Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Ace and One-eyed Jacquie, Agents of GRAMPA, come to the Infinite Mansion to see Henry Pym. They are greeted by Jarvis because the prime Jocasta robot is offline and all her other bodies (supposedly an infinite number) are missing. As they pass 1 of the many Avengers paintings on the wall Jacquie thinks she sees something (which we recognise as Ultron's grin) momentarily appearing in it. But she dismisses it. They find Dr Pym giant-size trying to fix Jocasta (being giant-size maybe helps because he can pick her up 1-handed).
It turns out they've come to terminate the association of GRAMPA with the Mighty Avengers. GRAMPA was initially impressed by the Avengers' handling of Chthon (#21-23), Swarm and Titan (both #24). (They also mention AIM, but I think they may mean HAMMER also in #24.) They are grateful for the Avengers aid against the Unspoken (#27-31). Then there was a gap in activity, followed by Zzzax, Dansen Macabre and Terminus (all dealt with almost as briefly as this in #32). Pym shrinks down to normal size and protests that there was *no* gap, the MAv were out in Kree space helping the Inhumans (the end of #31, Realm Of Kings: Inhumans #1-2 and the start of #32).
The Infinite Mansion is a very large place which includes many 'nodules' for creating new robot bodies for Jocasta. In one of these many miles away a group of Jocasta's, now calling themselves the Brides Of Ultron, generate a new body for their 'husband'. He declines to accept a numeric designation like previous Ultron's - he is Ultron Pym, rightful heir of Henry Pym, and as such he will take possession of the Mansion and use its many doors to conquer the universe. But 1st he disposes of the robot fly he used to hitch a ride here (from Kree space in #32).
Meanwhile Ace and Jacquie continue to catalogue the Avengers' actions. Attacking Norman Osborn (#32-33) broke the agreement with GRAMPA that they wouldn't operate within the US. Pym agrees that was a tactical mistake which wound up giving Osborn a much-needed popularity boost. Ace blames this for the public support for the 'Asgard business'. Pym doesn't know what they're talking about - he's been too busy trying to fix Jocasta to follow the news.
Jacquie shows him a news report on the Asgardian Volstagg 'causing' the deaths of thousands of spectators in the Soldier Field stadium in Chicago, which Osborn used to justify an attack on Asgard city (currently on Earth near Broxton, Oklahoma). She likens it to the Stamford incident which triggered Civil War I, and suggests it was staged. Pym figures Loki had a hand in it (because of what he knows about his connection to Osborn).
At this point Wasp gets a call from the newly-returned Steve Rogers back in his Captain America uniform. He wants Pym and the MAv to join other Avengers in heading to Broxton to oppose Osborn's forces. (Now it's the GRAMPA Agents' turn to be behind the curve because they didn't know Rogers was back from the dead - see CA: Reborn mini-series.) Hank respectfully declines because he's busy and the Mansion doesn't currently have a doorway to Oklahoma. Angry Cap says Thor and Tony Stark are already there, but Pym cuts him off. And Jarvis mutters to himself that "It's time".
The Agents of GRAMPA are shocked by this. All this time Hank has been holding the limbless metal torso and head of Jocasta, and he now says it's important that she not be offline for too long. He needs her linked to the Mansion for reasons he doesn't want to go into. Plus he's done some upgrades which need to be completed. So saying he presses some buttons on a remote-control and the robot sprouts new flesh-coloured limbs. She awakes and comments that she can *feel* things. Henry explains that she now has 'flesh aspect' limbs, and he'll upgrade the rest later. She responds by stroking his chin with a new fleshy hand and saying he needs a shave.
Jacquie interrupts this tender scene by suggesting Pym at least send the rest of the Mighty Avengers to help Cap. Wasp has to admit that the team has disbanded. The others quit when he asked Loki to join the team at the end of last issue. But Pym says they have worked together since then, but finally broke up when Hercules died at the end of his Incredible Hercules series (#141). Now only Jocasta and Jarvis remain with him. But now Jarvis appears with a briefcase and takes his leave. (The Brides Of Ultron let him go as unimportant.)
Hank links Jocasta to the Mansion's computer system but she immediately panics and tells him to disconnect her. When it's safe she tells him that Ultron is here and he's taking over the whole base. And Ultron's face appears on all the computer/comms screens. And also on all the portraits on the walls, which it turns out were Jocasta's memory files. Our friends are suddenly attacked by a horde of Jocasta's bodies. Wasp announces the 'good' news that there aren't really an infinite number of them, merely 10 billion - but the reason for that number is a secret.
As the heroes fight back Pym pauses to take full body scans of Ace and Jacquie. Then he says it's time to call in the troops ...
... but we take time out to look in on ex-Mighty Avenger Amadeus Cho in Central Park, who is trying to contact the other exes. He finally manages to reach John Walker in Fort Dix. At the end of #33 the soldier was removed from the team and his role as U.S. Agent. But after he put the mask on again to help them in the Assault On Olympus that killed Hercules, he's been thrown out of the army. Cho tells him he's learned of something important happening in Asgard that needs their power to stop it (see Thunderbolts #141). And since Henry Pym won't be involved Walker is in.
Amadeus (who's now in a jet with USA en route to Broxton - see TB#141 again) then also manages to get in touch with Stature and Vision who answered Steve Rogers' call along with the other Young Avengers. They agree to meet up in Asgard to fight the TBolts - Cassie Lang is especially eager to confront the Ant-Man who is debasing the name of her dead father/ex-Ant-Man Scott.
Cho can't contact Quicksilver because he is currently racing round the equator faster than radio waves. (But since radio is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that means he's travelling faster than light. But since light travels slower in air than in a vacuum he could technically still not be travelling faster than the 'speed of light', so that's OK then!) He's taking time out to contemplate the disaster that is his life.
Ultron now faces his 'father' Henry Pym at the head of his Brides. Pym asks to negotiate a peaceful surrender, but Ultron won't agree. Then Hank says he's not Hank. Confused Ultron paces forward, and Pym disappears as the robot steps on an ant with a miniature image inducer. Ultron then discovers that Jocasta, Ace and Jacquie are also ant-based images.
Meanwhile the 4 have been miniaturised and arrive on ant-back at the head of an ant army in a particular section of the Mansion. Wasp enlarges them as the local Brides warn Ultron, but Henry takes them into his original lab, the heart of the Infinite Mansion, and locks the door. Outside Ultron arrives and his Brides tell him they have Pym trapped. But their master rages that Pym is 'trapped' in his lab where there's no limit to what he can do.
Inside Hank shows the others his dimensional wave device, which looks not unlike a heart. It is this which enables the existence of the Pym Pocket which is the Infinite Mansion. They can't allow Ultron access to its infinite doors to anywhere in space, so he has to shut it down. Swiftly he shrinks the device, disconnecting it from the system and taking Pymspace offline. Henry needs somewhere to store the miniature device so Jocasta opens her chest and he puts it in there. (See, I told you it looked like a heart.)
There's only 1 other door out of the lab and Ace asks if they can escape that way. Hank repeats that Pymspace is down so all the external doors lead nowhere. However when pressed he admits that the outside does have a breathable atmosphere, so the Agents of GRAMPA blast the door open.
But outside they find a dark surface upon which sit all the rooms in the Mansion arranged in chains. Pym explains that they are now in Underspace. He reminds Jocasta that in #30 he travelled out of the Universe and through the Macroverse to the Overspace and met Eternity. At the other end of the scale we are familiar with the Microverse, but below that he has discovered the Underspace.
While he was talking our view panned out to reveal that the dark surface surrounded a universe of stars. And then part of that surface took on the shape of a female face. And as we finally see a full female form with hints of a familiar costume, and the chains of rooms cover the surface as white lines, Henry says he believes that this is where Thor sent Janet Van Dyne, the original Wasp, at the end of Secret Invasion.