Avengers Assemble!

Having been released from the hospital, Yellowjacket and the Wasp have returned to Avengers Mansion to discover a massive crowd has formed outside to hear word on the Avengers new line-up. When they resume normal size on the doorstep, they are approached from reporter Sam Reuther, who asks for comment. The Wasp assures him that she and her husband will be on the new team. They are then ushered inside by Jarvis without further comment.

They are then escorted to the meeting room to join the other Avengers who have gathered there: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Scarlet Witch, and the Vision, as well ass potential recruits Moondragon, the Beast, and Hellcat.[1][2] With everyone gathered, Thor announces that he will be taking a leave of absence from the group.

Outside, Sam Ruether continues his life report outside of Avengers Mansion. As they wait for the announcement, he reminds viewers about how the Avengers were originally formed. He recalls how the team was formed when Loki tried to trick Thor into a battle with the Hulk. Instead, he inadvertently led to the assembly of Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. After defeating Loki, the group decided to become an official group and agreed on calling themselves the Avengers.[3]

Back inside, the Avengers are still reeling from Thor’s announcement. The thunder god explains that he feels like he has not been fulfilling his duties as a god. However, he pledges that he will be there for the Avengers should they ever have a need for him. With that, Iron Man confirms that he will be remaining on the team and Thor passes on leadership duties to the Golden Avenger. As Hellcat waits impatiently to be asked if she will join the team, Iron Man asks Captain America if he will remain on the group.

Outside, Sam Ruethers is telling his audience how Captain America came to be a member of the Avengers. The team had found Captain America’s frozen body while searching for the Hulk. Reviving the Living Legend of World War II, Captain America gladly joined their ranks.[4] He also mentions the time that the Avengers battled the Masters of Evil and the brief membership of Wonder Man who infiltrated the team to destroy them for the Masters. In the end, Wonder Man turned on his masters and apparently died due to the process that gave him his powers.[5] He also mentions how Captain America briefly trained Rick Jones to be his sidekick before the Avengers had their first change in membership.[6] Detailing how Giant-Man, the Wasp, Iron Man, and Thor left the team to pursue their personal affairs, paving the way for new members Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch.[7]

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Scarlet Witch, the Vision, Moondragon, the Beast), Hellcat, Edwin Jarvis

Continuity Notes

1. The Scarlet Witch jokes that they are discussing the reformation of the Lady Liberators. See Avengers #83.

2. Thor also comments how Iron Man has gotten a new mask. He has replaced the model with the ridiculous “nose” that he had been wearing since Iron Man #68. He made this change in issue #85 of that series.

3. The retelling of the Avengers origin here is exactly as it has been told in Avengers #1. This story has since been expanded upon in Avengers: The Origin #1-5.

4. Captain America’s revival and their battle with the Hulk are mentioned here. See Avengers #4 and 5.

5. Wonder Man’s tragic tale was told in Avengers #9. However, he didn’t really die but entered a death-like state as we’ll learn next issue.

6. It states here that Rick Jones’ whereabouts are unknown. What the general public don’t know is that Rick Jones has been living a shared existence with Captain Marvel almost consistently since Captain Marvel #17.

7. What follows is a partial reprint of Avengers #16, which details the first major change in the Avengers roster. Here, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are referred to as mutants. They actually aren’t. See Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5 for all the details regarding this deception.

Topical References

• Real-World businesses: CBS News

• This story states that Captain America was revived in 1964. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale as it measures the time between publications. Modern Readers should interpret Captain America’s revival as happening four years prior to this story rather than a specific date.