The Man-Ape Always Strikes Twice!

Answering a summons from the Black Panther, Captain America arrives at Avengers Mansion to find everything a little to quiet. He is suddenly ambushed by the Man-Ape who is determined to defeat the Star-Spangled Avenger even though they have never met before. However, the sound of battle draws out Goliath, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and the Vision. When the Man-Ape tosses Cap over the side of Avengers Mansion, both the Vision and Quicksilver work together to catch him. Unprepared to deal with more than one Avenger, the Man-Ape manages to escape in his aircraft with the assistant of N’Gamo his faithful servant.

When the Avengers go inside their headquarters, they try to figure out the reason why the Man-Ape would have attacked Cap. It’s here that Goliath talks about the Black Panther’s previous encounter with the Man-Ape and how T’Challa defeated his mortal enemy in Wakanda.[1] Captain America then shows them the note he received from the Panther via SHIELD summoning him back to the mansion. That’s when they realize that it was a forgery. Captain America vows that he will get even with the Man-Ape for tricking him so easily.

Meanwhile, in Harlem, the Black Panther pays a visit to Monica Lynne. The former singer has become a black rights activist and is deeply upset that a government bill that would have benefited African-Americans did not get passed.[2] She demands to know what T’Challa is doing to make things better for their people as a member of the Avengers. He reminds her that his team fights for the justice of everyone and that these issues are far more complex for one team of super-heroes to tackle alone. Monica admits that she is just upset and T’Challa promises to come back to talk with her about the issues again once he finishes his meeting with the Avengers. However, moments, after T’Challa has left the Man-Ape, comes crashing into Monica’s apartment to take her hostage.

When T’Challa arrives at Avengers Mansion, he is shocked to learn that the Man-Ape is still alive. Moments later, M’Baku contacts the Avengers through their communicator and reveals that he has Monica Lynne as a hostage and challenges the Black Panther to face him alone. Although the other Avengers offer to assist him, the Black Panther insists on going alone. Flying to the Man-Ape’s ship, the Panther finds himself in a battle against the Man-Ape and N’Gamo at the same time. Knocking out the dwarfish N’Gamo, the Black Panther races into another part of the ship where it appears that Monica is being held. However, he discovers too late that "Monica” was just a dummy rigged with explosives. The resulting explosion then knocks him out, allowing the Man-Ape to take T’Challa prisoner as well.

M’Baku then contacts the Avengers to gloat over his victory and vows that the rest of the team will soon fall as well, hinting that he is not working alone. Soon, he takes the Black Panther to his underground lair where the real Monica has been kept the whole time. The Man-Ape explains that he and his allies have challenged each other to take down every hero who has become a member of the Avengers. Although M’Baku was challenged to take down Captain America he is pleased that he was able to defeat his true enemy instead. The Man-Ape then introduces the Black Panther to his allies. They include the Living Laser, Power Man, and the Swordsman and they were all gathered together by the Grim Reaper who calls his team the Lethal Legion.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Goliath, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, the Vision), Lethal Legion (Grim Reaper, Man-Ape, Power Man, Swordsman, Living Laser), Monica Lynne, N’Gamo

Continuity Notes

1. The Black Panther’s battle with the Man-Ape was chronicled in Avengers #62.

2. Monica quit her job as a singer to become an activist after the Avengers took down the Sons of the Serpent in Avengers #73-74.

Topical References

• Harlem is depicted as a slum, with the narration saying "[it’s] mean streets blow last week’s newspapers and yesterday’s dreams!” While the Harlem of the 1970s was a troubled ghetto, in recent times it — like virtually all of New York City — has gentrified and it is no longer the troubled borough it used to be. That said, challenges that African-Americans faced in this story are — depressingly enough — still valid concerns that endure to this day.