Stranger in a Strange Man!

The Wasp has been seriously injured during an Avengers recruitment drive that was attacked by the Stranger. As the Wasp undergoes surgery, Thor addresses the media outside. This also gives the public a first look at the team’s two potential recruits: Moondragon and the Beast. The crowd has mixed opinions, particularly towards the Beast due to the fact that he is a mutant. Yellowjacket on the other hand thinks the press conference is a waste of time and orders the Avengers into a cab back to Avengers Mansion so they can find the Stranger and avenge his wife.[1]

When they arrive at the mansion, Yellowjacket is furious to learn that Hawkeye went off to try and recruit the Black Knight who is currently in the 12th Century.[2] Suddenly, they are attacked by a mental probe from the Stranger. Although they survive this attack they learn that the enigmatic entity is seeking out the Scarlet Witch for some reason. Although they know that Wanda and the Vision are off on their honeymoon, they have no idea where they have gone.[3] Thor suggests they race to some random location to try and lure the Stranger out and, after some bickering, Thor and Moondragon head out to try and trick their foe.[4]

The pair go to a deserted island while the others monitor for the Stranger’s energy signature back at the Mansion. As Iron Man and Yellowjacket continue to bicker with one another, the Beast wonders if he’ll fit in on the team. All thoughts turn to the monitoring device when the Stranger appears before Thor and Moondragon. In the ensuing battle, the Stranger splits into two different entities.[5] Despite his apparent power, the Stranger flees again but this time the Avengers get a lock on his location.

Taking a pair of Quinjets, the team reunites outside the Stranger’s spaceship. Getting inside, the group is pinned down by a laster trap.[6] The Beast uses his agility to slip past this defense and distract the Stranger. The Beast’s agility begins to frustrate the Stranger and when McCoy uses his Humphry Bogart disguise to confuse his foe it causes him to drop his guard. As it turns out, they haven’t been fighting the Stranger at all, it has actually the Toad.[7] Despite all the high-tech weapons, the Toad is eventually subdued by Yellowjacket who is furious that the mutant was responsible for the Wasp’s injuries. With the Toad subdued, the Avengers demand answers as to how the Toad got access to this technology and how why he posed as the Stranger.

The Toad reminds them that he and his master, Magneto, were once prisoners of the Stranger. Ultimately, Magneto abandoned the Toad because he found him useless. The Toad instead tagged along with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, because he had fallen in love with Wanda. This led to their battles with the Sentinels and other-dimensional Arkon. Although the Avengers eventually rescued Pietro and Wanda from Arkon, the Toad decided to stay behind.[8] He then constructed a ship based on Magneto’s designs and returned to the Stranger’s planet. As the Stranger was not home he was able to purloin his technology so he could capture the Scarlet Witch and force her to be his bride. It’s then that the Toad realizes that nobody is even listening to him anymore and throws a fresh tantrum.

As the Avengers head back to Earth, Yellowjacket prays that Janet will pull through. Meanwhile, in French Polynesia, the Vision and the Scarlet Witch continue their honeymoon blissfully unaware of the Toad’s plot against Wanda.[9]

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Yellowjacket Scarlet Witch, Vision, Moondragon, Beast), Toad

Continuity Notes

1. Yellowjacket states here that there is no “miracle doctor” to save her this time. This is a reference to the time that Janet was shot by the Maggia and was saved thanks to a lung specialist. See Avengers #13-14.

2. Hawkeye left to try and convince the Black Knight to return to the present last issue, intending to use the time machine that Avengers used back in Avengers Annual #2. The Knight has been in the past since Defenders #11. Hawkeye’s mission gets sidetracked to the days of the American Frontier by Kang the Conqueror as seen in Avengers #141-144.

3. The Vision and the Scarlet Witch got married in Giant-Size Avengers #4, they went on their honeymoon in that same issue.

4. Thor implies that he knows Iron Man’s secret identity because he does. Both he and Iron Man deduced each other’s alter-egos in Avengers #113.

5. Thor recounts the time he faced the Stranger. That was in Thor #178.

6. The Beast also mentions his previous encounter with the Stranger. That was in X-Men #11.

7. The Toad mentions here how he vowed to become his own master. He made this proclamation in Avengers #53.

8. There is a lot going on here, so let’s break it down:

   • Magneto and the Toad were captured by the Stranger back in X-Men #11. After some failed escape attempts they eventually got free in Avengers #53.

   • Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are referred to as mutants here. However, they are not. As revealed in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4, they were actually experimented upon by the High Evolutionary. In order to cover up his work, he made it so future genetic tests would have them register as mutants.

   • The Toad tagged along with Pietro and Wanda leading to their capture by Sentinels in X-Men #59 and later by Arkon in Avengers #75-76.

9. The Vision and Scarlet Witch got hitched in Giant-Size Avengers #4.

Topical References

• The Beast disguising himself as Humphry Bogart in this story is not a topical reference. As detailed last issue, Hank spent time watching a number of classic movies and was inspired to dress up as Bogart. Moreover, this is not a topical reference since Bogart has been dead since 1957, and part of the shock of dressing up like the late actor is the fact that Bogey has been dead for quite a while.