Avengers #6
The Mighty Avengers Meet the Masters of Evil!
Following their battle against the Lava Men in the southwest, the Avengers have stopped in Chicago so their helicopter can refuel. There, Captain America shows off the new magnetic controls that Iron Man has built into his shield.[1] Captain America is once again impressed by the technology that exists in this era and thinks how much easier his adventures during the war would have been if he had access to such marvels. This gets him Cap thinking about his former partner Bucky, who died during the war.[2] When Rick Jones tries cheering him up, Captain America is grateful but admits that he can’t start the healing process until he finds Bucky’s killer and brings him to justice.
At that moment, in the jungles of South America, Baron Zemo — the man responsible for Bucky’s death — awaits the arrival of new supplies.[3] The supplies include a newspaper with news about the return of Captain America.[4][5] Zemo is furious to learn that his old foe survived and he tells the pilot about the incident that resulted in a mask becoming permanently stuck to his face. This happened back in Nazi Germany when Zemo worked as a scientist for Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. He was working on a powerful bonding agent he called Adhesive X. Before he could mass-produce the substance, Captain America attacked his lab and shattered a vat of Adhesive X with his shield. The glue spilled all over Baron Zemo’s face, sticking his mask to his face forever.[6] Wanting to destroy Captain America once and for all, Baron Zemo gives his pilot instructions on what to do next.
A short time later, the members of the Teen Brigade spot the Black Knight spraying the city with Adhesive X, sticking people and cars to the ground, and stopping boats in the harbor.[7] He is joined by the Melter who uses his upgraded melting ray to disarm police officers before spraying more people with the adhesive.[8] Also arriving on the scene is the Radioactive Man, who has also been hired by Zemo. As he sprays even more people with Adhesive X he hopes to have the opportunity to defeat his enemy, Thor.[9]
Soon the Avengers arrive to face this group, who calls themselves the Masters of Evil. While the Radioactive Man repels Thor’s attacks before using Adhesive X to stick Captain America and Giant-Man to the street. Iron Man, evading an attack from the Melter quickly commandeers a truck. While the Wasp keeps the Melter distracted, Iron Man uses the tow chains to pull Captain America and Giant-Man away. Seeing that Iron Man is on a collision course with the Black Knight and his flying horse, Thor leaps to his aid. As the Avengers flee the scene, Baron Zemo arrives in his flying ship. When the Radioactive Man suggests that the heroes might come up with a solution of Adhesive X, Baron Zemo decides to allow the Avengers to try in the hopes of stealing it for himself and finally getting his mask off his face.
Back at Avengers Mansion, the team tries everything to free Captain America and Giant-Man from the Adhesive X. When nothing works, the Wasp remembers that the Human Torch recently fought a foe who used glue as a weapon.[10] Offered a reduce sentence for his help, Paste-Pot Pete reveals the location where he has stored a powerful acetone solution that may work against Adhesive X. Iron Man quickly goes out to recover the chemical and it works. Now free, Captain America suggests they can beat the Masters of Evil by switching foes. He then places a call to Teen Brigade to enlist their aid with another part of his plan.
By this time, Baron Zemo has his pilot to start pumping more Adhesive X so the rest of the Masters of Evil can continue covering the city in the powerful glue. When nobody is looking, Rick Jones and Teen Brigade jump the pilot and begin replacing the Adhesive X with Paste-Pot Pete’s solution instead.[11] This time, when the villains go about the town they end up freeing the people they originally trapped. That’s when the Avengers step in with Thor taking down the Black Knight. Iron Man and Giant-Man then work together to trap the Radioactive Man in lead foil that is suspended by a balloon. Still, even though Captain America’s plan is working, Iron Man breaks from this plan to deal with the Melter on his own.
Meanwhile, Baron Zemo has caught the Teen Brigade and uses his a hypno-ray to enthrall them. He then tries to take a canister of the solution from Rick Jones but is attacked by Captain America. During their struggle, Zemo’s pilot tries to shoot the Star-Spangled Avenger, Cap’s reflexes prevent him from being seriously injured. While Giant-Man manages to nab the shooter, Baron Zemo manages to escape in his airship with what he thinks is a canister of acetone. However, Captain America anticipated this happening and the canister Zemo has taken is actually filled with teargas. Watching Zemo’s ship starting to fly erratically, the Avengers figure Zemo just discovered the trap and get a good laugh.[12]
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp), Masters of Evil (Baron Zemo, Black Knight, Melter, Radioactive Man), Teen Brigade (Rick Jones, Bill Bishop), Franz Gruber, Paste-Pot Pete, Elendil
Continuity Notes
Captain America’s shield upgrade proves short-lived. He’ll have abandoned these enhancements by Tales of Suspense #62. He did so because the equipment threw off the shield’s throwing balance.
At the time of this story, everyone believes that Bucky died in 1945 trying to disarm a bomb, as seen in Avengers #4. Years later, in Captain America (vol. 5) #14, Cap will discover that Bucky survived and had been brainwashed into becoming the Russian assassin called the Winter Soldier.
It’s unexplained how Baron Zemo managed to remain relatively young and vital since World War II. Back when this comic was published it was believable that Zemo would still be alive as it was only 20 years. However, the Sliding Timescale has made that increasingly impossible. Luckily, an explanation is provided in Thunderbolts #-1. It reveals that Zemo had developed a formula to slow his aging.
Zemo’s pilot is unnamed here. He is later identified as Franz Gruber. His name is given in the Avengers and Thunderbolts novel published in 1999. The Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers all confirm that this name is considered part of continuity even if the novel might not be.
As explained in Avengers #4, Captain America ended up in suspended animation near the end of the war and had been revived by the Avengers while they were hunting for the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner.
Per Captain America: The Medusa Effect #1, the incident with Adhesive X occurred sometime in 1942.
One of the members of Teen Brigade recalls the Black Knight’s recent battle with Giant-Man and the Wasp. That was in Tales to Astonish #52.
The narration reminds readers that the Melter previously fought Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #47.
The narration, once again, reminds readers of a previous battle. This time the one between Thor and the Radioactive Man from Journey into Mystery #93.
The Human Torch’s battle with Paste-Pot Pete happened in Strange Tales #110.
The fat kid in the group is, according to the Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Avengers, Bill Bishop. Bishop is later identified by name in Captain Marvel #51. (Despite what the Garbage Database claims, he is not the kid named Willie who is identified in Avengers #1. But hey, they were a source who thinks everyone at Stark Industries named Bill is the same guy as they are the masters of GIGO.)
The battle with the Masters of Evil is expanded upon in Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #3.
Topical References
The revolutionary technology in Captain America’s shield (and all Starktech) in this story is — wait for it — TRANSISTORS! Not that impressive anymore since they are the most common component found in all electronics.
Teen Brigade is depicted using ham radios. As I’ve said previously this is outdated. Avengers: The Origin #1-5 states that the Teen Brigade are now a group of hackers who communicate via the internet instead of ham radios.
The Avengers are depicted as having a rotary phone in the mansion.