Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Last issue's team of Champions (Dust, Nova, Pinpoint, Power Man, Red Locust and Snowguard) were called back to their temporary HQ at Viv Vision's house by Ironheart who said Viv was in danger. But we saw that the danger was IH herself who had blasted Viv unconscious.
As Pinpoint portals them to 616 Hickory Branch lane, Arlington, Virginia we get the answer to my query about the damaged Champions Mobile Bunker (their previous HQ) outside Viv's house. Amka Aliyak says they've moved it there until it gets repaired (after crashing elsewhere in #4). Then they get rocked by an explosion, and further sucker-punches by their friend Riri Williams who claims she just woke up this morning with the urge to take her 'rightful' place in this world and no inhibitions about how to do it.
When Ironheart finally takes Nova down we learn that she's been corrupted by Blackheart, son of Mephisto, and when the others wake up Blackie will have them in his grip too. (Mephisto decided to send Blackheart after the Champions at the end of #4.) Blackheart materialises and they discuss what to do about Viv, whose synthezoid mind won't be susceptible to his influence. The demon plays on Riri's reaction to Viv kissing her (in the last issue of the previous series) and fans it into hatred, and he sends IH into the house to destroy Viv.
But the synthezoid is awake and fights back. She explains that Viv herself was damaged by the earlier attack but that has allowed Viv 2.0 (see various issues of last series) to take over. And Viv 2.0 has no compunction about striking her 'friend' before ghosting away through the wall. Riri has to go tell Blackheart that her quarry has escaped. The demon says he'll send Nova after her.
Meanwhile in Grove Street, New Jersey Kamala Khan walks home from school with her friend Bruno Carrelli, the only 1 who knows she's Ms. Marvel. She goes to her bedroom but then Viv and Nova crash in through the window. Viv claims that Sam Alexander has been possessed, and his angry rant persuades Kamala it's true so she punches him with her embiggened fist and the girls flee outside. They successfully hide in some bushes and Nova leaves to hunt down Miles Morales instead.
Viv tells Kamala what's happened, including the fact that she's now Viv 2.0. This worries Kamala because last time 2.0 (in a separate body, see last series again) tried to kill the original before Viv absorbed her consciousness. But 2.0 says she's a good person now. She doesn't know who's responsible for all this but whoever it is has turned Ironheart and Nova against the Champions.
Miles Morales is web-slinging around Brooklyn as Spider-Man when he gets a call from Ms Marvel. He's annoyed because she promised to give him time alone to get his head straight when he quit the team (#4 again). But he doesn't have much time to be annoyed before Nova slams into him. Spider-Miles gets away by shocking his attacker with his bio-electric venom blast. Nova gives chase.
Ms Marvel arrives carried by the synthezoid. Nova just says that now he can conveniently kill them all at once. The others try to talk him down, but Sam just demands his due respect. He's angry that Ms Marvel hides her secret identity from him, and she and Spidey quit the team without telling him. They apologise, and MsM unmasks before them all and tells them her name is Kamala (which Viv already knew). This shakes Sam's paranoia. And then he seems to expel Blackheart's evil influence. Now it's his turn to apologise for things he said. They were essentially his true feelings but Blackheart blew them up out of all proportion.
Back at Viv's house Brawn arrives through a Pinpoint portal ready to boast about his adventures with the New Agents Of Atlas (either their War Of The Realms mini-series or their own current mini-series). But Power Man, Red Locust and then Dusk attack him claiming the team doesn't need him. And Ironheart along with new arrivals Bombshell, Falcon and Wasp agree with them. Snowguard accuses him of being another team-quitter. And Patriot's slipped in there too.
But then Ms Marvel, Nova, Spider-Man and Viv Vision show up to help Brawn, and the lines are drawn between the original team (from #1 of the previous series minus Cyclops) and the later additions. Ironheart tells her side to kill the others.