From the Ashes of Defeat —!

Having brought the Avengers to the future to assert his dominance over Princess Ravonna. When Ravonna rejected his latest marriage proposal, Kang then ordered his armies to invade her city.[1] As Kang’s army attacks the city, it is protected by a protective shield. However, Ravonna’s soldiers warn her that the shields will not last long against such advanced weaponry. When the Avengers prepare to face off against this army, Kang attempts to expose them to a deadly vapor. Luckily, Quicksilver is able to speed around the room fast enough to dissipate the toxic cloud. Unfortunately, this also provides cover for Kang to escape. While the king’s chief-at-arms thinks the coming battle is hopeless, the Avengers are determined to fight off the invaders, even if the locals think of them as primitives from a bygone era. Soon, the Avengers join those who are willing to stand and fight and leave to prepare for the invaders.

Outside, Kang uses his powerful delta-ray launcher to finally punch through the city’s protective shield. Once the invaders are storming the city, Quicksilver comes to the aid of a woman and her infant child who are trying to run for cover. When Pietro is injured shortly after this rescue, the woman pulls him into her shelter to give him medical treatment. Meanwhile, Captain America organizes the resistance and soon a violent battle begins taking place. Inside the castle, the situation is looking grim, but Ravonna refuses to surrender herself to Kang. Soon, the invaders storm the castle and despite their best efforts, the Avengers are soon all captured.

Taking the royal throne, Kang then has an audience with his prisoners. He decides to prolong their suffering and has them sent to a dungeon to be dealt with after he has forced Ravonna to be his bride. Outside of the palace, Quicksilver is being treated by the woman he saved. Her father gives him a herb to help with the healing process. Eager to rejoin his comrades, Quicksilver is still too weak to leave and is brought back to bed to rest some more.

Back at the palace, Kang meets with Ravonna and her father and once again orders the woman to marry him. However, he is interrupted by his second in command, Baltag, who reminds Kang that — per Kang’s own orders — the rulers of a conquered nation must be slain. Kang reminds Boltag that he can break his own rules. However, Boltag has the support of Kang’s other commanders. Furious over this betrayal, Kang gives his generals an hour to change their minds. However, Boltag and the others instead use this time to begin a mutiny. At the same time, Kang can’t bring himself to kill Ravonna because of his love for her and is willing to fight for it. After an assassination attempt, Kang realizes that Boltag and the others are not going to relent. Kang makes the hard choice of summoning Captain America and suggests they form an alliance to stop Boltag and save Ravonna’s kingdom. Although Cap doesn’t trust Kang, he agrees to this idea. When Ravonna sees Kang helping organize the resistance she hears a nobility in his voice she has never heard before and now finds herself becoming attracted to him.

The Avengers then lead the charge once Boltag leads Kang’s forces to attack. When things begin looking bleak, Kang suddenly leaves. However, instead of abandoning the flight as everyone thinks, Kang actually has returned to his master controls and activates a device that causes all of the weapons used by his armies to self-destruct, ending the battle immediately. By this time, Quicksilver is back in fighting form and helps round up Kang’s traitorous generals. With the battle over, Ravonna is convinced that Kang can be noble and agrees to marry him as long as he returns the Avengers to their own time. Kang complies but warns the Avengers that when they meet next it will be as enemies. While Kang is distracted, Boltag manages to grab a gun from a guard and tries to shoot his former commander. Seeing this, Ravonna steps in the way taking the shot for him, and seemingly dies in Kang’s arms.[2][3]

As the Avengers reappear in Avengers Mansion, they are left wondering what happened to Ravonna, unaware that a new threat is observing them from afar and plotting against them.[4]

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch), Kang, Ravonna, King Carelius, Doctor Doom (unidentified)

Continuity Notes

1. Some quick facts: This future is of an alternate timeline designated Reality-6311 (per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005), Ravonna’s father is identified as King Carelius and their last name as Renslayer (per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #8)

2. Ravonna doesn’t die here. However, she is catatonic and placed in stasis by Kang by the time we see her again in Avengers #69. Complicating matters further are the events of Kang the Conquror #1-5, which reveals that after Ravonna was incapacitated Kang built a device that sent her consciousness across time and space where she would be reborn over and over. Talk about not being able to let go!

3. This story is expanded upon in Avengers #267, Thor Annual #17, and Avengers Forever #9.

4. This is Doctor Doom, as we’ll see next issue.

Topical References

• This story contains multiple references to the Avengers being from the 20th Century. This should be considered a topical reference as the Sliding Timescale has pushed the Modern Age forward in time so that it does not begin until the 21st Century.