Avengers #40
Suddenly… The Sub-Mariner!
Following their battle with the Mad Thinker, the Avengers and their ally Hercules begin the process of cleaning up their headquarters. However, the Scarlet Witch soon collapses as she is still suffering the effects of having one of her hex bolts redirected back at her in the battle. Quicksilver quickly comes to her aid and gets her into bed to recover.[1] With Wanda in bed, Pietro tells them that they have been very close as they grew up as orphans and were feared and hated due to the fact that they are mutants.[2] Hawkeye can relate as he feels this close to the Black Widow, which hurts when he thinks about how she has apparently committed acts of treason against the United States.[3]
At that moment, the Black Widow has stolen an American fighter plane to take her back to her handlers in China. This is on an air base under the command of General Thaddeus Ross, who is unhappy to have to deal with a communist spy when he has the Hulk to contend with.
Meanwhile, in the undersea kingdom of Atlantis, the Sub-Mariner entertains his people by fighting some of his warriors in the gladiatorial arena. Once the mock battle is over, Lord Vashti urgently asks to speak with Namor. He has picked up the approach of an American submarine that is testing torpedos dangerously close to the kingdom. Furious, the Sub-Mariner swims out to redirects the torpedos with his own strength. Attacking the sub, Namor then forces it to retreat through a patch of seaweed that clings to the hull of the vessel hard enough to make it stuck. When the crew aboard the submarine begin sending out an SOS, Namor detects they are calling for help and heads to the surface to attack their would-be rescuers.
Back in New York, the Avengers have just heard news that Captain America has apparently joined forces with the Red Skull. They can hardly believe it and are relieved when Cap has a moment to contact them and inform the team that he is luring the Skull into a trap.[4] Before he goes, he asks the Avengers to recover the Cosmic Cube, a device that can alter reality to the whims of the user, and gives them the coordinates.[5] With Quicksilver staying behind to look after his sister, the rest of the Avengers are joined by Hercules who looks forward to getting out of the mansion.
At that moment, at a naval base on the island of Puerto Nuevo, the Sub-Mariner has arrived and attacks the soldiers on base. That’s when the Avengers and Hercules arrive and immediately join the fight.[6] During the battle, Hercules lets slip the fact that they were actually in the region seeking out the Cosmic Cube. Interested, Namor dives into the ocean and commands the sea life in the area to assist him in finding the device. When the Sub-Mariner recovers the Cosmic Cube from the ocean floor he quickly discovers that it makes his every desire a reality. Changing the Cube into a necklace he can wear, Namor then returns to the surface where he creates an amalga-beast to fight the Avengers while he tests his strength against Hercules.
However, Namor eventually begins to grow weaker the longer he is out of the water and commands the Cosmic Cube to open up the ground beneath them so he can fight Hercules in his own element. Although Hercules is an immortal who can stay underwater indefinitely, he is out of his element, and the Sub-Mariner’s honor refuses to allow him such an easy victory. Instead, he returns Hercules to the surface and wills the Cosmic Cube to keep him moist with water so his strength does not wane while they are fighting on the surface. By this time, Hawkeye and Goliath have worked together ot destroy the amalga-beast. The Wasp discovers that Namor is wearing the Cosmic Cube around his neck and uses her wasp sting to cut it loose. The Cube then falls into the crevasse. With the power of the cube gone, the Sub-Mariner makes a hasty retreat. The hole in the ground then seals up, leaving the Avengers to believe that the threat of the Cosmic Cube has been dealt with.
However, deep below the Earth, the Mole Man comes upon the Cosmic Cube. However, he dismisses it as nothing more as a child’s toy and tosses it aside unaware of the power he is willingly throwing away.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Gloath, Wasp, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch), Hercules, Sub-Mariner, Captain America, Black Widow, General Ross, Lord Vashit, Mole Man, Moloids
Continuity Notes
Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are referred to as Avengers here. However, they aren’t actually mutants at all. It is later revealed in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5 that they were were experimented upon by the High Evolutionary. In order to cover up his work, he made it so they would register as mutants if their genetics were ever examined.
The Maximoff twins were run out of their hometown in Transia by villagers who thought they were demons, as explained in X-Men #4.
As revealed in Avengers #38, the Black Widow is actually on a secret mission for SHIELD and is acting as a double agent.
Captain America has been away from the Avengers battling the Red Skull. See Tales of Suspense #88-91.
Captain America previously had experience with the Cosmic Cube when it was used by the Red Skull. See Tales of Suspense #80-81.
Goliath mentions that the last time the Avengers fought the Sub-Mariner it was when he was still calling himself Giant-Man. This was in Avengers #3 & 4. Hank Pym changed his name to Goliath to coincide with a change in costume in Avengers #28.
Topical References
Dated Cold War references: Red, Bamboo Curtain
