Synopsis
West Coast Avengers Vol.4 #3 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
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.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Blue Bolt, Blue Marvel (
Adam Brashear), Illuminati.