Synopsis / Summary / Plot
It's night on the Manhattan waterfront and the 'Junior' Gates mob have some hi-tech guns to expand their territory with. But then some pesky superheroes get in the way. They think it's the Avengers, but despite the presence of Firestar and Justice it's not. The duo had just popped in for a visit with their old team the New Warriors, and they came out with them on their latest mission. They KO most of the gang but 1 makes his escape. Night Thrasher tells Justice to let him go because they've planted a tracer on him to find out who's supplying them with weapons.
With Thrasher, Nova and Speedball the core founding team is almost complete. But Namorita is away in Atlantis (Firestar doesn't approve of Nova's comment about it being good to have replacement 'spandex babe' to look at), and (ex-trainee Avenger) Rage is the only later recruit present.
Back with the real Avengers Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man are relaxing in their apartment in Avengers Mansion. Wanda Maximoff is practising control of her recently-expanded Hex/Chaos Magic - the magic which (#11) allowed her to finally bring Simon Williams fully back from death. Simon is enjoying his new life, but Wanda's concentration is hampered by thoughts of the Vision. She reminds her lover how she and Vizh used to be married. But then the synthezoid lost his memories and emotions, and since then he had persuaded her that their marriage was now meaningless. But what she and Simon *hadn't* known was that later Vision's memories and emotions returned, but he hadn't told her to spare her pain. She recently found this out, but by then she and Simon were an item. And she tells WM that she's happy with her choice.
Then Jarvis calls a meeting.
But we instead go to a gathering of the New Warriors in their Crash Pad for cold pizza, which Firestar is happy to warm up with her microwave powers now Hank Pym has found a way to stop them harming her health (last issue). The team are glad that being Avengers is doing well for their friends. But the Warriors themselves are at a low point. They are living separate lives, and as well as Nita's current absence most of the later recruits rarely join them. They don't blame Angelica Jones and Vance Astrovik for moving up into the big leagues. Though joker Speedball can't resist asking them to get him an interview.
And at this point the tracker alarm goes off signalling that it has been taken somewhere with high-energy power sources.
Simon and Wanda apologise for taking a while to (get dressed and) arrive at the meeting, which they find has been called by Tony Stark by video. Vision is already there, as is on-call member Thor who has a stake in this particular conflab. Tony explains that although he's recovered from his injuries he won't be active in the team yet because he's having to develop new armour because the old versions had been slowly killing him. But it was he and Thor who called them together.
They haven't been able to contact Captain America for a while. (They don't know that he's involved in the Dead Reckoning arc in Deadpool #23-25.) With Stark out of action and Thor being only part-time they need someone to become deputy leader and take over in Cap's absence. Vision suggests the government wouldn't wear him doing the job as last time (#243-254) ISAAC the Titanian computer took control of him and made him try to rule the world. Wonder Man says he's not actually an Avenger these days, just Wanda's guest. Wanda says Firestar and Justice are too new to the team to do it, and then realises everyone's looking at *her*.
Time to visit a warehouse in the Bronx where the New Warriors are fighting A.I.M. who turned out to be the arms dealers. The villains seem more worried about what MODOK will do to them if they lose all this expensive stuff. They also try to hustle 'Junior' Gates and his men outside. Customer safety is important in their business, although they *will* be invoking a penalty clause because the client did lead the heroes here. Rage is about to throw a large heavy crate at the enemy when Justice advises him to put it down. The label says it contains Savage Land vibranium which dissolves metal, which is why the crate is made of stone. If that got loose the disruption could cause unstable weapons/substances to explode.
As the fight continues a new player smashes his way into the scene and announces himself as Lord Templar. He advises the heroes and villains to all quit the premises. He intends to confiscate the contents of the building to use in his upcoming crusade to bring peace and universal law to the Earth. The Warriors are justifiably suspicious of someone who wants to impose peace by force. But Templar's entrance had KO'd Nova and now a direct blast takes down Rage. The others attack but he easily repulses them. Firestar suggest they call in the Avengers, which leader Night Thrasher is reluctant to do.
Meanwhile the Avengers are still seeking a temporary leader. They include Henry Pym at work in his lab on the conference call with Tony Stark. Wanda says there was no answer from the house in Cresskill it seems he now shares with Janet Van Dyne - Hank says Jan's away looking into investment opportunities. When Wanda asks if either of they 2 founder members would move from reserve to active in order to temporarily lead the team Hank says he prefers to remain mainly a scientist, and he doesn't think Jan wants to up her ante at the moment either, after what they just went through as Giant-Man and the Wasp in the Destiny War (the Avengers Forever mini-series).
Hank adds his vote that Wanda takes the job. Tony reminds her that she was a good leader of the West Coast Avengers and Force Works, at least when *he* didn't interfere. Scarlet Witch is still unsure.
And that's when they get a call from Firestar to come help the New Warriors. Wanda agrees to assume leadership for this emergency. Hank offers to join them but she says what can't the 6 of them (including Firestar, Justice and Wonder Man) handle? 3 of the 4 can fly there under their own power, and WM gives SW a lift.
The 4 awake (ex-)Warriors are still not doing very well against Lord Templar who berates them as being like all superheroes 'undisciplined rabble'. Then Scarlet Witch hits his body and mind with a hex-blast, and the other 3 Avengers show up too. Templar's reaction is that he will be ready for her next blast, and he's gratified that he's been given the respect of facing the A-team. They'll make good soldiers in his army. Wanda says Firestar informed them of his 'universal law' plan, but they have governments who decide *their* laws. LT suggests that the governments of the world are on his side.
But then he reveals a new power as he manifests 6 'clones' of himself that he calls his Avatars. Each has a different physique and a specific power. The strongest slams into Wonder Man and Rage (he and Nova have recovered by now). Another fires a force blasts at Thor who forms a shield with his whirling hammer. A speedster hits both Speedball and Night Thrasher while an energy being drains the powers of Firestar and Justice and uses them against them. An electrical Avatar coasts through Vision's intangible body and disrupts his circuits. The 6th has long spikes as hands which Scarlet Witch is too busy dodging to throw a hex, until Nova slams into him and asks if she has a plan.
So she pulls herself together and examines the scene. She notices that Templar himself isn't taking part in the battle while his Avatars are in action, and she wonders if it requires all his concentration to keep the Avatars going. So she tells the others to distract the Avatars to give Thor a clear run at the main man. They obey and Thor gets his chance to strike Templar with Mjolnir. And the Avatars wink out of existence. Then it's a Thor vs Lord Templar slugfest.
But Wanda notices that the vibranium container has ruptured, and various metal weapons are releasing their stored energy. She orders an evacuation, the flyers to carry the non-flyers and injured. They make it out but Templar escapes, and the warehouse is destroyed.
The Avengers meet back at the Mansion. Everyone commends Wanda's decisions and Firestar says the Warriors think she made a great leader, but she's still not sure. Recently she'd been doubting her place on the team and thinking of quitting. But now she sees this offer of responsibility as a chance to *make* her place. So she agrees to become deputy leader.
Justice takes Firestar aside to tell her he thinks they should return to the Warriors who need them more. He doesn't expect her to disagree because she never really wanted to be an Avenger in the 1st place. But Angel has been more upbeat about it lately, and before he can speak she announces that her father has agreed to let her move into the Mansion permanently.
And Lord Templar reports to 2 shadowed figures who accuse him of failing. But he says they've tested the Avengers' strength and planted the idea that governments are conspiring with them.