Avengers #168
First Blood
The Avengers are returning to Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy to assist them on their mission to find Korvac. However, when they contact Jarvis at the mansion to get clearance for landing, Captain America can’t get a response. As they make their descent, Yondu can’t help but worry about how lonely their leader, Vance Astro, will be since he has to stay behind on Drydock, the Guardian’s space station.[1]
When they arrive at the mansion the alarms begin going off, prompting the Avengers to go looking for intruders. Every room has been turned over but it doesn’t appear that anything has been stolen. Forcing their way into the Avengers meeting room, they discover that the man responsible is Henry Gyrich, an agent for the National Security Agency. He has rummaged through the Avengers headquarters and tied up Jarvis as a test to see how easy it would be for an enemy agent to infiltrate such a high-security building.[2] After reading off a litany of infractions he is also unimpressed by the number of unauthorized individuals in the building who haven’t been security cleared. He decides to pull the Avengers' A-1 security status until they can address these security issues.
After Gyrich leaves, Iron Man tries to brush this off as the fallout from their battle with Count Nefaria. Captain America, on the other hand, is deeply upset and blames Iron Man’s lack of leadership as chairman of the Avengers for this situation.[3] The argument becomes heated and the pair almost come to blows if not for the Scarlet Witch getting between the pair. She then points out that Captain America hasn’t been pulling his weight either, reminding him how he was easily defeated during their battle with Ultron. This cuts deep and Captain America storms out of the room, telling Wanda that she made her point.[4]
Meanwhile, aboard a cross-country train, Hawkeye and the Two-Gun Kid entertain the other passengers with some archery tricks. After the show, the pair sit down and talk about Clint’s decision to return east to the Avengers. Two-Gun admits that he is getting homesick for his own time when he suddenly vanishes into thin air.[5][6]
Back at Avengers Mansion, Iron Man apologizes to the Guardians for all the drama and suggests they begin their search for Korvac. That’s when they all notice that Starhawk has disappeared without telling anyone. The Guardians assure the Avengers that this is normal and he will return in due time. At that moment, Starhawk has allowed his wife Aleta take over their shared body and has travelled to Forest Hills to investigate a sense of danger. There she is invited in by Carina Walters who introduces Aleta to her husband a man who calls himself Michael. Knowing that Aleta is more than she appears, Michael asks Carina to leave the room while he deals with this uninvited guest.
Both beings of immense cosmic power an invisible battle of wits takes place. Michael battles on two fronts: fighting Aleta in the physical world while also battling Starhawk in the Astral Plane. The titanic battle begins to have an impact on the outside world as New York is suddenly hit by a sudden and powerful storm. Nearby, Peter Parker pushes Mary Jane Watson out of the way of a tree. While he tries to assure her that everything will be fine betraying the fact that his spider-sense is screaming. Spider-Man isn’t the only one who senses this battle as it attracts the attention of Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and the Silver Surfer. Although they sense a great danger they are unable to pinpoint its source or its identity.
Ultimately, Michael proves to be the more powerful combatant and he uses his powers to kill Starhawk, reducing him to dust. Suspecting that his enemies might find him should Starhawk not return, Michael uses his vast power to restore Starhawk but makes it so that he no longer remembers his encounter with Michael, nor be able to detect him in the future. Moments later, Starhawk finds himself flying over the city with no idea what he was doing out in the first place. When Starhawk returns to Avengers Mansion, Iron Man and the Guardians have agreed to purchase a house near the home of present-day Vance Astro to keep watch for Korvac. When they ask where Starhawk went, all he will say that he went searching for truth and encourages them to continue with their plan. Meanwhile, Michael sits in his living room and thinks over his plans for the future.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, the Vision, the Beast, Wonder Man), Two-Gun Kid, Guardians of the Galaxy (Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Nikki, Martinex, Starhawk/Aleta, Yondu), Korva, Carina Walters, Henry Gyrich, Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Silver Surfer
Continuity Notes
The Guardians are said to come from the future of this timeline. However, they actually come from an alternate reality. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes #1 designates this as Earth-691. The reason why Vance can’t step foot on Earth at this time is that the presence of his younger self will cause problems with the timeline. See Giant-Size Defenders #5, and Defenders #26-29. The two realities will diverge from one another following the events of Marvel Two-In-One #69.
Gyrich was able to get into Avengers Mansion thanks to a hole put through one of the walls during the team’s battle with Count Nefaria. See Avengers #164-166.
Captain America accuses Iron Man of being distracted by the problems Tony Stark is experiencing, unaware that they are the same man. He is referring to the fact that, at the time of this story, Stark was being investigated by the US Senate on bribery charges. See Iron Man #95-100.
The Avengers most recent battle with Ultron took place in Avengers #161-162.
The Two-Gun Kid asked to come to the present day with Hawkeye after the Avengers defeated Kang’s attempt to conquer the year 1873. See Avengers #141-143.
Issue #173-174 reveals that Two-Gun Kid’s kidnapper is the Collector who is slowly capturing Avengers to add to his collection.
Topical References
References to the Modern Age taking place in the 20th Century should be considered topical. The Sliding Timescale has pushed it forward to the point where it does not begin until after the start of the 21st Century.
