The Reality Problem!

Now

The Swordsman sacrificed his life in order to save Mantis from Kang the Conquerer. The Avengers have no come to Vietnam where Mantis intends to bury him on the grounds of the temple once used by the Priests of Pama. As they prepare for the burial, they all think back to the events that brought them here…

Yesterday

Hawkeye is in the middle of telling his teammates that Captain America has reinvented himself as a new hero named Nomad, when Mantis enters the room to inform them that she is leaving.[1] She is going back to Vietnam to investigate her past and wants the Avengers permission to take Swordsman’s body to bury it there. The Avengers agree, but the entire team wants to accompany her to bid their farewell. She is touched, particularly after her attempts to steal the Vision away from the Scarlet Witch. When she asks if the android will accompany them, he decides to stay behind because he is convinced that his recent instances of freezing up in battle are a sign that he’s losing his mind.[2] However, Iron Man and the others convince him that he still has a part on the team and he changes his mind, much to the chagrin of the Scarlet Witch who must remain behind and continue her witchcraft training under Agatha Harkness.

As they prepare to head to Vietnam, they are unaware of a villain that they will soon have to face upon their arrival. This new costumed criminal calls himself the Slasher due to the razor sharp spines on his costume. He uses this ability to rob a diamond exchange in the city of Saigon.

Now

The next day, the Avengers had arrived at the temple of the Priests of Pama where they will bury the Swordsman.[3] There, each of the Avengers pay their final respects. Hawkeye finds himself regretting the way he always gave the Swordsman a hard time because of their past associations.[4] Thor then gives a eulogy for their fallen comrade and then they bury his body. Once they are finished this sorrowful task, they are roused by someone screaming for help. Rushing outside the temple they spot a local being chased by the Radioactive Man, Titanium Man, and Crimson Dynamo. They watch in horror as the trio executes the man. When the Avengers attempt to attack them, the Crimson Dynamo explains that they, as the Titanic Three, are agents for the Vietnamese government and the American heroes have no authority in this country. As it turns out, following a stint in prison, the Radioactive Man enlisted the other two communist operatives to join him in forming Vietnam’s first super-hero team.[5]

Iron Man is spoiling for a fight since his two armed foes were responsible for the death of someone he loved and that this region was where he suffered the injury that made him into Iron Man.[6] Thor tries to stop him, leading to the two teammates to come to blows. Ultimately, the thunder god proves more powerful and Iron Man agrees to stand down. The Titanic Three then warn the Avengers against interfering with them again and tell them to stay in Saigon. The Avengers comply with this order, mainly because this will give them an opportunity to verify if Mantis’ memories of her childhood as a street urchin are true. Since she also apparently has ties to the Kree, Hawkeye sends out a call to Captain Marvel to see if he can shed some light on the matter, but does not get a response.[7] Their next stop in Saigon is a home that Mantis remembers from her youth. However, the current owners insist that they built the dwelling only two years prior and have no idea who she is. As they continue to search for clues, Vision answers all the questions Hawkeye has about Mantis and the mysteries of her past.

The presence of the Avengers is seen by Slasher, who fears that the heroes may prevent him from delivering the stolen diamonds to his fence. However, when he also sees the Titanic Three lurking about he tricks them into thinking that the Avengers have attacking him for no apparent reason. He then joins the Titanic Three in an ambush on the Avengers. However, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes prove to be the more powerful group and, in the ensuing battle, the Vision knocks loose the Slasher’s stolen diamonds. Realizing that they have been tricked, the Titanic Three stop their battle and leave Slasher to the Avengers’ mercy.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, the Vision, Mantis), Agatha Harkness, Titanic Three (Radioactive Man, Titanium Man, Crimson Dynamo), Slasher, Swordsman (corpse),

Continuity Notes

1. Captain America has been disenfranchised after discovering the President of the United States was the leader of the Secret Empire in Captain America #175. Hawkeye got on his case to continue crime fighting in issue #179, leading to his becoming Nomad the following issue of that series.

2. The Vision has frozen up in battle in Avengers #118, 122 and most recently in Giant-Size Avengers #2. What he doesn’t know is that these freeze ups are primal fears left over from his old life as the android Human Torch. This will be revealed to him in issues #134-135.

3. Mantis has reluctantly accepted the fact that she was raised by the Priests of Pama, even though she has no memory of it. She learned this in Avengers #123-124. She will learn in issue #134-135 that she was trained by the priests to be a candidate for the Celesial Madonna and that her wiped memories was so that she could better learn about humanity in the outside world.

4. As detailed in Avengers #19-20, the Swordsman was one of the people who trained Hawkeye how to shoot a bow and arrow.

5. Radioactive Man mentions his various defeats at the hands of Thor or the Avengers, referencing Journey into Mystery #93 and Avengers #54-55. He also mentions the recent defeat of Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo at the hands of Iron Man. That happened in Iron Man #22.

6. This is Janice Cord, who died in Iron Man #22. Tony Stark specifically states that was injured from bomb shrapnel while on a weapons test in Vietnam circa Tales of Suspense #39. Iron Man’s origins have been subject to a great deal of conflicting accounts. See here for more.

7. The narrative tells readers to check out recent issues of Captain Marvel to find out why Mar-Vell is not answering the Avengers’ call. This story precedes Captain Marvel #36-39, which saw Mar-Vell involved in the trail of Uatu, Earth’s Watcher.

Topical References

• This story is set in Vietnam which, at the time of publication, had just recently saw the end of the Vietnam War and the withdrawal of American troops in January of 1973. It was written during a time when the region was still unstable due to the American exit from the war, albeit the instability is really underplayed here. For more on how references to Vietnam in the Modern Age are handled, go here.

• Hawkeye uses a standard radio to send his call to Captain Marvel via Rick Jones. This should be considered a topical reference as it is a hold-over from Rick’s days as a member of Teen Brigade. Per Avengers: The Origin #1-5, Teen Brigade is depicted as a group of hackers instead of ham radio enthusiasts.