Avengers #180
Berserkers’ Holiday
At the request of the Bloodhawk and his teacher, the Avengers — Thor, the Vision, and the Beast — are returning a totem taken from the island of Maura to prevent its destruction. Upon their arrival, a massive stone creature called the Monolith has emerged from the shore and is now making his way to the island. The three Avengers try to battle the creature but it easily shrugs off their attacks. Meanwhile, Teacher tells Bloodhawk that the only way to stop the Monolith is to return the totem to its rightful place. Succumbing to his genetic madness, Bloodhawk refuses as he wants the totem for himself. He then grabs the stone artifact and flies away. Teacher runs to the Beast, who is helping get the villagers to safety to tell him what has happened.
Meanwhile, back in New York, Iron Man returns to Avengers Mansion because he has not heard back from the team that went off to Maura. He finds the mansion deserted and as he wonders where everyone went he is ambushed and knocked out by Stinger, a new villain seeking a name for himself by defeating the Avengers.
Back in Maura, the battle rages on with no end in sight. While Thor and the Vision keep the Monolith busy, the Beast goes after Bloodhawk in order to recover the totem. Bloodhawk is not willing to give up the weapon without a fight, but the Beast manages to wrest the stone artifact from him. Racing back to the scene of the battle, the Beast is tossed up onto the Monolith’s head by Thor’s hammer. There he places the totem on a stone slot on the Monolith’s head. As soon as it is in place, the Monolith becomes inert. In order to prevent the creature from threatening the island again, Thor uses Mjolnir to open a vortex that will send it across the galaxy.
With the battle over, the Beast convinces Bloodhawk to return to America with them after telling his fellow mutant about the work that Professor Xavier and the X-Men do for their kind. When they return to Avengers Mansion they find the rest of the team shackled to a wall by the Stinger, who intends to auction off the Avengers to the highest bidder. A battle soon breaks out and in the ensuing chaos, Bloodhawk leaps in the way of a blast the Stinger intended for Thor. The Avengers quickly subdue the Stinger, but the wounds Bloodhawk suffered in battle prove fatal and he dies. His final words are asking the Teacher if his father would be proud of him. The Teacher, implying that he has always been Bloodhawk’s father assures the dying mutant that his father would indeed be proud of his boy.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Thor, Iron Man, Yellowjacket, the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, the Vision, the Beast, Wonder Man), Bloodhawk, Stinger, the Monolith, Teacher
Topical References
This story makes references that are topical because they are dated: Such the references to Robert Redford being attractive (he was, but he is now very dead and wouldn’t be used to make a comparison of one’s looks) to a present-tense reference to Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. However, the reference to Tarzan would not be a topical reference because Tarzan is considered classical literature that is a timeless part of the cultural zeitgeist. Not to mention the copious amount of popular culture that is still made about the character to this day, particularly since some Tarzan stories are now in the public domain. Moreover, since the Marvel acquisition by Disney and Disney has their own version of Tarzan, it would be even less topical because of brand synergy per the Jack Dona Donaghy’s rules of business. (Yes, I’m making a dated 30 Rock reference.)
