to test her powers. After being used as a lab rat by by the High Evolutionary's master scientist in the 2nd series of this title, and more tests after she suffered Terrigen poisoning in #0 of the current Avengers series, she's had enough. And Simon kindly answers my question from last issue - when the master scientist apparently removed WM's consciousness from her mind in v2#1 it merely sent him to sleep until now.

Now Wade gives Simon some news - he's broke. After Tony Stark had money problems (at the start of the post-Secret Wars universe) and could no longer fund the Avengers teams Steve Rogers persuaded DP to use money he was getting from merchandising to bankroll the Unity Squad. When that wasn't enough Wade siphoned proceeds from his Mercs For Money gang. And then (which is news to us too) because Simon was presumed dead Wade used his stash. And currently that's looking after Cable's hospital bill.

That segues us to the main section of this issue. Synapse is watching over Cable who closed down his own mind in #19 to deny Red Skull access to his powers. It seems various X-telepaths have failed to revive him, and Synapse's touch doesn't detect any neural activity. But on a hunch she tries contacting the AI in his cybernetic arm instead - and finds herself inside Nathan Summers' subconscious.

The 1st scene is the Days Of Future Past future and she's hunted by Sentinels and the Hound Rachel Summers. She runs past the graves of various superhumans and finds Cable apparently kneeling over his own inert body. But this 'Cable' is his evil clone Stryfe who tries to shoot her. But Emily Guerrero mentally hijacks his nervous system and causes him to shoot himself in the head instead.

Then Emily is confronted by what appears to be her grandfather, the Shredded Man from #1-4. But it's really a 'Shredded' version of her future self. Cable knew that in a future Emily would follow her grandfather's path in reducing Earth's population to mutated plants and animals and her fellow Inhumans. He came back in time to prevent that future by nurturing her hero-side.

As Synapse destroys her future self Cable wakes up in this dreamworld. Emily explains that she noticed his AI Belle was no longer displayed on his cybernetic arm, which led her to guess that he'd wiped Belle to make room for his own consciousness. Now she uses her neural power to allow that consciousness to transfer back into Nathan's head.

Then they return to reality in the hospital room where Nathan really is awake. After exchanging explanations Cable pops back to the future - his job here is done.

Deadpool is trying to get Wonder Man's money back by selling the Schaeffer Theatre that house their HQ. But he learns that no-one will buy it because it's been 'spandexed'. Anyone who buys an old superhero hideout finds themselves a target for old enemies. Simon leaves in disgust.

Then a car draws up bearing Captain America (Steve Rogers) who takes Wade away to new job.

Now we have a final scene with most of the rest of the team. Doctor Voodoo, Quicksilver and Wasp share a coffee break. Jericho Drumm intends to seek out his brother Daniel who has allied himself with the Hand. Janet Van Dyne will collect her stuff and leave. They join Rogue and Synapse as Jericho gets a magic message from someone called Prixat that Daniel and the Hand are digging up graves in New Orleans. The others all offer to accompany Voodoo to investigate.

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