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Uncanny Avengers #5

Feb 2016
Gerry Duggan, Carlos Pacheco

Story Name:

The Bagalia job


Synopsis

Uncanny Avengers #5 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4 stars
Deadpool, Cable, Human Torch and Rogue invade the Queen Kathleen, a floating casino that caters to supervillains. They're looking for the Red Skull. No-one's willing to talk, including Honest John who's 1 of the Skull's minions. Torch leaves, pretending to believe they all know nothing. He's says that's it as far as the Avengers are officially concerned. But he'll leave the X-Men contingent in case they have any more questions.

30 seconds later the 3 join Johnny Storm on deck. They've learned that Red Skull keeps his money in the Starnes Bank in Bagalia.

Cable declares his job here is done and he's off back to the future. But it doesn't work. He consults Belle, the AI built in to the armour that encases his withered left arm. She finds that there's a tachyon anchor attached to his nervous system, and figures that their enemy Stryfe must have planted it in 2087 (where Cable came from in #2). She'll work on disabling it, but it will take some time.

This means Cable is going to stay with the Unity Squad for a while. But it also means he's heading back to the lab, and leaving the other 3 to go to Bagalia.

When they get there the 3 heroes exit their plane in midair. Rogue and Torch can fly down, but Deadpool chooses to do the jump on a motorbike. But the bike does take out a gun turret that threatens the other 2 on the roof of the bank. And Wade Wilson was no longer on it because he's switched to a parachute.

Deadpool hangs back to disable the security system while the other 2 fly down a lift shaft. But then he reports to them that someone else has already done it. They tell him to stay up top as backup. Rogue and Torch find themselves in a huge pillared room with knights' suits of armour ranged along the walls. They also find the earlier intruder - Rogue's old love Gambit.

Remy tells them that he paid for the same info they extorted on the floating casino. And the Cajun thief figured he'd help himself to some of Red Skull's loot. But he also warns them that the knights they passed weren't just decoration. The warning's a bit late as the suits of armour attack - 1 with a flaming sword.

Johnny Storm tackles that 1 while Rogue bashes some others. And Gambit goes back to picking the electronic lock to the vault. Because they activated the guards he only has a few moments before the vault locks shut. And its vibranium walls make it impregnable.

Rogue calls for Deadpool as she continues bashing. Torch melts his opponent. Deadpool calls down to say he's discovered a part of the security system involving automated guardians, just as the last of those guardians smacks Johnny in the head with a shield.  So Rogue rams it through the wall to the outside still multistoreys up.

However Gambit announces that he got through the lock. They enter the vault which contains the usual lockboxes, but also another vault door at the end. Behind that should be Red Skull's stuff. Rogue rips the door off. But the inner vault's empty.

Rogue sends Torch back up to Deadpool to prepare to leave, while she stays for a moment and a kiss with Remy. But Gambit declines on account of the Terrigen infection she's got. So she leaves him in the vault.

After she's gone we discover that Gambit was an illusion projected by the real person, the Red Skull with the brain of Charles Xavier. He and his daughter Sin are in the inner vault which is stacked high with gold bars. Skull explains that he chose illusion rather than a mental attack because all the X-Men have been trained to fight the latter.

Now he takes the box he came for from inside 1 of the lockboxes. And instructs his men to take the gold to finance his schemes. He also remarks that the Avengers and X-Men will never think of looking for him in his new safe house.

Our final image is of Steve Rogers consulting a global map, as Skull's voiceover says he's going to make Rogers experience the death of every Avenger and then keep him alive to remember all of it.



 

Review / Commentaries


Uncanny Avengers #5 Review by (February 13, 2016)
Carlos Pacheco takes over as penciller from Ryan Stegman.

The ending of this story paints the cover illo in a disturbing light.

Bagalia is an island sanctuary for supervillains founded by the Shadow Council as seen in Secret Avengers (2010) #21.1. Baron Zemo was last seen in charge in the Avengers Undercover mini-series. It now seems that it is also a host for secret bank accounts.

Honest John has been working for Red Skull since the start of the 2012 series of this title. He is very persuasive, taking on the persona of someone you trust and obey.

The only other villain in the casino who is named is Grey Gargoyle. But I can recognise Cockroach Hamilton, Count Nefaria, Owl, Pink Pearl and Ringmaster on the 1st page. On page 2 I see Bullseye, Deadly Nightshade and Hammerhead. Also Fancy Dan and Montana - and a large guy on some other pages could be their partner Ox. The 4th page brings in the Shadow King and possibly Egghead. It has also been suggested that Black Mamba, Lascivious and Letha are there. There's a muscular blonde on some pages who could be ex-wrestler Letha, but I can't identify the other 2. On the other hand I could make a case for Asp and Princess Python. And there's lots more characters I can't put a name to.


> Uncanny Avengers comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Carlos Pacheco
Mariano Taibo
Richard Isanove
Ryan Stegman (Cover Penciler)
Ryan Stegman (Cover Inker)
Richard Isanove (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Rogue
Rogue

(Anna Marie LeBeau)