Slowly Slays the Stinger!

The Black Panther stops a truck robbery while on patrol. Making short work of the crooks, he heads back to Avengers Mansion by rooftop. There he is confronted by a new villain who calls himself the Stinger, who plans to make a name for himself by destroying the Avengers. Although the Panther is agile, he still manages to get clipped by the Stinger’s stinger which is coated with a drug that induces paralysis. With T’Challa his first prisoner, the Stinger sets his sights on the rest of the team who are making an appearance at a museum benefit.

Meanwhile, two passengers exit JFK International airport and take a taxi to the New York Museum of Natural History. They are seeking to reclaim something that belongs to them. Along the way, the old man reminds his friend, whose appearance is obscured in a trench coat and hat, to keep calm and not let the madness consume him.

At said museum, the Avengers are hobnobbing with the guests at the charity gala.[1] Those Avengers present are also unaware that Iron Man and Thor are also in attendance in their civilian identities of Tony Stark and Doctor Donald Blake.[2] While outside, the Stinger arrives and prepares to make his entrance. At the same time, the taxi carrying the men from JFK arrives as well.

Inside, the Scarlet Witch is interested in one of the exhibits that come from an ancient civilization. The curator who found it tells her that the totem comes from the island of Muara and is said to protect the island. That’s when the strange man in the trench coat and hat comes barging in and demands that the idol be returned totem be returned to Maura as the island is in peril the longer it is away. When security tries to remove the man, he strips off his coat and hat revealing that he is not an ordinary man, but an avian named Bloodhawk. His teacher tries to keep Bloodhawk calm but the madness is soon upon him.

As Bloodhawk tries to take back the totem, the Avengers spring into action to try and stop him. When the Scarlet witch attempts to use her hex powers, he beats everyone back by summoning a swarm of pigeons to fly into the room. As Bloodhawk battles the Vision, both Iron Man and Thor arrive on the scene and begin clearing out the bystanders before joining the battle. Both Iron Man and the Vision combine their powers to knock Bloodhawk out. That’s when the Teacher pleads with the Avengers to hear their story. Getting permission to take the totem with them, the Avengers take Bloodhawk and Teacher back to Avengers Mansion.

There, Teacher explains Bloodhawk’s tragic upbringing. His father was a geneticist that experimented on his child while it was still in the womb. Bloodhawk’s mother died giving childbirth and seeing the bird-like infant, the scientist gave the child to be raised by the man he’d come to call Teacher. Teacher tried to educate and raise Bloodhawk and often had to deal with the mutant’s bounds of madness. They lived on the island of Maura and when the totem was taken the island had begun experiencing earthquakes that threaten to destroy the island.

As the Avengers debate over helping Bloodhawk or not, the Stinger manages to use a cloaking device to sneak into the mansion. Eventually, the team is divided, with Thor, the Vision, and the Beast, agreeing to help while Iron Man, Wonder Man, Yellowjacket, the Wasp, and the Scarlet Witch stay behind. As Thor’s team takes off in a Quinjet, the Stinger uses this opportunity to strike at the Avengers who remain behind.[3] He quickly takes down Wanda, Simon, and the Pym’s and when Jarvis attempts to warn the others he too is knocked out. The Stinger then begins preparing for the eventual return of the other Avengers.

Meanwhile, Thor and his team arrive at the island of Maura where they are shocked to see a massive stone creature, the Monolith, emerge from the waters and begin making his way toward the island.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Yellowjacket, the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, the Vision, the Beast, Wonder Man), Bloodhawk, Stinger, Teacher, Edwin Jarvis

Continuity Notes

1. It is stated here that Captain America could not attend because he had business out of town. This is a reference to Captain America #229 which saw Captain America go to Los Angeles to face the Corporation.

2. At the time of this story, most of the Avengers are unaware of Iron Man and Thor’s secret identities. They, however, know each other’s identities after both men deduced their secrets in Avengers #113.

3. It is stated here that the Avengers had to get special permission to launch on of their Quinjets. At the time of this story, NSA agent Henry Gyrich had revoked the Avengers security clearance, which included being able to launch Quinjets from midtown Manhattan. See Avengers #168.