The Bitter Taste of Defeat

Hawkeye is changing a fuse on one of the devices in Avengers Mansion when Captain America scolds him for messing around with the equipment without permission. Hawkeye, sick of Cap riding on him all the time, challenges him to a fight. The situation is defused when Quicksilver steps between the pair and reminds them that they are all teammates. The Scarlet Witch then accuses Hawkeye of being jealous of their leader. Hawkeye dismisses this, suggesting that Wanda is only saying this because she has feelings for Cap. She responds by tripping him up with a hex bolt. Even though Steve tells Wanda to lay off the hexes, the bickering continues.

Meanwhile, in the South American jungle that once served as a hideout for Baron Zemo, one of his last remaining minions, Eric Joston, is at the end of the line.[1] He has been stranded here since being injured during Zemo’s final battle with Captain America. Out of ammo with no more food or water he has been spending his days digging through the rubble to try and get access to the Baron’s laboratory. When he finally gets through he finds the machine he is looking for: the device that transformed Simon Williams into Wonder Man.[2] As he tries to figure out how the machine works, his presence in the lab is detected by the Enchantress who teleports by his side. Learning that Eric wants to gain super-human powers, she decides to operate the machine for him. Once Josten is transformed into an ionically powered being, the Enchantress gives him a costume and a new name, Power Man. The pair then begin plotting how to destroy the Avengers once and for all.

Later that day, the Avengers receive an alert from Teen Brigade that there is a creature on the loose in Sutton Place. When they arrive on the scene, their attacks pass harmlessly through the massive creature. When the police arrive on the scene, the monster suddenly vanishes. As it turns out, nobody but the Avengers saw the monster and they are now being blamed for damaging the neighborhood for no good reason. This illusion was created by the Enchantress to discredit her foes. She then sends Power Man to carry out the second phase of her plan. The next day, Quicksilver intercepts a call warning that someone is tampering with some nearby subway tracks. Racing to the scene to get there first. He finds that someone bent up the tracks. As he tries to figure out how to fix this, he is ambushed by Power Man, who quickly hides. When the other Avengers arrive a train is heading right for Pietro. Quickly, Hawkeye uses some explosive arrows to stop the train. When the authorities arrive, the Avengers are blamed for the damage.

The day after that, Power Men stops some crooks dressed as guards robbing secret plans from a nearby factory. As Captain America is passing by in a helicopter, the Enchantress uses her magic to draw him to the scene. Thinking Power Man is attacking legitimate guards, Captain America attacks him. However, Power Man is too strong and easily knocks out Captain America. The owners of the factory soon arrive on the scene and thank the “new hero” for saving their plans. Power Man will later do an interview with the press about Captain America’s latest blunder. Reading it in the paper, Hawkeye is furious and suspects that Power Man is involved in the smear campaign against the Avengers. Getting Power Man’s address from the paper, Hawkeye decides to pay him a visit. He and the Enchantress easily defeat Hawkeye. When Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch arrive to rescue their friend, the police have arrived and the trio is arrested for trespassing.

By this time, the mayor of the city has had enough of the Avengers blunders and declares that them a menace. The city council then unanimously votes on having the Avengers disband. When the news reaches Captain America, he is deeply upset that he caused the end of the team that was entrusted to his care.[3]

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch), Power Man, Enchantress

Continuity Notes

1. Baron Zemo died fighting Captain America in Avengers #15.

2. Zemo used this same device to create Wonder Man in Avengers #9.

3. Captain America was put in charge of the Avengers after the founding members — Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man and the Wasp — all decided to take a leave of absence in Avengers #16.

Topical References

• Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are depicted going to see Hello, Dolly starring Carol Channing on Broadway. Its original run was in 1964. Although it has had many revivals over the years, Channing hasn’t been part of the production since 1995. It last appeared on Broadway in 2017.

Not Topical References

• The Garbage Database states that the mayor of New York is depicted as Robert F. Wagner, Jr. who was mayor of New York City from 1954-1965. However, if you take a look at Don Heck’s rather generic drawing and compare it to a picture of Wagner, you’d notice that they look nothing alike. Heck’s character has a full head of hair that is graying at the temples and is wearing glasses. Wagner did not wear glasses and had a receding hairline. You’d think whoever made that edit could do something as basic as comparing photos, but that would require some common sense.