… Where Angels Fear to Tread

The Avengers are following after the Bride of Ultron, as the robot will lead them directly to her creator. As they work their way through a thick New York City crowd, they pass a dress shop where Carol Danvers is undergoing a fitting. When the shopowner is distracted by the appearance of the Avengers, Carol’s “seventh sense” kicks in and she changes into Ms. Marvel and follows after the heroes, as she believes they will need her help in the battle ahead. As Ms. Marvel introduces herself the Avengers are joined by their teammates Yellowjacket and the Wasp.[1]

As they continue following the robot’s trail, Wonder Man becomes concerned over Ms. Marvel’s lust for battle. The trail soon leads them to a nearby convent. They are invited in by Sister Eucalypta who allows the Avengers to search the premises. In the middle of their search, they are blinded by a flash of light and quickly discover that both Eucalypta and the Scarlet Witch have disappeared. They eventually enter a room where Ultron is waiting for them, as he used his bride to lure them into a trap.[2] When he tries to kill his father with his encephalo-beam, Ultron discovers that the Avengers have devised an immunity to the weapon.

As the Avengers battle Ultron, the Scarlet Witch finds herself in a room covered with mirror surfaces that deceives her perceptions. She inadvertently falls through an invisible hole in the floor and struck by a whirlpool. Meanwhile, Ms. Marvel’s seventh sense has warned her that Wanda is in trouble and she has broken off from the battle to search for her. When someone tries to blast her from behind a curtain, she easily evades the attack and pursues the shooter. The shooter turns out to be Sister Eucalypta and Ms. Marvel quickly knocks her out. That’s when she spots a door with water leaking out from under it.

By this time, Ultron has trapped the Avengers in a force field and decides it is time to reactivate his bride, whom he has dubbed Jacosta. However, despite the fact that she has been programmed to love Ultron, she also has a strong desire to destroy her. As the pair clash, the Scarlet Witch and Ms. Marvel return to the scene. Wanda then blasts Ultron with a hex bolt that causes the molecular-rearranger in his body — which can allow him to reform his Adamantium body — to malfunction. This causes a rift that causes his energies to leak out.[3] Freed from the force field, Thor uses Mjolnir to absorb the energy and fire it out into space where it harmlessly explodes. In the aftermath of the battle, Wonder Man has begun to get over his fear of dying and begins feeling like a real Avenger for the first time since rejoining the group.[4] That’s when they notice that both Jacosta and Captain America have vanished.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Yellowjacket, the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, the Vision, the Beast), Ms. Marvel, Jacosta, Ultron

Continuity Notes

1. Ms. Marvel mentions her earlier encounter with the Beast. That happened in Ms. Marvel #16. She also worries about her job at Woman Magazine, and her boss J. Jonah Jameson. At the time of this story, Carol worked for the Daily Bugle publisher from Ms. Marvel #1 until she was fired in issue #22 of that series.

2. Ultron mentions his last battle with the Avengers. That was in Avengers #161-162.

3. Although Ultron is seemingly destroyed here the robot will return in Avengers #202.

4. Wonder Man seemingly died in Avengers #9 only to turn up alive again in issue #151. As explained in Avengers #164 he actually underwent a metamorphosis.