In the Cluthes of… The Collector!

Hawkeye and the Wasp are assisting Goliath in an process to restore his lost growing abilities. However, the test has to be cut short because the energy transfer is too painful for Hank to endure. Shrinking in size, the Wasp literally pulls the plug in order to save Pym’s life.

Little do the Avengers know is that their current activities are being watched by the Collector, who has renewed interest in adding the team to his collection.[1] He sets the sights on the Wasp, who is enjoying her brand new A shaped swimming pool. When Goliath and Hawkeye comes to visit her they are shocked when some force begins pulling her into the sky. They manage to grab onto the Wasp and are pulled up into the air along with her. They are drawn into an alien ship that is floating high in the air. There they land in a gigantic organism that was set to trap them. That’s when the Collector and Thor — whom he has enslaved — arrive and shock the other Avengers into unconsciousness. Although Thor tries to fight the Collector’s mind control, he finds himself helpless when ordered to place his teammates in containment cells. The Collector intends to collect all the Avengers, including the original members and recalls how easily he was able to enslave Thor by inviting him onto his ship and tricking him into drinking a drink drugged with special Asgardian herbs.

However, he does not consider his collection complete until he restores Goliath’s powers and after hooking Pym to a machine he has Thor summon a powerful storm to power the device. When this proves too painful for Goliath, the Collector stops the experiment before it kills Pym. He then turns his attention to other Avengers he can capture. He observes Captain America, who is battling against enemy forces in Africa with the Black Panther.[2] He then witnesses the Hulk’s arrival in Asgard.[3] He settles on going after Iron Man next as he is returning home from his recent battle with AIM And the Maggia.[4] Thor is dispatched to capture Iron Man, a task made easier because Iron Man’s power levels are low after his recent trials and tribulations.

However, by this time, the Wasp has managed to free herself by using her ability to command insects to control one of the Collector’s pets. She then frees both Goliath and Hawkeye. The Collector has activated a robot to deal with them in this situation. However, when the robot accidentally blasts the control equipment making the robot run wild and it starts attacking the Collector. With the robot on the rampage, Goliath is surprised to discover that his growing powers have been restored and he destroys the robot. By this point, Thor has shaken off the effects of the Collector’s potion and grabbing Iron Man, he helps the other Avengers escape the Collector’s ship. They then return to Avengers Mansion where they use a stim-o-lator device to make Goliath’s restoration permanent. However, Iron Man and Thor are too busy with their own affairs to return to the ranks of the Avengers and depart. However, the team’s membership dilemma appears to be solved when they get a call from Captain America who tells the group that he is sending a potential candidate for membership on the team — the Black Panther!

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Thor, Iron Man, Goliath, Wasp, Hawkeye), Collector, Captain America, Black Panther, Hulk

Continuity Notes

1. A footnote reminds readers that the Collector previously faced the Avengers in Avengers #28.

2. Captain America is in Africa trying to stop a Baron Zemo impostor from using a death-ray satellite to enslave the world. See Tales of Suspense #97-99 and Captain America #100.

3. The Hulk was briefly an Avenger from Avengers #1-2. His adventures in Asgard are chronicled in Tales to Astonish #101 and Incredible Hulk #102.

4. Iron Man’s battle with the Maggia/AIM took place in Tales of Suspense #97-99, Iron Man and the Sub-Mariner #1, and Iron Man #1.