Synopsis
New Avengers (2005 series) #23 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Jessica Drew wakes in a hotel room hearing about Spider-Man's unmasking (end of Civil War #2 and beginning of CW#3) on the news. Nick Fury arrives unexpectedly but she detects by smell that he's really an LMD, she guesses (correctly) controlled by Maria Hill, Fury's replacement as Director of SHIELD. They engage in verbal sparring as Fury/Hill tries to find out where Captain America's rebels are based (which Spider-Woman doesn't know anyway).
Jessica tells Hill to stop pretending to be Fury. But not before making it obvious that she has been working for Fury since he was kicked our of SHIELD. And also possibly that she's been pretending to work for both SHIELD and Hydra (although their cryptic exchange about her having to choose a side sounded more like asking whether she was pro- or anti-Registration). The LMD responds by calling in SHIELD Capekillers to arrest her as a traitor.
Later in a cell on the SHIELD Helicarrier facing Hill in person, Jessica tries to deny her triple-agent status. But Iron Man is there, and he's told Maria what Spider-Woman confessed to the Avengers in #14. He says he never really trusted her, and now Captain America's left the team he doesn't have to pretend.
Suddenly the lights go out. Hydra is attacking the Helicarrier, and an E.M.P. has even fritzed Tony Stark's armour. Hydra agents rescue Jessica and leave the dead carrier falling towards Rhode Island. But Hill's kevlar saves her from Hydra bullets, and SHIELD get the helicarrier stabilised before it hits the ground.
Next we find Jessica on Hydra Island facing her Hydra handler Connelly, who claims that they knew she was working for Fury all along. But now she's seen how SHIELD and the Avengers treat her, he has a stunning offer - she should replace the psychotic Viper as Madame Hydra.
Jessica pretend to consider it, but then takes Connelly down, followed by some guards. She makes 1 of them tell her where the power generator and/or fuel dump are. And she leaves the island by boat, with the base exploding behind her.
Many days later during which she's been searching for Fury, Spider-Woman enters 1 of his secret bases and finds Cap's resistance group inside. She begs them to take her in, as no-one else will have her.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Daredevil (
Danny Rand).
EnemiesPlus: Capekillers.