Back to the Stone Age!

The Avengers have left a special meeting to discuss their government security threat to stop a menace from outer space that had been terrorizing the city. This menace turns out to be the Grey Gargoyle, who had finally returned home after being stranded in space.[1] With Iron Man and their ally Daredevil turned into stone from the villain, the rest of the team tries to subdue him as quickly as possible.

In the ensuing clash, the Vision is struck by the Gargoyle and knocked out. Luckily, his phasing powers saved him from slamming into the side of a building. However, the Scarlet Witch runs to her husband’s side is knocked out by the Gargoyle as well. Angered over such a cowardly attack, the rest of the team piles onto their foe.[2] Despite their best efforts, the Avengers are defeated when the Grey Gargoyle buries Captain America, the Beast, and the Wasp under an awning he turned into stone. Knocking out Ms. Marvel, he decides to retreat.

Meanwhile, back at Avengers Mansion, Jarvis hears a thumping coming from the living room. There he finds the Falcon’s hawk, Redwing, slamming against the window in an effort to escape. Seeing the bird’s determination, Jarvis opens the window so Redwing can get outside.

Back at the scene of the battle, Ms. Marvel wakes up and begins checking on her teammates. After Cap and the others are freed from the rubble, they check on the Vision. Wanda is relieved when her husband turns out to be fine. The android has noticed his wife has been acting strange ever since they returned from Attilan and suggests that they talk about it later.[3] While trying to decide their next move, Captain America checks on Iron Man and Daredevil who are still trapped in stone. That’s when Iron Man reveals that it is only his armor that was transformed and the man inside is safe. He tells Cap and the others to go after the Grey Gargoyle as the effects of his touch will wear off within the hour. That’s when everyone notices that the Falcon is missing in action.

This is because Sam Wilson has been tailing the Grey Gargoyle, who is heading back to his old apartment. The villain is surprised to discover that his apartment has since been taken over by a new tenant who threw out his secret stash of chemicals to put in a liquor cabinet.[4] Furious, the Gargoyle decides to take it out of the woman that now lives in the apartment, but the Falcon comes in to rescue her. When the villain turns the arriving Redwing into stone, Sam realizes that there is no way to win this fight.[5] Instead, he decides to make as much noise as possible so somebody calls the cops and sends help. This ploy pays off when the rest of the Avengers arrive, having heard the commotion from blocks away. The Gargoyle is ill prepared fighting the Avengers in such closed quarters. The battle quickly turns when the Scarlet Witch’s hex powers causes the villain to revert to flesh and blood, allowing the Beast to knock him out with a single punch.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Avengers return to their trial. There, the government committee, in light of the Avengers recent battle, agrees with their position and decides to restore much of the teams autonomy as it is necessary for them to function.[6] Although visibly annoyed by this ruling, Gyrich accepts that he lost and tells Iron Man that he will come by the mansion in a weeks time to help implement the committees changes. While Captain America is overjoyed that things are getting back to normal, Iron Man — observing the Scarlet Witch and the Vision talking in private — isn’t so sure that it will be that way for every body.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Beast, Ms. Marvel, Falcon), Daredevil, Grey Gargoyle, Henry Gyrich, Jeryn Hogarth, Emerson Bale, Edwin Jarvis, Redwing

Continuity Notes

1. The Grey Gargoyle was accidentally launched into space following the events of Marvel Team-Up #13. He had joined the crew of space pirates from Thor #257-259 until he became stranded in space again. He finally returned home last issue.

2. The Beast mentions how Absorbing Man also resulted to such low blows during his fight with Ms. Marvel. See Avengers #184.

3. Wanda has been contemplating retiring from heroics to start a family after learning her brother Quicksilver and his wife Crystal were expecting their first child. See Avengers #188.

4. Here, the Grey Gargoyle goes over his origins as they were first told back in Journey into Mystery #107.

5. Here, the Falcon recounts how he and Redwing share a psychic bond. This bond was created by when the Red Skull used the Cosmic Cube to mess with Sam Wilson’s mind prior to meeting Captain America for the first time, however he wouldn’t learn about this connection until a few years later after a chance encounter with Professor X of the X-Men. See Captain America #174 and 186.

6. When the NSA assigned Henry Gyrich as the team’s government liaison, he started imposing heavy restrictions and removing government privilege's as he saw the groups operation as a national security risk. See Avengers #168.