Force Works #19

Moonraker's story is relatively easy to explain once you accept the Avengers Forever retcon that he is one of Immortus's Space Phantom's. It's all a lie, and Immortus presumably used the Forever Crystal to change Marvel reality without spinning off an alternate reality when he inserted Moonraker into it and took Vietnam away. Including changing everyone's memories, or even the actual past itself. (See my comments on Avengers Forever #3 for the 'rules' on changing the past, and various issues of Avengers Forever for Immortus flaunting them.) Explaining it in terms of the supposed actions of Kang and the Priests of Pama is not so easy. Kang's intention to spirit the whole of Earth away, and in the process gain an army, seems at odds with Moonraker's other claim that removing Vietnam was part of deleting Mantis's past. Not to mention I'm unconvinced why Mantis wants her past deleted. Also, Kang hasn't previously exhibited such a power. On the other hand I could explain that last bit. The Forever Crystal could do it (it seems to be able to do anything). And before Immortus got his hands on it, it was the power source for Kang's Chronopolis, as explained in Avengers Forever #3. So maybe Kang has learned how to tap some of that power. But that doesn't explain how the Priests of Pama could rescue Brandt's spirit and hide it within Slade Truman/Moonraker in another reality. The Priests haven't previously been shown to have mystical powers that would enable them to do any of this. Their friends the Cotati might be able to help them manage it, but I doubt it. And no-one seems to care what happened to the original Slade Truman's spirit. We also don't have an explanation of how the Priests could insert Moonraker into Marvel reality without causing a divergent reality. They don't have access to the Forever Crystal.

Iron Man asks Kang for a temportal to Force Works HQ. This sounds like a request for Luna to give him a lift. But it could also be a request for a permanent portal to be established to the secret basement. Such a portal will be found there in #21. But I can't believe there wasn't one set up already. Especially as Century and U.S.Agent found the secret basement had no entrance in #15. (Except that this is contradicted by Amanda reaching it by elevator last issue, and Force Works members having easy access to it in subsequent issues.) It will turn out that Cybermancer replaced Suzi Endo between Iron Man #321 and Force Works #17. Now we know where Suzi went. This also confirms that Stark knew what was happening. I don't know why they've hijacked the term Siege Perilous from Arthurian mythology. It isn't the Siege Perilous gateway that the X-Men vanished through in Uncanny X-Men #251. Nor is it the circle of standing stones of the same name where Captain Britain got his powers in Marvel UK's Captain Britain #1.

This part of the Crossing crossover follows directly from Avengers #393. The only personal vengeance Mantis has indulged so far is the kidnap of the Cotati Swordsman in Avengers #392. Why does Kang say she used Iron Man for this? And how did that use reveal Iron Man's perfidy to the Avengers? The only way I can construe this is to deduce that Iron Man's activation of the door in the Avengers basement in Avengers: The Crossing was necessary for the kidnapping, but wasn't sanctified by Kang. Maybe the activated door was necessary for teenage Luna to bring Malachi and Tobias to capture the Cotati Swordsman for Mantis. Previously she had only transported herself. (Remember also that Tuc said in Avengers #392 that the kidnapping wasn't supposed to happen.) It was to keep the active door secret that Stark killed Marilla in The Crossing and framed Hawkeye in Force Works #17, which led to the Avengers learning the truth in Avengers #393 about Tony's murder of Rita DeMara in The Crossing. (Note that Stark didn't kill Rita to protect the door, but to prevent her giving the Avengers vague warnings of the imminent future.)