To Fall by Treachery!

Wonder Man has been taken to Tony Stark for a full examination of his body in the hopes of understanding how he came back from the dead.[1] After a battery of tests, they determined that Simon never really died, but entered a death-like state while his body underwent a transformation, converting his body into pure energy. The Beast tries to offer his aid alongside Stark and the Black Panther, but can’t get a word in edgewise. Feeling like a fifth-wheel, he abruptly leaves without telling anyone.

As Hank walks the streets he once again questions his worth to the Avengers, particularly since he keeps getting captured or knocked out in battle. When he stops at a hot dog stand for a bite to eat, his furry form scares away the vendor. However, the women waiting in line find the Beast cute and he quickly discovers a new perk to his mutated form: the ladies love it![2]

This is observed by Count Nefaria, who is driving by in his classic Royles Royce and curses the Avengers fame while he is forced to drive himself around like a commoner. He stops a warehouse where he confronts Eric Joston, who has been working there ever since losing his Power Man identity in a battle with Luke Cage.[2] Nefaria offers him the chance to increase his power and get revenge against his oldest foes, the Avengers.[3]

Later, Robert Frank is waiting for his daughter to arrive when he hears about a jailbreak on the radio. Using his super-speed, Robert changes into the Whizzer and is about to race out and stop it when Wanda arrives and reminds him that he has a heart condition and can’t go into action as the Whizzer anymore.[4] Instead, Wanda decides to go investigate as the Scarlet Witch.[5]

Meanwhile, Power Man has reformed the Lethal Legion with Whirlwind and the Living Laser, whom he broke out of prison. While the trio is in the middle of a bank robbery they are confronted by Captain America, Yellowjacket, and the Wasp and soon a battle breaks out.[6] When the three Avengers are joined by the Black Panther and the Scarlet Witch, Power Man orders an immediate retreat because they got the money they need. With the Living Laser covering their escape, the Avengers wonder what the Lethal Legion are after this time.

At an upscale townhouse in Uptown New York, Count Nefaria has set up Project N to continue research into giving him superhuman powers.[5] Following his last defeat, Nefaria ran out of money and now can fund these experiments with the money Power Man and the others stole from the bank. One of the scientists on the team is a Nazi scientist who worked with Baron Zemo to create the process that gave both Wonder Man and Power Man their abilities.[8][9] Upstairs, the Lethal Legion has returned. Whirlwind has already deduced that the Count is flat broke. While Power Man defends their new employer, Nefaria orders them to come down to the lab as the scientists are ready to boost their powers.

The next day, at Avengers Manson, most of the team arrives for a report. Captain America is annoyed that their Iron Man, their current chairman, is not present despite the problems that are happening for Tony Stark.[10] When the Beast finally shows up, Captain America demands to know where he was for the past two days. That’s when Power Man tosses a car through the mansion, announcing the arrival of the Lethal Legion. The Wasp is injured in the opening salvo, prompting the rest of the team to cover Yellowjacket as he brings his wife to safety. During the fight, Wonder Man finds himself freezing up in the battle in fear of his mortality. At first, the Lethal Legion appears to have enhanced powers but suddenly their abilities begin to fade and they are easily defeated. That’s when the Avengers are ambushed by Count Nefaria, who now has super-human powers of his own.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Yellowjacket, the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, the Vision, the Beast, Wonder Man), the Whizzer, Lethal Legion (Count Nefaria, Power Man, Living Laser, Whirlwind), Project N (Archibald Stancheck, Hellen Rachelson, Kenneth Sturdy, Withers)

Continuity Notes

1. Wonder Man seemingly died in Avengers #9 and then turned up alive again in issue #151. This story misattributes Wonder Man’s death to Avengers #8.

2. Best mentions missing a woman named Patsy here. He is referring to Patsy Walker whom he met back in Amazing Adventures (vol. 2) #13. She tried to blackmail Hank into making her a superhero and she eventually became Hellcat in Avengers #144. However, instead of joining the Avengers, she left with Moondragon to undergo training in issue 151.

3. Power Man lost a fight with Luke Cage in Power Man #21. This story incorrectly attributes that battle to issue #23 of that series.

4. The Scarlet Witch is referred to as the Whizzer’s daughter here. The two were led to believe this in Giant-Size Avengers #1. However, she actually isn’t the Whizzer’s father. As detailed in Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #4, Wanda is the daughter of Natalya Maximoff and an unidentified father.

5. Wanda wishes she still had a flying belt she once tested for Tony Stark. This reference cites Avengers #16. However, there is no instance in that story where Wanda wears a flying belt. They aren’t doing very well with references in this issue. I presume this was slotted in to explain how Wanda could fly in an early issue of the Avengers, but fuck if I know what one they actually mean. It is not referenced anywhere else. If you think you know what they’re talking about here drop me a line.

6. The Wasp mentions how she and Yellowjacket recently upgraded their bio-stings. This happened in Marvel Team-Up #59-60.

7. Count Nefaria failed to take over NORAD in X-Men #94-95. This story, again, makes the wrong reference, citing X-Men #96.

8. Wonder Man got his powers in Avengers #9, while Power Man got his powers in Avengers #21.

9. This story heavily implies that Kenneth Sturdy was a Nazi war criminal since he speaks with a stereotypical German accent and refers to Adolf Hitler as “the Fuhrer”. However, due to the Sliding Timescale, it becomes increasingly difficult to explain how a Nazi scientist could still be alive in the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe without some means of slowing or stopping the aging process. Marvel has yet to provide an official explanation. However, Thunderbolts #-1, revealed that the Zemos used a special chemical bath to slow their aging process. It’s entirely possible that Sturdy had access to this age slowing process. Alternatively, one could assume that he is the descendant of a Nazi scientist who grew up at Zemo’s compound in South America and thus could be more accurately referred to as a Neo-Nazi.

10. A footnote tells readers to see recent issues of Iron Man. At the time of this story, Senator Andrew Hawk was investigating Tony Stark on accusations of bribery. See Iron Man #95-100.

Topical References

• Real-World references: The New York Mets