Avengers Academy #14

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Story #2

Peer pressure

Writer: Christos Gage.Penciler: Sean Chen. Inker: Scott Hanna. Colorist: Jeromy Cox. Letterer: Joe Caramagna.

Synopsis

There's been a mass supervillain breakout from the Manhattan Courthouse. More established superheroes are tackling most of them and the Avengers Academy students are 'stuck with' tackling Ruby Thursday who has a red ball (a zit as Striker calls it) for a head with multiple tentacles emanating from it. Ruby boasts of her PhD which enables her to deduce that Hazmat's totally-enclosing suit is to keep her harmful radiation *in*. So a tentacle slashes it open ... but Striker immediately uses his electricity to fuse it sealed again. Veil complains that the villain's lack of a nose means her gas can't affect her. But Mettle says he'll just knock her head off ... and that's exactly what his fist does, and head and body fall to the ground separately making him think he's killed her. But Finesse notes that both parts are artificial, so she's not surprised when the body picks the head up and runs off. Reptil sprouts dinosaur wings to give chase, but a giant foot stomps down on the baddie. (Someone's been watching Monty Python's opening credits.) Head teacher Giant-Man tells them that all the other escapees have been rounded up.

Mettle apologises for freaking out when he thought he'd killed Thursday, but he still hasn't got over how future-him *wasn't* worried about killing (in #12). Maybe what they found out in #1 is true, they're here because they're potential supervillains. Striker says he's had 2nd thoughts about that and now thinks the teachers planted that info for them to find. Finesse disagrees because the security was difficult to hack, and Brandon Sharpe should know that he himself has caused someone's death (as revealed in his origin in #5). Striker agrees that the Academy's concerns might be valid for himself, emotionless Finesse and toxic Hazmat but not for Mettle, Reptil and Veil. And if *they* were chosen because they were considered dangerous then the other kids who suffered under Norman Osborn (during his Dark Reign) must be wimps. Finesse says they could find out because she remembers another name on the Academy's list who was left out because he was becoming successful in normal life.

The next scene has our heroes waiting in Briggs Chemical LLC corporate HQ. The person in question is its founder, boy billionaire genius Jeremy Briggs. Striker thinks he won't be interested in meeting them, but the man himself enters claiming to be a big fan and telling his PA Lily to cancel all his appointments and get his guests anything they want. He also claims to have been held by Osborn at the same facility as Veil.

An hour later he's telling them about, and demonstrating, his power to change the chemical makeup of stuff. Osborn increased that power a lot but he's still learning how to do more complex changes. He thought about becoming the costumed Alchemist but ditched that in favour of a better way to improve the world. He was an MIT graduate at 17 before Osborn intervened, so he used his genius and chemical power to invent a process to break down oil spills without damaging the environment. That made him a billionaire and now his company is doing other good stuff. Reptil says he's always wondered whether the other Osborn kids were better off living their own lives. Jeremy says he's kept track of all the Osborn alumni and he can show them if they come back after classes sometime next week.

On day 1 he drives Hazmat and Mettle to Boston to see a kid named Weston Minkovitch. Ken Mack remembers him from his Osborn days as a meek kid who cheered him up by quoting whole scenes of Life Of Brian (Monty Python again). But random events would painfully transform him into a monster. They now see him playing frisbee in a normal school, and Briggs describes other parts of his normal life. He says that it took 1 day for Henry Pym to come up with an idea to fix him, and another day for himself to make it work. Now Weston just has to take a pill a day. Mettle says that Dr Pym claims he can't think of a way to change his metal body back without killing him. Jen Takeda says that every cure he tries is defeated by her mutating body. Briggs says he's sure Hank is trying his best. But the duo see Weston with his arm round a girl and know that's something that they can't look forward to.

On day 2 in Haiti Jeremy introduces Finesse and Striker to Kelly Garnett who can heal wounds and cure simple diseases. She can't do stuff like cancer (but Kelly adds "Yet") but she can still do wonders here. Kelly tells Brandon that she's signed up for a reality show to publicise her work and asks if he'd do a guest app. He says he'd have to clear it with the Avengers. She says she doesn't understand the hero/villain thing. If he wants to fight crime he should become a cop. The costume just makes him a target for attention-hungry sociopaths. Jeanne Foucault interjects to say that some think that's what the Academy students are. Kelly likes her sass and invites her to join the work here. Striker tries to chat her up but she tells him to come back when he's legal. As they leave Jeremy thanks Kelly for her time. She winks and says he knows how to repay her and he laughs and says the cheque's on its way. Finesse's brain is whirring.

Day 3 in upstate New York (Buffalo) Jeremy has taken Reptil and Veil to see Steve Beaulieu and they've found a police scene. Humberto Ramos remembers Steve as desperate to be a hero, so Osborn didn't have to force him to go along. Apparently he's only not in the Academy because his parents forbade it. But he's been sneaking out to fight crime. Briggs returns from talking to the cops to tell them that Steve was investigating cattle mutilations expecting aliens. But it was a Wendigo and it killed him. It's now headed back to Canada. They leave.

That night all 6 kids are gathered in Jeremy's office. Reptil gets a text from Dr Pym to say that Alpha Flight are heading to capture the Wendigo. Briggs says the message he takes from all 3 examples they've witnessed is that being a superhero is a waste of time. It was great in the old days when they were fighting Nazis and Communists. But now they're just fighting other superchars in a self-perpetuating revenge cycle. He asks Reptil how much time he's managed to spend searching for his missing parents lately? And if Maddy Berry's going to eventually become totally insubstantial shouldn't she be out living life to the full while she can? Hazmat could be providing waste-free nuclear power. Mettle could be getting paid as a cop and earning a pension. Striker wants to be famous but he doesn't need to be a superhero for that. He invites them all to come work for *him*.

But then Finesse says she's been watching him closely and thinks he's planned everything to lead up to this offer. She says his micro-expressions often signal deception, such as hiding the fact that he and Kelly are romantically involved. Her research shows that he's financing her reality show and all her publicity. But more significantly he paid Weston's fellow students to be friendly and 1 girl to date him so he'd look happy for their visit. But his school records show he has PTSD causing depression and a drink problem. Jeremy admits both charges but claims he did it to help them. Jeanne contends that he did it for control. And she doesn't have solid proof but there are traces of evidence that he arranged for the Wendigo to be brought to Buffalo. This kind of manipulation makes *him* a villain.

Briggs denies it all and claims that her accusations are proof that they've been brainwashed into seeing everything in terms of good guys vs bad guys. He makes his offer again but team leader Reptil turns it down. Jeremy says he expected that of the 'fanboy'. But he asks Hazmat and Mettle if they'd like their 1st kiss? However they react violently and say he's under arrest.

Briggs responds by turning the oxygen in Jen's suit to carbon dioxide. Ken grabs her and takes her outside where he can remove her helmet. Finesse throws a baton which bounces harmlessly off Jeremy's forehead. It turns out he's superstrong too. He causes an explosion which knocks down her and Striker. And he turns Veil's gaseous form to liquid, and air in Reptil's lungs to water.

Armed guards rush in but Briggs says he's got everything under control. The students attacked him but he won't press charges and lets them survive. The 4 stagger outside to join the other 2. Reptil threatens to tell the Avengers but Jeremy they'll be as ineffective as usual. He expects experience to show them he's right and he'll hold his offer open.