Avengers #81
When Dies a Legend!
Captain America, the Black Panther Quicksilver, Iron Man, and Thor watch as the Vision, Goliath, and the Scarlet Witch depart to help their newfound ally Red Wolf get justice for his murdered parents. With T’Challa departing on his own business and the others focusing on the Zodiac Cartel, Captain America wonders if this schism in the team will spell the end of the Avengers. Entering the mansion, the Black Panther once again appeals to his allies to help fight the criminals that affect average people, like the students he teaches in Harlem. However, Thor and the others insist on tackling the Zodiac, since they are a deadly international organization. Realizing that he will find no help among his allies, the Black Panther takes off on his own.[1]
Meanwhile, the ship carrying the Vision and the others are heading to the deserts of the midwest. It’s along the way, that Red Wolf wonders if he should have bothered accepting the aid of the Avengers, as it might mean he is unworthy to carry the mantle of Red Wolf. After recounting the events leading up to his encounter with the Vision. However, despite Red Wolf’s misgivings, the three Avengers accompanying him believe they are doing the right thing. That’s when their craft is blasted by another approaching ship. While the others brace for a crash landing, the Vision uses his phasing powers to enter the attacking ship. There he discovers it is piloted by robots under the control of Cornelius Van Lundt. The Vision destroys the robots and their ship but is left wondering how Van Lundt has access to such advanced technology.[2]
Searching for signs of the others, he finds the Scarlet Witch at the edge of an artificial lake. As he tries to revive her they are ambushed by armed men working for Van Lundt. Fearing for Wanda’s safety, the Vision surrenders to them.[3] The Scarlet Witch is surprised that the Vision would act this way when he has the power to defeat them all. They are taken to the hacienda owned by Cornelius. There, the Vision questions why Van Lundt is willing to break the law this time. Van Lundt only says that he is being backed by some very powerful people and that what he seeks is worth the risk of going above the law. With Wanda his prisoner, Van Lundt orders the Vision to act as his bodyguard in order to keep the woman safe. Realizing that he has no choice in the matter, the Vision agrees.
Elsewhere in the desert, Red Wolf and Goliath are trying to find traces of the Scarlet Witch and the Vision. The pair last saw Wanda when Goliath dropped her into the lake as their plane was about to crash. The two men were able to survive because Goliath grew to his maximum height of thirty feet. Unable to find their allies, Red Wolf and Goliath then go to the local reservation. There Red Wolf meets with his uncle and the other residents. They have all but given up fighting back against Van Lundt since the murder of his brother, Tommy Talltrees.[4] Nobody is aware that Red Wolf was Tommy, but they are convinced to continue fighting for their land. When two jeeps full of Van Lundt’s men attack, both Goliath and Red Wolf easily take them down.
Leading his people, Red Wolf heads to Van Lundt’s hacienda. There, they are opposed by the Vision, who is only defending Cornelius because the Scarlet Witch is his prisoner. While the Vision and Goliath battle it out, Van Lundt notices Red Wolf leading his people across the dam that he has built to cut off the reservation’s water supply. Believing that they are going to sabotage his dam, Cornelius and his men hop in a helicopter and begin opening fire on the band of Native Americans. Van Lundt foolishly brought the Scarlet Witch along with them and by this time her hex powers have fully recharged. Freeing her hands, Wanda casts a hex that causes the helicopter to explode, de-stabilizing the dam. As she flees, Red Wolf refuses to leave as he is battling it out with Van Lundt. The pair is still trading blows when the dam collapses and they are washed away in a torrent of water. Searching the area after the flood, all the Avengers can find are Red Wolf’s headdress.
When they go to the reservation to tell Red Wolf’s uncle what happened, the old man is surprised when his nephew, Will Talltrees shows up. The young man is welcomed back home, and when asked about the bandage around his head, Will tells them that he doesn’t remember much of anything before he arrived home. The Avengers recognize Will as Red Wolf, but he seems to no longer remember his alter ego.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Goliath, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, the Vision), Red Wolf, Cornelius Van Lundt, Jason Birch, Lobo
Continuity Notes
The Black Panther’s solo mission will see him team up with Daredevil. See Daredevil #69 (dudes!)
What the Avengers don’t know right now is that Cornelius Van Lundt is Taurus of the Zodiac Cartel. Something that is not revealed until Avengers #120 (Despite assurances that the secret behind Van Lundt would be revealed next issue.)
Wanda refers to herself as a mutant here. However, neither she nor her brother are actually mutants. As revealed in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5, they were actually experimented upon by the High Evolutionary as infants. In order to cover up his work he made it so future genetic testing would show the Maximoff twins are mutants.
Red Wolf’s tribe nor the true name of the “Wolf Spirit” are named here. Red Wolf is identified as being Cheyenne and the wolf spirit is named Owayodata in Marvel Chillers #5.
Although Will Talltrees appears to not remember his time as Red Wolf here, he will return as Red Wolf again in Marvel Chillers #3. His apparent amnesia is never spoken of again.
Topical References
The people of Red Wolf’s tribe are referred to as Indians, American Indians, and red skins in this story. While the term Indian was the accepted term back when this story was published in 1970, a lot of these terms are no longer used and some (particularly “red skin”) is considered racist. The term Indian is a misnomer that dates back to the days of early colonialists who “discovered” America, who mistook the indigenous population for people of India because ancient white people were fucking ignorant as shit. At any rate, accepted terms now are Native American, First Nation, the Indigenous, or Aboriginal. If you don’t want to come off sounding like an ignorant prick you could also refer to individuals by which tribe they originate from.
Also, particularly troubling is that some of the people of Red Wolf’s tribe refer to themselves as “Uncle Tomahawks” which appears to be a play on the term “Uncle Tom” which is a pejorative term derived from 1852 novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It is used to describe African-Americans who are viewed as being subservient to Caucasians/the system/the government/”The Man!” I get that Roy Thomas probably meant well, but that term is just offensive.
