Magneto Walks the Earth!

For many months now, Magneto and the Toad have been prisoners of the Stranger on an alien world. However, Magneto has begun detecting a magnetic signal from Earth and intends to use it to return to his homeworld. He is unafraid of the Stranger coming after him again because it appears that their kidnapper is more interested in his latest prisoner, the Abomination.[1]

On Earth, the source of these magnetic signals is the work of Doctor Dane Whitman. Whitman is determined to make contact with intelligent life in space. While his assistant, Norris, is more interested in making money, Whitman is driven by a more noble pursuit. He explains to Norris that his uncle was Nathan Garrett, a rogue scientist who also masqueraded as the criminal Black Knight. Following the Black Knight’s death battling Iron Man, Whitman decided to focus on science in order to make up for the crimes his uncle committed.[2]

Meanwhile, at Avengers Mansion, Captain America has summoned the rest of the team to announce that he is retiring from active duty. Hawkeye protests this, but Captain America tells them that he deserves to have a private life and thus, Captain America must die so Steve Rogers can live.[3] When Hawkeye returns home to Natasha, he is deeply upset about Cap’s departure he takes it out on her. This upset Natasha, who feels a wedge being put in their relationship since she retired as the Black Widow.[4] Realizing that his temper is getting the better of him he storms out. Not long after this, Hank Pym and Janey Van Dyne are heading to the airport where Janet shows off her newly purchased private jet.[5] While Hercules has borrowed one of the Avengers’ aero-cars to head back to Mount Olympus where he hopes to petition his father Zeus to lift his banishment.[6] When he climbs to the top of the mountain he is shocked to discover the entire kingdom is deserted. He wonders where the other gods have gone and who was responsible.

Back at Garrett Castle, Norris decides to betray Whitman so he can take all the credit for the discovery. He knocks Dane out from behind just as his device makes contact and pulls Magneto and the Toad back to Earth. Back on Earth, Magneto decides to use Whitman’s device to his own ends but when Norris tries to use the device to send the two mutants back into space, Magneto knocks him out. After locking both Whitman and Norris in the dungeon, Magneto then decides that it is time to reform the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Thinking about how he saved their lives from a gang of angry villagers, Magneto decides to re-enlist Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.[7]

On monitor duty, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch happen to receive the coded message sent out by Magneto and go to investigate its origins. When the arrive at Garrett Castle, they are ambushed by a robot in armor being controlled by Magneto. When the twins use their powers to destroy the robot, Magneto reveals that he was the one who summoned them. However, they refuse to rejoin the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, telling Magneto that they have joined the Avengers in his absence.[8] Magneto then attacks them with with an army of robots but Quicksilver easily trashes them. Magneto then fights them directly, after knocking out the twins, Magneto assure the Toad that victory is in grasp and soon homo superior will rule the world.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Goliath, Wasp, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Hercules), Magneto, Toad, Dane Whitman, Natasha Romanoff, Whirlwind, Black Knight (flashback)

Continuity Notes

1. The Stranger kidnapped Magneto and the Toad in X-Men #11 and recaptured them when they escaped his world in X-Men #18. More recently he captured the Abomination following the events of Tales to Astonish #89-91.

2. Garrett became the Black Knight in Tales to Astonish #52. His fatal battle with Iron Man took place in Tales of Suspense #73, however it’s not until this issue that it is confirmed that he died. A more detailed account is told next issue.

3. Captain America’s retirement proves to be short lived. See Tales of Suspense #95-96.

4. The Black Widow retired after going on a mission for SHIELD ended with her getting shot. See Avengers #38-44. Her retirement will be short-lived as she’ll reinvent herself in Avengers #57.

5. The narration points out that Janet’s driver is secretly Whirlwind as we learned last issue. Janet was able to buy a jet because she just inherited her father’s fortune in Avengers #43.

6. Hercules has been exiled on Earth since Avengers #38.

7. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were founding members of Magneto’s Brotherhood back in X-Men #4 along with Mastermind, who is briefly mentioned here. However, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are not actually mutants. As revealed in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5, they were experimented upon by the High Evolutionary as infants. To cover up his work he made it so they would register as mutants if their genetics were ever tested.

8. After Magneto and Toad were kidnapped by the Stranger, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch joined the Avengers in Avengers #16 in order to make up for their past deeds.