When Strikes Attuma?

Following the Avengers battle with the Living Laser, the Vision has flown out to the center of the Pacific Ocean to dispose of the Serpent Crown.[1] On his way back to the mainland, the Vision continues to puzzle over his own autonomy now that Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, is back from the dead.[2] That’s when an Atlantean battle cruiser surfaces and tries to blast him out of the sky. Entering the ship with his phasing powers, the Vision fights back against the crew. However, when he solidifies he is blasted from behind by one of the warriors and is knocked out.

Meanwhile, the other Avengers have arrived at a hospital on the Eastside of New York City where the Whizzer is rushed into surgery after suffering yet another heart attack in battle.[3] With Robert Frank in the care of doctors, the Avengers can only hope for the best and instead start focusing their efforts on another pressing matter: The strange resurrection of Wonder Man.

While at Avengers Mansion, the Scarlet Witch has been sidelined while her arm recovers from a gunshot wound. While walking around the back garden, she spots a ship coming in for a landing. Jarvis rushes out with a weapon and is willing to protect Wanda with his life. However, the Witch tells the butler to stand down as she recognizes the shuttle as belonging to the Inhumans. When the shuttle lands, Triton emerges from the ship and asks the Scarlet Witch for her help as the Earth is in deadly peril. When she asks why he hasn’t gone to the Fantastic Four, Triton explains that they are the danger he speaks of. As Wanda escorts Triton into the mansion, she is unaware that they are being spied upon.

Later, the Vision wakes up in shackles and discovers that he is a prisoner of the Atlantean warriors under the command of the barbarian known as Attuma. Once the Vision discovers that his shackles will shock him if he tries to change his density, he is brought before Attuma who is wearing the android’s cape as a trophy. After knocking the Vision to the ground, Attuma details his latest revenge scheme. He explains that his hated foe, the Sub-Mariner, last defeated him during a battle on the artificial island known as Hydro-Base. He intends on forcing the Avengers to help him destroy Hydro-Base and destroy Namor, the first step in his conquest of the entire world.[4]

Back at Avengers Mansion, the Scarlet Witch has brought Triton to the communications room to try and reach her comrades. She realizes that she is dealing with an impostor when “Triton” suggests that they have her brother, Quicksilver, run a message to them.[5] A hex blot blasts away the impostor’s disguise. The Atlantean introduces himself as Tyrak and how he was sent to catch the Avengers off guard. As Wanda tries to fend off her attacker, the sounds of battle draws the attention of Jarvis who runs to her side. Tyrak knocks the butler aside and then gasses the Scarlet Witch.

That’s when the other Avengers come crashing in, having just returned from the hospital. In the ensuing battle, Tyrak incapacitates each Avenger one after another. First, he takes down Iron Man by crushing the power source to his armor. He then gasses Yellowjacket and the Wasp while they are at insect size. Captain America is then felled when Tyrak collapses a wall on him. Soon, the only Avenger left standing is the Beast who decides to flee the scene rather than face capture as well. Thinking the Beast a coward, Tyrak gloats over his victory before ordering his men to take the Avengers back to his master, Attuma.

… This story is continued in Super-Villain Team-Up #9.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Yellowjacket, the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, the Vision, Beast, Wonder Man), Whizzer, Attuma, Tyrak, Edwin Jarvis

Continuity Notes

1. Where it will remain until it is recovered by the Serpent Squad in Marvel Two-In-One #66.

2. Let’s get the Vision/Wonder Man conundrum out of the way here and now:

   • Wonder Man seemingly died as a side effect of the process that gave him his powers in Avengers #9. He turned up alive again in Avengers #151. It’s later revealed in issue #164 that he entered a death-like trance while his body underwent a metamorphosis.

   • While Simon was “dead”, the Vision’s mind was created using a recording of Wonder Man’s brain pattern. See Avengers #57-58 and 134-135.

3. The Whizzer suffered his first heart attack in Giant-Size Avengers #1.

4. Attuma’s last battle with the Sub-Mariner was in Super-Villain Team-Up #3. A footnote mentions that Attuma clashed with Namor since Fantastic Four #33.

5. Tyrak blew his cover because Quicksilver has been living among the Inhumans since Avengers #104.