Synopsis
New Avengers (2005 series) #51 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
We open with Hood and his demon lord Dormammu. The amount of power Dormammu has channelled into Parker Robbins causes him great pain. The demon says that the only way he can get rid of the pain is by mastering the power. And to do that he needs to kill the ex-Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange. Do that and *he* will be the new SS. But others seek that power too.
Carol Danvers is in the New Avengers' secret HQ (courtesy of Captain America (Bucky Barnes)) watching a repeat of Clint Barton's TV interview (end of last issue) where he publicly denounced Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers as criminals (he also meant that Hood's gang worked for Osborn too). It is followed by a recording new to us of Simon Williams declaring superheroing a waste of time. What does it get you? Janet Van Dyne (Wasp) dead and Norman Osborn in charge.
Ronin returns and Ms. Marvel ticks him off for the interview. Clint says he intended to make Osborn angry to hasten the time when he slips up and is brought down.
Some time later Wiccan of the Young Avengers is walking in Dover, New Jersey when he spots a police chase and calls down a lightning bolt on the criminals' van. As he slips away he finds Dr Strange watching him. Stephen commends him on his effective tactic and anonymity but warns that he was lucky the truck didn't hit any bystanders.
Strange buys Billy Kaplan breakfast and asks if he's heard of Jennifer Kale who used to be pally with Man-Thing. Billy doesn't know *either* of them. Stephen says he visited her in Florida to see if she was the 1 to be the new Sorcerer Supreme, but she wasn't. Dr Strange then has to explain that he abused his power and lost the right to the title. (DrS took on the power of the demon Zom to fight Hulk in World War Hulk. And he used dark magic to defeat Hood and his gang in our Annual #2.)
Stephen offers to train Billy, and *he* might be the new SS. He doesn't know, but expects it to be clear when he *does* find the right person. There are many possible candidates - he just hopes it's not Dr Doom. DrS is supposed to give his replacement the Eye of Agamotto, the Cloak of Levitation and the Wand of Watoomb. (The 1st 2 are classical attributes of DrS, but the Wand not so much.)
Just then Hood turns up in (fairly restrained) demon form. His power enabled him to track Strange when he used his magic (which was when exactly?).
The NAv are holding a meeting in their HQ over takeout. Clint takes charge quite naturally and gets voted leader (he's led the West Coast Avengers before). (Cap, Carol and Luke Cage turn it down, and Jessica Jones (and baby Danielle Cage), Mockingbird, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman and Wolverine don't offer.) He makes Carol is 2nd in command.
The 1st item on the agenda is Spidey - the only person there who hides his identity. He has to make a choice - unmask or quit. He comes up with his usual reasons for keeping it secret (but he can't tell them what few but he remember - that he revealed his identity in Civil War with dire consequences). But in the end he shows them his face and tells them he's Peter Parker.
The immediate reaction is unexpected - Jessica Jones knows him and gives him a hug. It turns out they were in high school together and she had a big crush on him. But Peter doesn't remember her until she mentions that she spent some time in a coma after a car crash - then he remembers her as 'Coma Girl'. (We learnt most of this before in Alias #22-23.) Luke Cage isn't happy about all this, and Jessica is dismayed that she made so little impression on Peter.
The 2nd reaction is when Pete tells them Norman Osborn is his best friend's father. Barton sees this as an opportunity but before Parker can explain why it isn't so simple the meeting is interrupted. Dr Strange crashlands outside.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Danielle Cage.