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West Coast Avengers Vol.4 #3

on-sale: Jan 29, 2025
Gerry Duggan | Danny Kim

West Coast Avengers Vol.4 #3 cover

Story Name:

(no title given)


Synopsis

West Coast Avengers Vol.4 #3 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4 stars
Iron Man and War Machine have moved to Los Angeles to set up a new West Coast Avengers team which includes villains up for rehabilitation. The team also includes Firestar (out of control with guilt and booze) and Spider-Woman. The rehabilitating supervillains are Blue Bolt (who we've never heard of) and the robot Ultron. Last issue another Ultron made himself known as the leader of a cult who have their heads transplanted on robot bodies.

The issue begins with a very quick rundown on Ultron's history. He was created by Henry Pym and fought the Avengers. Much later Pym and Ultron merged. Then we see something we've never seen before. The merged Ultron is no longer a maniacal hater of non-robot life, instead he is depressed and lonely. So he splits himself into several bodies who agree to be independent rather than ruled by 1. They all agree that their previous goal of destroying humanity was a waste of their time because humanity will destroy itself anyway. So each chooses now a different path. 1 chooses to ally with the enemies and another takes the religious approach, which explains the 2 Ultrons we've encountered in this series. (But we still don't know why Tony Stark and James Rhodes trust their Ultron.)

The history lesson actually continues with a building's security guard seeing a 'human' leap from the top of his skyscraper. But she sheds her coat to reveal a robot body with wings and a human head. But she joins other like her in the air and they declare themselves LA's guardian angels, the next stage of evolution. Which brings us to last issue's final page which had the angels surrounding winged Ultron in front of a building exuding metal tentacles and tendrils as he announced his 'gospel'.

But he doesn't get very far before Blue Bolt blasts him with 'lightning' while accusing him of illegally taking over a vacant building rather than leaving it for the homeless. The angels strike back but Ultron calls for peace. Stark restrains the other Avengers for fear of harming the humans that Ultron has turned into extreme cyborgs. Our Ultron asks the other Ultron what he's doing and 'Cultron' counters that the people don't need another Avenger, they need to be 'saved'. Blue Bolt leaps in again and gets decked by 1 follower. Most of the other WCA rush to attack but IM orders them to stand down as Firestar scorches BB's attacker.

Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) is also trying to keep the sides apart as she recognises 1 of the cyborgs as cancer patient Meredith Love who she met in a hospital in #1. Meredith explains that human medicine couldn't save her but Ultron has (as we saw at the end of that issue), and she became a cyborg of her own free will. 2 other 'borgs are beating up Bolt saying he started it, but FS scorches all 3 giving them severe sunburn until IM stops her. Rhodey goes into riot control mode with his heavy weapons to drive the 'borgs off. Cultron tells them to return to his 'cathedral'.

But he also tells Hector, the most aggressive cultist, to remain here with him. Hector confesses that he continually uses violence and begs for forgiveness. But 'The One' declares him excommunicated. Metal tendrils enters his head, and the cyborg body starts to fall apart. Even Blue Bolt is shocked. WM flies him to hospital. Tony Stark berates Cultron but the robot says his gifts mustn't be used to harm others, and he flies home.

Tony berates Angelica Jones about the reckless use of her fire powers against humans. But she's unrepentant and says the human was hard to see under the robot shell, pointedly looking at *his* armoured body before she flies off. Stark tells their Ultron to stand guard over the 'church' and record who enters and leaves. Ultron points out that SpW is stealthily climbing the metal-encrusted building on a reconnaissance mission. IM flies away for a meeting, and BB flies back to prison. (A Stark voiceover tells us that Chad Braxton's getting stick in jail for collaborating with the heroes, so they're trying to get him moved to house arrest at WCA HQ.)

But we follow Iron Man to a meeting of the Illuminati (currently him, Blue Marvel, Dr Strange, Emma Frost and Mr Fantastic). He asks them for help with Ultron's cult. Stephen Strange reminds him that *he*s currently lost his Sorcerer Supreme 'job', and much of his power, to Dr Doom (after the Blood Hunt vampire uprising). Adam Brashear thinks Stark's proposed solution is monstrous. Reed Richards agrees but is also concerned about the number of humans that will get cyborged. White Queen reminds them that the X-Men have spent the last year (and decades before it) fighting Sentinels and Nimrod (leading up to and during Fall Of X). It turns out Tony's plan is for her to telepathically stop people from merging with Ultron. But she says she's got too many mutant problems to handle. So the WCA will have to handle it themselves.


Characters
Good (or All)
DOCTORSTRANGE
FIRESTAR
IRONMAN
MRFANTASTIC
SPIDERWOMAN1
ULTRON
WARMACHINE
WCA
EMMAFROST
Plus: Blue Bolt, Blue Marvel (Adam Brashear), Illuminati.


> West Coast Avengers Vol.4 comic book info and issue index



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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Danny Kim
Danny Kim
Arthur Hesli
Ben Harvey (Cover Penciler)
Ben Harvey (Cover Inker)
Ben Harvey (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Joe Caramagna.
Editor: Alanna Smith. Editor-in-chief: C. B. Cebulski.



Review / Commentaries


West Coast Avengers Vol.4 #3 Review by (February 1, 2025)
Ultron's creation by Dr Pym wasn't as direct as shown here. He didn't create the Ultron we know. Rather he created a much simpler self-aware robot which evolved (by each version building the next) into the deadly enemy of the Avengers and humankind.
The Avengers shown are the original team (including both Hulk and Captain America but not Wasp) plus Scarlet Witch and Vision. As far as I know Ultron has never shared a comic with this combination, not even during the 1st Secret Wars where he met Hulk.
The Pym/Ultron merger is only hinted at, with an added clue given by the editorial voiceover talking about the 'rage of Ultron', which is the name of the graphic novel where it happened.
Since then Ultron/Pym has made many apps, with evil Ultron dominant. During Infinity Countdown it was suggested that Pym's soul was transferred into the Soul Stone where it was killed. Tony Stark: Iron Man #19 suggested that Pym died in the merger. But the 2023 Avengers Inc mini-series resurrected Pym separate from Ultron, claiming that he was still inside All-Father Ultron in the far future (in the 2015 Avengers Forever event and the 2022 Ant-Man mini-series)
The Ultrons we see here don't seem to have any Pym in them, and the editorial voiceover suggests their merged was in the past and Ultron was now lonely. So is this splitting of Ultrons after the return to the present in Avengers Inc?
The multiple Ultrons are distinguished by the colour of the energy inside their mouth and eyes. The WCA Ultron has the traditional red energy. Cult-leader Ultron has blue energy.

The Illuminati members seen here are the same as those in the 2024 Thanos mini-series.

Next issue's cover suggests a romance between Blue Bolt and Firestar.





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