Avengers #201
The Evil Reborn
Thor, Iron Man, and Wonder Man are hauling out wrecked equipment after their encounter with Marcus Immortus, much to the amazement of the garbage men going on their rounds. Once they are done, both Iron Man and Wonder Man wonder if letting Ms. Marvel go with Marcus to Limbo was the right choice.[1] Thor, on the other hand, thinks Carol Danvers did the noble thing, saying her decision took a lot of courage and compassion.
Inside, the rest of the Avengers are overseeing repairs being done to their headquarters by technicians from Stark International. With things getting back to normal, the team starts going off on their personal business. Wonder Man is the first to leave when he realizes that he’s late for his next TV show taping. He is followed by Yellowjacket and the Wasp who want to spend some time together before Hank goes off to Tokyo for an electronics symposium. That’s when Jarvis tells Iron Man that Stark International is looking for his employer, Tony Stark, to discuss important business. When Thor offers to accompany Iron Man back to Stark International, the Golden Avenger declines, saying he’ll call if there is any trouble.[2] As Hank and Jan prepare to leave in a Quinjet, they are briefly delayed by Jocasta who has prepared a lunch for them. As they leave, Hank admits that he’s still not used to the fact that Jocasta was created by Ultron and patterned after Janet’s personality.[3] When Simon Williams is finally leave, the Beast decides to tag along to see the shoot despite Simon’s reluctance. With most everyone gone, Hawkeye — who has time off from his job at Cross Technological Enterprises — takes the opportunity to do some training with Captain America.[4]
When Iron Man arrives at Stark International, he quickly changes into Tony Stark and checks in with his secretary, Bambi Arbogast. When he reads the report waiting for him, he is alarmed by its contents and orders an immediate meeting with the head of security.
Meanwhile, Wonder Man is on set for the Uncle Elmer Show, a children’s show where he plays the dimwitted Mister Muscles, the butt of Uncle Elmer’s jokes. During the taping, Simon is made to entertain some children by spinning a whirl-around as part of a contest by collecting a set of rings. When one of the children accidentally grabs Elmer’s wig, this causes everyone to make fun of the titular host. Furious at this humiliation, Uncle Elmer accuses Simon of intentionally causing this to happen and fires him on the spot. As the Beast tells Simon that it’s best to leave with his dignity still intact, McCoy changes his position when Uncle Elmer calls him a blue baboon.
That evening, the Wasp is awoken in her home when she hears a crash coming from Hank’s lab. Since Yellowjacket is already gone, Janet changes into her costume and goes to investigate. Inside, she finds a robot stealing two cylinders of an experimental resin. She tries to stop the robot, but is seemingly incinerated by its ray beams. While at Stark International, Tony Stark is working late. He discovered that a number of experimental chemicals were stolen from his facility and if his fears a valid it could mean the destruction of all life on Earth. As such, Tony has been working on a device that might save everyone, but worries that if he fails his friends might be forced to kill him.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Beast, Jocasta), Ultron, Edwin Jarvis, Bambi Arbogast
Continuity Notes
That happened last issue. Avengers Annual #10 reveals that was totally a bad call, you know what with Marcus gaslighting and then raping Carol.
It is stated here that Iron Man and Thor know each other’s alter-ego. The pair deduced their double identities in Avengers #113.
Ultron created Jocasta in Avengers #162.
When Hawkeye was forced off the team in Avengers #181, he ended up getting a job as head of security at CTE in issue #189.
Topical References
Beast makes a comment about Studio 54 not being open for a few more hours. Although this is one of New York City’s most famous night clubs and still exists today, it’s reference here should be considered a topical reference as this is a real-world establishment.
Bully
Every two weeks, Edwin Jarvis leaves Avengers Mansion the day so he can visit his mother, who lives in the Bronx. As always, Jarvis looks forward to seeing her mother and having some of her legendary Yorkshire pudding. However, instead of smelling his mother’s baking, Jarvis finds her distraught instead. As it turns out, she was mugged by a local hood named Bruiser who also broke the carton of eggs she had bought at the store. Jarvis is bothered by this and decides to find this Bruiser and teach him a lesson.
Jarvis finds Bruiser trashing Perkins Market and helping himself to some free food. When Jarvis confronts the thug about robbing his mother, Bruiser finds it funny and smashes a cantaloupe in the butler’s face before walking off to terrorize someone else. Edwin is surprised that none of the local business owners are too scared to confront Bruiser for fear he might cause more damage than he already does. Not taking this laying down, Jarvis tries to rally the shop owners to face this bully. When nobody else steps up, Jarvis decides to deal with him alone.
When Jarvis finds Bruiser again, the bully is terrorizing an ice cream parlor. The thug is amused when Jarvis challenges him to a fight. Although Bruiser fights dirty, Jarvis proves that he is the superior fighter, revealing that he was boxing champion for three years running during his time in the Royal Air Force, and a little combat training from Captain America since then has also helped. Realizing that he’s no match for the elderly butler, Bruiser pulls a switch blade and is about to stab Jarvis when the local shop owners come to his rescue. Out numbered, the bully flees the scene. In the aftermath, the local shop owners ask Jarvis how they can repay him for everything he has done. Edwin only asks for a dozen eggs and invites them all over for some of his mother’s Yorkshire pudding.
Recurring Characters
Edwin Jarvis, Abigail Jarvis, Avengers (Captain America, Wonder Man, Beast)
Topical References
Cab fare in this story costs $1.00 for the first 1/3 mile and 10 cents each additional 1/4 mile. This should be considered topical because fares have changed over the years. It’s all fairly complicated, so if you’re curious click here I guess?
Here, Jarvis states that he served with the Royal Air Force an fought in World War II. This should be considered a topical reference as this would prematurely age the character. Modern readers should accept that Jarvis served in the RAF, but did not fight in World War II.
