Take One Giant Step — Backward!

Ronan the Accuser has come to Earth and from his citadel in Alaska is slowly reverting the planet back to its prehistoric state. Captain Marvel, Ronan’s prisoner, watches helplessly as the Avengers are busy fighting the Sentry and a hypnotized Goliath. Not far from this battle, the Wasp is at the mercy of her husband, Yellowjacket, who has been reverted into a caveman.

At first, the primitive is about to club the unconscious Wasp when suddenly some instinct kicks in and he decides to protect the girl instead and carries it off to the jungle. This sudden turn of events amuses Ronan who gloats to Captain Marvel how soon the entire planet will be reduced to primitives.

Meanwhile, the battle between the Avengers and Sentry and Goliath rages on. Rick Jones tosses a rock at the Kree android and the Scarlet Witch uses her hex power to fuse the bock to its face. At that same time, Quicksilver distracts Goliath long enough for the Vision to phase his hand into Goliath’s body and partially solidify. This causes their enthralled ally so much pain he blacks out.[1] When the Sentry breaks free from the fused stone, the Vision tries the same move on it as well. However, the Kree android has prepared a defense against the Vision’s powers causing painful feedback. Concerned for the Vision’s well-being, the Scarlet Witch races to his side and is stunned by the energy emanating from the synthezoid’s body.

Concerned for his sister’s safety, Quicksilver tries to step in by the Sentry’s energy beams to keep him at bay. Instead, Pietro grabs Rick Jones and runs to safety so they can regroup and come up with a new plan. This allows the Sentry to take the Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Goliath prisoner. While trying to come up with a new plan of attack, Rick Jones notices three of the technicians have also been de-evolved into cavemen and they realize the effect is spreading. By this time, the Vision and Scarlet Witch are restrained alongside Captain Marvel. Concerned for each other’s well-being, the Vision and Scarlet Witch begin giving in to their passions. They almost kiss, but the Vision stops himself, in an attempt to reject human emotions. This drama amuses Ronan. He then turns his monitors back on the Wasp and Yellowjacket. They have run into the three de-evolved technicians and a fight breaks out between the primitives over Janet. This amuses Ronan even further before he returns to taunting Mar-Vell. He takes a pre-historic frog he has captured and exposes it a more concentrated de-evolution ray to reduce the amphibian to an amoeba, explaining that this will be the fate for all life on Earth.

By this time, Quicksilver and Rick have arrived outside the citadel. Using his speed powers and a spear to smash his way inside, Pietro distracts Ronan and the Sentry while Rick frees the others. However, moments after this Ronan receives a distress call from the Kree galaxy. Learning that the Skrulls are renewing their hostility in their centuries-long war, Ronan teleports away to lead his armies against the shape-shifting invaders. With Ronan gone, the Sentry is left to try and maintain the citadel with his own power supply. However, this causes the Sentry to overload, causing the Kree automation to self-destruct.[2] The Avengers then race outside and discover that not only is the de-evolution ray shut down, but everything is returning back to normal. Joining Janet and Hank Pym, they watch as the citadel crumbles. After his ordeal, Hank feels that this experience was too much and decides that he is resigning not only from the Avengers but also from costumed heroic. Janet decides that she is going to retire as well.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Yellowjacket, the Wasp, Goliath, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, the Vision), Captain Marvel, Rick Jones, Ronan the Accuser, Sentry 459, Skrulls

Continuity Notes

1. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are referred to as mutants in this story. However, they are not. As revealed in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5, they were actually experimented upon by the High Evolutionary as infants. To cover up his work he made it so future genetic tests had the Maximoff twins register as mutants.

2. Although destroyed here, the Kree Sentry is rebuilt and will resurface again in Captain Marvel #47.