Synopsis
West Coast Avengers Vol.4 #2 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
A helicopter is airlifting a crate of weapons (and more in boxes inside) from Los Angeles out to sea. But they don't know that Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) has hitched a ride on the outside and now climbs in to zap, kick and elbow some mercenaries to sleep and then threatens the pilots with her blast fingers. But her bluff is called and the chopper lands on the deck of a ship. So she zaps them anyway and steps out to deal with approaching guards. Helped by Iron Man who zooms in wearing his Silver Centurion armour. She uses an unconscious guy's body as a shield but his fellow troops shoot at her anyway until Blue Bolt zaps them with lightning from on high. War Machine and Ultron join them when it's all over.
Then a voice over the tannoy lets them know the boss of the operation is Flag-Smasher, the evil Steve Rogers from the Secret Empire event. He and a horde of his Sovereign Sons attack. He himself is armed with adamantium batons (forged from 1 of the skeletons Wolverine keeps leaving behind when he dies), which he uses very effectively as weapons held or hurled (and like Captain America's shield or Daredevil's billyclubs they always return to him). SW takes him on 1-on-1 as he reminds us that he's *Grant* Rogers these days and he was found not guilty in court (of his actions as Captain Krakoa during the Fall Of The Mutants event, mainly in Uncanny Avengers (2023)).
Sensing that he's losing, and claiming that he's already achieved his objective of finding a weak point in his supply chain, FS orders a minion to fire a bazooka at a nearby cruiseship, knowing that the West Coast Avengers will prioritise saving those passengers lives. WM says he'll disable this ships engines on the way out. FS tells BB he recognises him, and we see by flashback that Chad Braxton was 1 of his footsoldiers during Secret Empire fighting Winter Soldier on the steps of the Capitol.
We now skip to where the cruiseship is docking in LA. We learn that Flag-Smasher abandoned his ship and got away. Blue Bolt tries to persuade passengers they saved to write to his parole officer. And we learn that he used to be an Iron Man fan, but it was the Dr Doom version (in the Infamous IM series). Then he heads home to prison for the night. Ultron joins IM, WM and SW which frightens some of the bystanders. He reports that the weapons left with FS, probably by submarine. Tony Stark is glad that another A-List hero will be joining them today.
Cut to Angelica Jones asleep in her car and dribbling, said car being towed by a pickup truck to the WCA HQ. She tells the driver to charge the $450 fee to Stark. In the HQ James Rhodes is video-discussing Blue Bolt's progress with the prison warden. Apparently he used to be a supervillain by the name of Killerwatt (but we've not previously seen him by that name either). We are reminded that part of the new WCA setup involves helping former baddies reform (including Ultron). We also learn that no booze is allowed on campus. (I guess they don't know that Angelica now has a drink problem.) She shows up in costume as Firestar apologising that her car broke down on the way from New York. Tony Stark greets her (and I think senses a fellow alcoholic). But she reacts badly when she meets Ultron (with a flash of memory to working for Nimrod while undercover in Orchis during FOTM), bursts into flame and nearly melts the place. Tony and Rhodey don't want to explain why they trust the evil robot, a question echoed by Spider-Woman.
And just then another Ultron appears on a screen apologising for breaking into everyone's transmissions, and for some minor ground tremors. Outside we see him accompanied by other robot bodies with human heads (as seen last issue) announcing the Gospel Of Ultron to bring humans and machines together to live in harmony.
Characters:
Plus: Blue Bolt, Flag-Smasher (
Grant Rogers).